Gaming Machines

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of improving maintenance ability of attachment / detachment of a performance operation device, and preventing the performance operation device from being detached for a dishonest purpose by a player's mischief behavior.SOLUTION: A game machine comprises a performance operation unit which can be operated by a player on a glass frame 5, and the glass frame 5 has a plurality of fixtures 590. By manual operation of the plurality of fixtures 590, the performance operation unit can be detachably attached to a front face of the glass frame 5, and out of the plurality of fixtures 590, a specific fixture 590B can be manually operated from a front face side of the glass frame 5 and a lower side, and the specific fixture 590B is configured so that the same cannot be manually operated by a movable plate 585 whose ability is valid when the glass frame 5 is closed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 34

Description

[Technical field]

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

[0002] A pachinko machine, which is an example of a gaming machine, generally obtains a random number for a lottery when a gaming ball that has been shot into the playing area through a guide rail on a gaming board enters a start winning hole, and temporarily stores the random number as an operation reserved ball up to a predetermined upper limit. Each time a predetermined start condition is satisfied, such operation reserved balls are consumed one by one in sequence, and a hit / miss determination is made as to whether or not the ball corresponds to a big win. If the hit / miss determination results in a big win, a decorative pattern consisting of multiple rows is displayed in a variable manner, and then the decorative pattern is displayed in a stopped state in a predetermined winning manner, thereby establishing a special game (big win game) in which the big win hole, which is normally closed, is opened.

[0003] This type of pachinko gaming machine is known to be comprised of an outer frame that forms the outer shell of the gaming machine, a front frame that is attached to this outer frame and holds the gaming board, and a glass door that is attached to the front side of the front frame so that it can be opened and closed, with a presentation operation device on the front side of the glass door that allows the player to input operations (see, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-47965 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In a pachinko gaming machine configured in this manner, it is necessary to improve the ease of attaching and detaching the performance operation device, as well as to take measures to prevent the performance operation device from being improperly removed by a player's mischievous acts.

[0006] The present invention has been made in consideration of such problems, and aims to provide a gaming machine that improves the maintainability of attaching and detaching the presentation operation device, and prevents the presentation operation device from being improperly removed by a player's mischief. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve this object, the gaming machine according to the present invention comprises: The container has an inner frame and a front door that is provided on a front side of the inner frame in an openable and closable manner, An input device that can be operated by a player The above A gaming machine equipped with a front door, the input device can be attached by fitting it into a front portion of the front door, the front door is equipped with a plurality of fixing members, and the input device can be attached and detached to the front portion of the front door by manually operating the plurality of fixing members, a specific fixing member among the plurality of fixing members can be manually operated from the front side and below the front door, and the specific fixing member is configured to be unable to be manually operated by an operation restriction means which becomes effective when the front door is closed, a predetermined fixing member among the plurality of fixing members can be manually operated from the rear side of the front door, and a predetermined unit part is attached to the rear side of the front door so as to cover the predetermined fixing member, The front door is in an open state and The present invention is characterized in that, in a state in which the specified unit part is attached to the rear side of the front door, the specified fixing member is configured to be difficult to see from the rear side of the front door. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the gaming machine of the present invention, it is possible to improve the maintainability of the attachment and detachment of the performance operation device, and to prevent the performance operation device from being improperly removed by a player's mischief. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a front view of the pachinko game machine of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an oblique view of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pachinko game machine. [Figure 4] An oblique view of the front frame of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Figure 6] A front view of the main control display device of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Figure 7] A control block diagram of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Figure 8] An oblique view of the outer frame and speaker unit of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Figure 9] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the speaker unit as viewed from the front. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the speaker unit as viewed from the rear. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the speaker unit. [Figure 12] This is an exploded oblique view of the glass frame of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Figure 13] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the glass frame as seen from the rear. [Figure 14] FIG. 4 is a rear view showing an upper portion of the rear side of the glass frame. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a detailed view of part A in FIG. [Figure 16] This is an exploded oblique view of the right decorative unit of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Figure 17] This is an oblique view of the right decorative unit as seen from the front. [Figure 18] This is an oblique view of the right decorative unit as seen from the rear. [Figure 19] 1A is a left side view of the right decorative unit, and FIG. 1B is a perspective view of the right side speaker part of the decorative unit. [Figure 20] 1A is a perspective view of the cover member of the right decorative unit, and FIG. 1B is a front view of the cover member. [Figure 21] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing a state in which the lid member is open, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing a state in which the lid member is open and the rear lid portion is swung upward. [Figure 22] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the storage state of the first design sheet, FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the storage state of the second design sheet and the third design sheet, and FIG. 1C is a diagram showing the arrangement of the first to third design sheets. [Figure 23] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining an identification symbol of the design sheet. [Figure 24] This is an oblique view of the used ball discharge mechanism of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine, seen from the front. [Diagram 25] This is an oblique view of the used ball discharge mechanism from the rear. [Figure 26] This is an exploded oblique view of the sensor cassette of the above-mentioned used ball discharge mechanism, viewed from the front. [Figure 27] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor cassette as viewed from the rear. [Figure 28] 2 is an exploded oblique view of the performance operation unit of the pachinko game machine. FIG. [Figure 29] An oblique view showing the rotation drive mechanism of the lever part of the above-mentioned performance operation unit. [Diagram 30] A right side view showing the state in which the performance operation unit is attached to the glass frame. [Diagram 31] A block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the above-mentioned performance operation unit. [Diagram 32] FIG. [Diagram 33] FIG. 2 is a bottom view of the pachinko game machine. [Diagram 34] FIG. 2A is a diagram showing the movable plate of the pachinko game machine in a locked position, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing the movable plate in an unlocked position. [Diagram 35] FIG. 4 is a rear view showing the lower part of the rear side of the glass frame. [Diagram 36] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of a frame relay board to be attached to the glass frame. [Figure 37] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a second tamper-proof rib provided on the glass frame. [Figure 38]This is a functional block diagram of the main control board and the performance control board of the above-mentioned pachinko game machine. [Figure 39] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the reciprocating motion of the lever device, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the rotational motion of the lever device. [Diagram 40] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a performance operation pattern table of the lever gimmick. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0011] The external view of the pachinko game machine PM according to this embodiment is shown in Fig. 1 to Fig. 3, and the overall configuration of the pachinko game machine PM will be described with reference to these figures. The pachinko game machine PM according to this embodiment is a model that combines two functions equivalent to a conventional type 1 pachinko game machine, and is capable of developing a first game (first special symbol game) and a second game (second special symbol game). In the following description, for convenience, the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2 will be referred to as the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction, respectively.

[0012] <Basic structure of a pachinko machine> First, the basic structure of the front side of the pachinko game machine PM will be described with reference to Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the pachinko game machine PM (also simply called "game machine PM") has an outer frame 1, which is a vertically oriented fixed holding frame configured to an outer rectangular frame size, and a front frame 2, which is configured to a rectangular frame size to match this and is configured to be an opening and closing mounting frame, is attached to the front of the opening of the outer frame 1 so that it can be opened and closed sideways and can be attached and detached by upper and lower hinge mechanisms 3a, 3b arranged on the left front edge of each other, and is always held in a closed state engaged and connected to the outer frame 1 by using a locking device 4 called a double lock provided on the right front edge.

[0013] A square glass frame 5 that fits the upper front area of ​​the front frame 2 is attached to the front frame 2 by using upper and lower hinge mechanisms 3 so that it can be opened and closed sideways and can be attached and detached, and is normally kept in a closed state covering the front of the front frame 2 by using a locking device 4. A game board 20 is removably set and held in the front frame 2, and the game area PA in front of the game board 20 can be seen through a window portion 5a of the glass frame 5 that is normally held closed.

[0014] On the front side of the glass frame 5, there are provided a frame lamp (LED lamp) 11 that emits light according to the development status of the game, and a speaker (left side speaker) 8 that generates sound effects according to the development status of the game. On the lower part of the glass frame 5, there are provided upper and lower ball trays (upper ball tray 6 and lower ball tray 7) that store game balls. The upper and lower ball trays 6, 7 are arranged on the left side of the center of the left and right sides of the glass frame 5, and a performance operation device 700 for performing a predetermined performance operation is attached to the empty space formed on the front right side of the upper and lower ball trays 6, 7. In addition, on the front side of the glass frame 5, there is attached a decoration unit 12 that protrudes forward and upward. The decoration unit 12 is composed of a right decoration unit 200 attached to the right side of the window part 5a on the front side of the glass frame 5, and an upper decoration unit 300 attached to the upper side of the window part on the front side of the glass frame 5.

[0015] A launch handle 9 for launching the game balls is provided at the lower right of the front frame 2. At the lower part of the front frame 2, as shown in Fig. 4, an auxiliary mechanism called a game auxiliary board 25 is formed behind the glass frame 5 at a position that can be aligned vertically with the game board 20, and each part of the game auxiliary board 25 is provided with a ball sending mechanism 26 that sends out the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 6 one by one, a launch mechanism 27 that shoots out the game balls sent out from the ball sending mechanism 26 toward the game area PA, and the like.

[0016] The game board 20 is constructed with a board surface plate 21 formed in a rectangular flat plate shape using synthetic resin material such as acrylic resin, polycarbonate resin, ABS resin, etc., as a base. On the front surface of the game board 20, as shown in Fig. 5, an outer rail 41 and an inner rail 42 are fixed in an arc shape to define a substantially circular game area PA in which game balls can roll. The outer rail 41 and the inner rail 42 also form a guide passage 44 for guiding game balls to the game area PA, and a position in the vicinity of the exit opening for the game balls in this guide passage 44 (at the tip of the inner rail 42), A ball return prevention device 47 is provided to prevent the game balls discharged from the exit opening into the game area PA from returning back to the guide passage 44. In addition to a windmill and a number of game nails (not shown), the game area PA is provided with various winning holes such as a first starting hole 51, a second starting hole 52, an operating gate 53, a big winning hole 54, and general winning holes 55, 56, and 57, as well as a main control display device 60 that is controlled to be turned on by a main control board 910 (described later). A center ornament 22 is provided in the approximate center of the game area PA, and the screen of the performance display device 70 is provided so as to be visible through the central opening of the center ornament 22. At the bottom end of the game area PA, an out port 29 is provided to discharge the game balls that roll down without entering each winning hole to the back side of the game board 20. Below, each component provided on the game board 20 will be described in order.

[0017] The first start hole 51 is provided as a start winning hole corresponding to the first special symbol game, and is equipped with a first start hole switch 51a (see FIG. 7) for detecting the entry of a game ball. This first start hole 51 is a winning hole that is always open and opens upward, and is mainly capable of receiving game balls (game balls hit from the left) that flow down the board area (left side area PA1) corresponding to left hitting. The entry of a game ball into the first start hole 51 triggers the drawing of the first special symbol. In this embodiment, the special symbol that is displayed variably or stationarily on the first special symbol display device 61 (see FIG. 6) is referred to as the "first special symbol."

[0018] The second start hole 52 is provided as a start winning hole corresponding to the second special symbol game, and is equipped with a second start hole switch 52a (see FIG. 7) for detecting the entry of a game ball. This second start hole 51 is arranged in a board area (right side area PA2) corresponding to right hitting, and is mainly capable of receiving game balls (game balls hit to the right) flowing down the right side area PA2. The entry of a game ball into the second start hole 52 triggers the drawing of a second special symbol. In this embodiment, the special symbol displayed as a variable or stationary display on the second special symbol display device 62 (see FIG. 6) is referred to as the "second special symbol." This second start hole 52 is equipped with a normal electric role 52b, generally called an electric chute, and a normal electric role solenoid 52c (see FIG. 7) for driving the normal electric role 52b to open and close. The normal electric device 52b changes between an open state in which the game ball can or easily enters the second starting hole 52 and a closed state in which the game ball cannot or has difficulty entering the second starting hole 52, in accordance with the drive of the normal electric device solenoid 52c. In other words, the normal electric device 52b is structured so that the game ball has difficulty entering the second starting hole 52 unless it is displaced to the open state, and when it becomes open at a specific opportunity (opportunity to win the normal symbol lottery) described later, it becomes easier for the game ball to enter.

[0019] The actuation gate 53 is provided as a start winning port corresponding to normal symbol games, and is equipped with an actuation gate switch 53a (see FIG. 7) for detecting the passage of a game ball. This actuation gate 53 is disposed above the second start port 52, and is mainly capable of receiving game balls (game balls hit to the right) flowing down the board area corresponding to right hitting (right side area PA2). The passage of a game ball through the actuation gate 53 triggers a normal symbol lottery to determine whether the second start port 52 is opened or not.

[0020] The large prize opening 54 is formed as a horizontally rectangular winning opening that is opened when the result of the lottery for the first special symbol or the second special symbol is a big win or a small win. The large prize opening 54 is equipped with a large prize opening switch 54a (see FIG. 7) for detecting the entry of a game ball, a special electric device 54b generally called an attacker, and a large prize opening solenoid 54c (see FIG. 7) for driving the special electric device 542 to open and close. The special electric device 54b is variable between an open state in which the game ball can enter or can enter easily, and a closed state in which the game ball cannot enter or cannot enter with difficulty. The large prize opening 54 is disposed in a board area (right area PA2) corresponding to right hitting, and is mainly capable of receiving game balls flowing down the right area PA2 (game balls hit to the right). Therefore, in the special games (big win games and small win games), when the game ball is shot, it is easier to shoot the ball into the big win hole 54 by hitting it to the right. is.

[0021] The general winning openings 55-57 are arranged in the board area (left area PA1) corresponding to left-handed play, and game balls that flow down this left area PA2 can enter the general winning openings 55-57. The general winning openings 55-57 are provided with a general winning opening switch 55a (see FIG. 7) for detecting the entry of game balls. From the viewpoint of cost reduction, the general winning opening switch 55a is configured as a common sensor (single sensor) for the three general winning openings 55-57, and can detect the entry of game balls into any of the general winning openings 55-57. The entry of game balls into each of the general winning openings 55-57 does not trigger the drawing of a lottery for a special or normal pattern, but it triggers the acquisition of prize balls in the same way as the other winning openings (except the actuation gate 53). As a modified example, a general winning opening may also be provided in the board area (right area PA2) corresponding to right-handed play.

[0022] The main control display device 60 is an LED display device that is controlled to be turned on by the main control board 910 described later. As shown in Fig. 6, the main control display device 60 is provided with various display means such as a first special symbol display device 61, a second special symbol display device 62, a first special symbol reserved lamp 63, a second special symbol reserved lamp 64, a normal symbol display device 65, a normal symbol reserved lamp 66, a round indicator lamp 67, a status indicator lamp 68, a right hit indicator lamp 69, and an error indicator lamp Er.

[0023] The first special pattern display device 61 performs a varying display and a final display of the first special pattern when the gaming ball enters the first starting hole 51. This first special pattern display device 61 is composed of eight LED segments G to N, and the varying display of the first special pattern is expressed according to the blinking pattern of the LED segments, and the first special pattern is finalized and displayed when the lamp stops blinking and switches to a lit display.

[0024] The second special pattern display device 62 performs a variable display and a final display of the second special pattern when the gaming ball enters the second starting hole 52. This second special pattern display device 62 is composed of eight LED segments Q to X, and the variable display of the second special pattern is expressed according to the blinking pattern of the LED segments, and the second special pattern is finalized and displayed when the LED segments stop blinking and switch to a lit display.

[0025] The first special symbol reserved lamp 63 is composed of two LED segments O and P, and indicates the number of reserved balls (maximum 4) of the first special symbol by lighting and blinking the LED segments. Similarly, the second special symbol reserved lamp 64 is composed of two LED segments Y and Z, and indicates the number of reserved balls (maximum 4) of the second special symbol by lighting and blinking the LED segments. The number of reserved balls of the first special symbol is a number related to a random number value obtained based on a ball entering the first start hole 51 while the first or second special symbol is fluctuating or a special game is being played, and indicates the number of balls for which the obtained random number value is reserved, that is, the number for which the win / loss judgment is temporarily suspended until the win / loss judgment permission condition (variation start condition) is satisfied for the obtained random number value. Similarly, the number of balls pending activation of the second special pattern is a number related to the random number value obtained based on the ball entering the second starting hole 52 while the first special pattern or the second special pattern is changing or while a special game is being played, and indicates the number of balls for which the obtained random number value is pending, i.e., the number for which the win / loss determination will be temporarily suspended until the win / loss determination permission condition (change start condition) is satisfied for the obtained random number value.

[0026] The normal pattern display device 65 is composed of one LED segment C, and displays the fluctuation and confirmation of normal patterns.

[0027] The normal symbol reserved lamp 66 is composed of two LED segments A and B, and indicates the number of activated reserved normal symbol balls (maximum 4) by lighting or blinking the LED segments.

[0028] The round indicator lamp 67 is composed of a left indicator lamp 67a and a right indicator lamp 67b, and indicates the number of rounds (unit games) in the special game (prescribed number of rounds: the number of times the special electric device operates consecutively). The left indicator lamp 67a is composed of two LED segments, and the right indicator lamp 67b is composed of seven LED segments, and the lighting of the LED segments indicates the prescribed number of rounds in the special game.

[0029] The status indicator lamp 68 is composed of two LED segments D and E, and the lighting of these LED segments indicates the operating state of the probability fluctuation function of the special symbols and the operating state of the probability fluctuation function of the normal symbols.

[0030] The right hit indicator light 69 is composed of one LED segment F, and the lighting of the LED segment indicates whether or not the game state is such that the game ball should be shot toward the right side of the game area PA (game state in which the ball should be hit to the right).

[0031] The error indicator lamp Er is composed of one LED segment B, and indicates the occurrence of an error in the gaming machine PM by lighting up the LED segment.

[0032] The effect display device 70 mainly displays effect images including a decorative pattern variable display / stop display in conjunction with the first or second special pattern, and a preview display that preliminarily suggests or notifies the expectation of a big win, and also performs a reserved display corresponding to the activated reserved ball of the first and second special patterns. As shown in FIG. 5, the effect display device 70 is provided with a decorative pattern display area 71 where the decorative pattern variable display etc. are executed, a reserved image display area 72 where reserved images of the first and second special patterns are displayed in synchronization with the first special pattern reserved lamp 63 and the second special pattern reserved lamp 64, and a changing image display area 73 where a changing image corresponding to the variable display is displayed. In the decorative pattern display area 71, three display areas (left pattern display area Z1, middle pattern display area Z2, right pattern display area Z3) that are variable display areas of decorative patterns are provided on a predetermined effective line (not shown), and the left pattern of the decorative pattern corresponding to the left pattern display area Z1, the middle pattern of the decorative pattern corresponding to the middle pattern display area Z2, and the right pattern of the decorative pattern corresponding to the right pattern display area Z3 are stopped and displayed. In the reserved image display area 72, a reserved image (reserved icon) corresponding to the activated reserved ball of the first special pattern and a reserved image (reserved icon) corresponding to the activated reserved ball of the second special pattern are displayed. The reserved images are displayed in order according to the occurrence order of the activated reserved ball of the special pattern (ball entry order), and a maximum of four reserved images of the first special pattern and a maximum of four reserved images of the second special pattern can be displayed. In addition, in the variable image display area 73, a variable image (variable icon) corresponding to the variable display currently being executed is displayed.

[0033] The performance display device 70 is also provided with a fourth symbol display area 74 for displaying a so-called fourth symbol (also called a "guaranteed symbol") in a variable or stationary manner. The "fourth symbol" is the fourth symbol following the special symbol, normal symbol, and decorative symbol. That is, in this embodiment, the variable display of the fourth symbol is displayed small on the screen as a variable display of the performance symbol that shows the variable display of the special symbol in a dramatic manner, separately from the variable display of the decorative symbol. The variable display of the fourth symbol is performed in synchronization with the variable display of the special symbol and the variable display of the decorative symbol, and the stationary display of the fourth symbol is performed in synchronization with the stationary display of the special symbol and the stationary display of the decorative symbol. It should be noted that the fourth pattern only needs to be able to recognize that the special pattern is being displayed changing and that it is being displayed stationary, and does not necessarily need to be a combination of three patterns that display changing and stopping as in the case of decorative patterns; it may be a combination of two patterns or just one pattern that displays changing and stopping (it may also be an identifying element such as other simplified symbols or colors).

[0034] The center ornament 22 is a center ornament that penetrates the front and rear of the board surface plate 21 of the game board 20 at approximately the center. The center ornament 22 is attached to a mounting hole (not shown) and is arranged to protrude forward (toward the glass frame 5) from the board panel 21. An opening (not shown) penetrating from front to back is formed in the approximate center of the center ornament 22, and the screen of the performance display device 70 and the like can be seen from the front side of the gaming machine PA through this opening. In addition, a movable role (in this embodiment, a signboard role) 23 that executes a performance operation according to the development status of the game is attached to the center ornament 22. The movable role 23 is equipped with a stepping motor as a driving source. Note that the driving source of the movable role 23 is not limited to a stepping motor, and other electric actuators such as a servo motor or a solenoid may be applied.

[0035] A pair of left and right light guide plates 24 are attached to the center ornament 22, located closer to the front than the performance display device 70. Each light guide plate 24 is arranged so as to cover a part of the screen of the performance display device 70 (the left and right areas of the screen). Each light guide plate 24 is formed using a transparent synthetic resin material. On the front or rear surface of each light guide plate 24, a predetermined pattern that displays, for example, letters, figures, symbols, designs, etc. is formed by fine uneven processing. This pattern is normally invisible or difficult to see, and when a light-emitting section (LED element) (not shown) emits light, it emits diffuse light and is displayed on each light guide plate 24.

[0036] In addition, the game board 20 is provided with board lamps (LED lamps) 25 that emit light according to the development status of the game. In the following description, for convenience, the frame lamps 11 and the board lamps 25 are collectively referred to as "performance lamps LP" (see FIG. 7).

[0037] Next, the basic structure of the rear side of the pachinko game machine PM will be described with reference to Fig. 3. As shown in Fig. 3, a rear set board 30 is attached to the rear side of the front frame 2, which is formed in a rectangular frame shape somewhat smaller than the front frame 2 and has a window in the center that communicates with the front and rear. Each part of the rear set board 30 is provided with a storage tank 33 that stores a large number of game balls supplied from the gaming facility side, a gutter member 34 that allows the game balls from the storage tank 33 to flow down, a prize ball payout unit 35 that pays out the game balls guided by the gutter member 34, and a rear passage member 36 that allows the game balls paid out from the prize ball payout unit 35 to flow down to the upper ball tray 6 or the lower ball tray 7.

[0038] On the rear side of the game board 20, there are attached a main control board 910 (see FIG. 7) that controls the overall operation of the pachinko game machine PM, a performance control board 920 (see FIG. 7) that controls the overall performance, and an image control board 930 (see FIG. 7) that controls image display and sound effects according to the game development. In this embodiment, the performance control board 920 and the image control board 930 are integrated with the performance display device (liquid crystal display device) 70 to form a liquid crystal unit in an assembled state. On the other hand, on the rear side of the back set board 30, there are attached a payout control board 940 that controls the payout of game balls, a power supply board 950 that receives power from the game facility and supplies power to various control boards and electric and electronic components, and the like. In addition, these control boards are arranged at predetermined positions on the rear of the game board 20 or the rear set board 30 in an assembled state housed in a transparent resin board case having a crimping structure and a sealing seal structure to prevent unauthorized modification. These control boards and the various electrical and electronic components of the pachinko gaming machine PM are interconnected via harnesses (connector cables) to configure the pachinko gaming machine PM so that it can be operated.

[0039] <Control configuration of pachinko machines> Next, each control board mounted on the pachinko gaming machine PM according to this embodiment will be described with additional reference to Fig. 7. Fig. 7 is a control block diagram showing the control configuration of the pachinko gaming machine PM.

[0040] The main control board 910 includes a main CPU 911 that performs various calculation processes related to the game, a ROM 912 that stores control programs and various data, and a work area 913 that serves as a temporary storage area. The main control board 910 is equipped with a main control microcomputer (one-chip microcomputer) 915 that is configured to include a RAM 913 that functions as a memory or buffer memory, and an I / O port circuit 914 that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and is configured so that the main CPU 911 executes main control related to the progress of the game according to a control program stored in a ROM 912. In addition, although not shown in the figure, the main control board 910 is equipped with a clock circuit that divides the clock signal from a crystal oscillator to generate an internal system clock, a WDT circuit that resets the main CPU 911 when it malfunctions or goes out of control and returns it to a normal state, a CTC circuit that enables real-time interrupt generation and time measurement, and a random number generation circuit that operates as a system separate from the program processing (software random number) by the main CPU 911 to generate predetermined random numbers (built-in random numbers), and these are connected to each other via an internal bus.

[0041] The main CPU 911 executes various processes related to the main control of the game by reading out various control programs stored in the ROM 912 and performing arithmetic processing based on detection information from each switch. The RAM 913 is a backup RAM as a non-volatile storage means backed up by a backup power supply generated in the power supply board. In the event of a power outage, the backup area of ​​the RAM 913 is an area for storing data such as a stack pointer and each register that was held at the time of the power outage, and when the power is turned on (when the power is restored after the power outage), the state of the gaming machine is restored to the state before the power outage based on the information in the backup area.

[0042] The main control board 910 is electrically connected to the first start port switch 51a, the second start port switch 52a, the operation gate switch 53a, the big prize port switch 54a, the general prize port switch 55a, etc., and inputs detection signals from various switches to the main CPU 911 via the I / O port circuit 914. The main control board 910 is also electrically connected to the first special symbol display device 61, the second special symbol display device 62, the first special symbol hold lamp 63, the second special symbol hold lamp 64, the normal symbol display device 65, and the normal symbol hold lamp 66, and is electrically connected to the normal electric role solenoid 52c and the special electric role solenoid 54c, and transmits control signals from the main CPU 911 to various display means and various solenoids via the I / O port circuit 914. The main control board 910 is also electrically connected to an external information terminal board (not shown), and transmits game information signals from the main CPU 911 to the external terminal board via an I / O port 914. This external information terminal board transmits various external information signals to external devices (such as a data display device or hall computer) installed outside the gaming machine PM based on the game information signals transmitted from the main control board 910. The game information signals transmitted from the main control board 910 may be input to the external information terminal board via, for example, a payout control board 940.

[0043] The main control board 910 and the performance control board 920 are connected by eight parallel signal lines and one strobe line, and are connected to enable communication in only one direction, from the main control board 910 to the performance control board 920, and various performance control commands are transmitted from the main control board 910 to the performance control board 920. It is not possible for the performance control board 920 to transmit data to the main control board 910, nor is it possible for the main control board 910 to be requested to transmit data.

[0044] The performance control board 920 is equipped with a performance control microcomputer (one-chip microcomputer) 925, which is configured with a sub-main CPU 921 that performs various arithmetic processing related to game performance based on performance control commands from the main control board 910, a ROM 922 that stores a performance control program and various data, a RAM 923 that functions as a work area and buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, and an I / O port circuit 924 that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and the sub-main CPU 921 is configured to execute main control related to game performance according to the control program stored in the ROM 922. Although not shown in the figure, the internal CPU 921 is equipped with a clock circuit that divides the clock signal from a crystal oscillator to generate an internal system clock, a WDT circuit that resets the sub-main CPU 921 to return it to a normal state when it malfunctions or goes out of control, a TPU circuit that outputs various signals based on the system clock, an interrupt controller that activates various interrupts such as timer interrupts based on signals from the TPU circuit, and a serial communication circuit for inputting and outputting serial data, and these are connected to each other via an internal bus.

[0045] The performance control board 920 generates image control commands that instruct the image control board 930 on images and sounds, lamp control signals (lamp data) for controlling the lamp connection board 960, and drive control signals (drive data) for controlling the motor driver 620, in a performance control process based on the performance control commands from the main control board 910. The performance control board 920 is connected to the image control board 930 so as to be able to communicate bidirectionally, and while image control commands relating to images and sounds are transmitted from the performance control board 920 to the image control board 930, in response, a response command (ACK command) indicating that the image control command has been normally received is transmitted from the image control board 930 to the performance control board 920.

[0046] The performance control board 920 is electrically connected to a lamp connection board 960 equipped with a plurality of LED drivers, and transmits a lamp control signal (lamp data) for controlling the lamp connection board 960 via a serial communication circuit. In this example, the performance control board 920 and the lamp connection board 960 use clock-synchronized serial communication, and the lamp control signal is transmitted bit by bit via a signal line (clock line) separate from the data line for transmitting lamp data in synchronization with a clock signal. The lamp connection board 960 has a built-in LED driver that functions upon receiving a lamp control signal for driving LEDs transmitted from the performance control board 920, and controls the lighting or extinguishing of the performance lamp LP by switching on / off a switch in the circuit based on this lamp control signal to supply or cut off a driving current to the performance lamp LP.

[0047] Furthermore, the performance control board 920 is electrically connected to the motor driver 970, and transmits a drive control signal (drive data) for controlling the motor driver 970 to the motor driver 970 via the I / O port circuit 924. The motor driver 970 controls the operation of the movable prop 23 by supplying or cutting off a drive current to the drive source (such as a stepping motor) of the movable prop 23 by switching on / off a switch in the circuit based on the drive control signal for prop driving transmitted from the performance control board 920. Note that a parallel communication method is used for transmitting data to the motor driver 970. A performance operation unit 700 is also electrically connected to the performance control board 920.

[0048] The image control board 930 is equipped with an image control microcomputer (one-chip microcomputer) 935, which is configured with a sub-sub CPU 931 that performs various arithmetic processing related to image performance based on image control commands from the performance control board 920, a ROM 932 that stores image control programs and various data, a RAM 933 that functions as a work area and buffer memory that serves as a temporary storage area, and an I / O port circuit 934 that inputs and outputs signals between peripheral boards and each device, and the sub-sub CPU 931 is configured to execute main control related to image performance according to the control program stored in the ROM 932. In addition, although not shown in the figure, the image control board 930 is equipped with a VDP that generates image data according to the performance content based on a control signal obtained from the sub-sub CPU 931, and a sound source IC that generates sound data according to the performance content based on a control signal obtained from the sub-sub CPU 931. The VDP is a so-called image processor, which reads image data stored in the image ROM in response to an instruction from the sub-sub CPU 931, processes the image data, and transmits the generated video signal (image data) to the performance display device. This VDP is connected to a high-speed VRAM that is used to expand and process image data read from the image ROM. In response to an instruction from 31, the audio data stored in the voice ROM is read, and the audio data generated by synthesizing the audio data is output to each speaker 8, 170, 251 via an amplifier (digital amplifier).

[0049] The payout control board 940 is mainly composed of a payout CPU 941, a ROM 942, and a RAM 943. The payout control board 940 is connected to the main control board 910 so as to be capable of two-way communication, and executes control for driving the prize ball payout unit 34 to pay out prize balls based on a payout control command from the main control board 910, and executes control for launching game balls by synchronously driving the ball feed mechanism 26 and the launch mechanism 27 based on the operation amount (rotation operation amount) of the launch handle 9. Although not shown, the launch handle 9 has an angle detector (potentiometer) that detects the rotation operation amount of the launch handle 9 and a touch detector that detects whether the player is touching the launch handle 9 built in. The payout control board 940 judges whether the player is touching the launch handle 9 based on the detection information from the touch detector, judges the rotation operation amount of the launch handle 9 based on the detection information from the angle detector, and synchronously controls the ball feed mechanism 26 and the launch mechanism 27 based on these detection information.

[0050] The power supply board 950 (see FIG. 3) is configured with a normal power supply circuit for generating a normal power supply used by each control board based on a primary power supply supplied from the power supply equipment of the game island, a backup power supply circuit for generating a backup power supply, and a power interruption monitoring circuit for monitoring a power interruption due to a voltage drop, and supplies the power required for each control board, electronic and electrical components of the game equipment, etc. A power switch for starting the power supply circuit is connected to the power supply board 950, and assuming that a primary power supply is supplied from the power supply device of the game island, when the power switch is turned on, a predetermined power supply is supplied from the normal power supply circuit of the power supply board 950 to each control board, etc. The power supply board 950 is configured to be able to detect that the power supply from the power supply device of the game island has been interrupted, and when a power interruption is detected, a power interruption signal (NMI signal) notifying the fact is transmitted to the main control board 910, the performance control board 920, and the payout control board 940. The backup power supply circuit is configured to be charged when power is supplied to the pachinko game machine PM from the power supply device of the game island. Also, a RAM clear switch (not shown) is connected to the power supply board for temporarily erasing the temporary storage contents of the RAM 913 of the main control board 910 and setting the initial value when the power supply of the pachinko game machine PM is turned on. The RAM clear switch may be configured to be connected to the main control board 910, for example, instead of the power supply board 950.

[0051] <Basic operation of pachinko machines> The pachinko game machine PM configured as described above is used for play with the outer frame 1 fixedly installed on the game island of the game facility, and the front frame 2, glass frame 5, etc., closed and locked, and the game is started by storing game balls in the upper ball tray 6 and rotating the launch handle 9. When the launch handle 9 is rotated, the game balls stored in the upper ball tray 6 are sent out one by one to the launch mechanism 27 by the ball feed mechanism 26 arranged on the back side of the glass frame 5, and the launch mechanism 27 shoots them into the game area PA.

[0052] When a game ball flowing down the game area PA enters any one of the first start opening 51, the second start opening 52, the big prize opening 54, and the general prize openings 55-57, the prize ball according to the type of the winning opening is paid out to the upper ball tray 6 or the lower ball tray 7 by the prize ball payout unit 34. In this embodiment, the number of prize balls paid out when one game ball enters each winning opening (referred to as the "unit prize ball number") is set as "4 balls" for the first start opening 51, "1 ball" for the second start opening 52, "3 balls" for the general prize openings 55-57, and "15 balls" for the big prize opening 54. Note that the unit prize ball number for each winning opening is not limited to the one exemplified in this embodiment, and other unit prize ball numbers may be applied. For example, the unit prize ball number for the first start opening 51 may be "1 ball" instead of "4 balls". Also, the number of second starting holes 52 may be "three" instead of "one". The number of the winning openings 55 to 57 may be "5" instead of "3". Also, the number of the big winning openings 54 may be "10" instead of "15".

[0053] When a game ball enters the first start hole 51 or the second start hole 52, a random number value of a special symbol is obtained, and the random number value is temporarily stored as an activation reserved ball of the special symbol up to a predetermined upper limit. Then, when a predetermined start condition (a condition for starting the variation of a special symbol described later) is established, a hit / miss judgment of the special symbol, a pattern judgment, and a variation pattern judgment are performed for the random number value of the first activation reserved ball, and the special symbol is displayed in a variable manner on the first special symbol display device 61 or the second special symbol display device 62, and the decorative symbol is displayed in a variable manner on the performance display device 70 in a variable manner. The variable display of the special symbol and the decorative symbol is stopped and displayed synchronously after the variation time corresponding to the selected variation pattern has elapsed.

[0054] When the first special symbol or the second special symbol is displayed in a fixed manner indicating a jackpot, the game proceeds to a special game (jackpot game) which is more advantageous to the player than the normal game. In each round game (unit game) of the jackpot game, an opening and closing operation is performed to change the jackpot winning hole 54 to an open state only once or multiple times. When a specified number of game balls enter the jackpot winning hole 54 or the opening time of the jackpot winning hole 54 reaches the opening limit time, the currently executed round game ends. Here, the stopping mode of the decorative symbol indicating a jackpot is, for example, a mode in which the types of three symbols match. In this embodiment, when the special symbol and the decorative symbol are displayed in a fixed manner indicating a jackpot, multiple round games (unit games) are executed as the jackpot game.

[0055] In this embodiment, when a predetermined jackpot is won, the probability variation function of the special symbol may be activated from the end of the jackpot game until the number of times the special symbol changes reaches a predetermined final number. When the probability variation function of the special symbol is activated, the jackpot probability of the special symbol lottery transitions from a normal low probability state to a high probability state, so that a new jackpot (jackpot game) occurs relatively quickly. The probability variation function of the special symbol may be continued until the next jackpot occurs. In addition, the predetermined final number may be set to "10,000 times", which is substantially equivalent to the number of times the display changes until the next jackpot occurs.

[0056] In addition, after the big win game is over, a special symbol fluctuation time shortening function may be activated in conjunction with or independently of the special symbol probability fluctuation function. When the special symbol fluctuation time shortening function is activated, the average fluctuation time of the special symbols and decorative symbols tends to be shorter than usual, and the number of special symbol lottery draws per unit time increases (the ease of winning a big win per unit time can be increased).

[0057] Furthermore, after the big win game is over, the electric chute support function (also simply called "electric support") may be activated in conjunction with or independently of the special symbol variation time shortening function. The electric chute support function is a state in which the ease of scoring into the second starting hole 52 is increased (also called the "easy scoring state") by activating the normal symbol probability variation function, normal symbol variation time shortening function, and normal electric role 52c opening extension function. When the normal symbol probability variation function is activated, the winning probability of the normal symbol is increased compared to the normal state. When the normal symbol variation time shortening function is activated, the normal symbol variation time is shortened. When the normal electric role 52c opening extension function is activated, the opening time of the normal electric role 52c is extended compared to the normal state. In this easy-to-score state, not only is there a higher likelihood that the number of times that normal symbols will change per certain period of time will be higher than normal, but the ease of scoring balls in second starting hole 52 also increases, so the likelihood of an increase in the number of balls scoring in second starting hole 52 also increases. Therefore, by activating the electric chute support function, the opportunities to win prize balls by scoring balls in second starting hole 52 increase during that period, making it possible to continue playing without losing much of the balls you have. In other words, the "base," which is the ratio of the number of prize balls to the number of game balls fired, becomes higher. Below, the state in which the electric chute support function is activated is referred to as the "high base state," and the state in which the electric chute support function is activated is referred to as the "high base state." The state in which no base exists is also called the "low base state."

[0058] Next, the main characteristic features of this embodiment will be described in order.

[0059] [Curtain panel speaker] First, we will explain the speaker unit 150 provided in the lower part of the outer frame 1. Fig. 8 is a perspective view of the outer frame 1 seen from the front, Fig. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the speaker unit 150 seen from the front, Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of the speaker unit 150 seen from the rear, and Fig. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the speaker unit 150.

[0060] The outer frame 1 is configured to include an upper frame member 100 forming an upper edge, a lower frame member 110 forming a lower edge, a left frame member 120 forming a left edge, and a right frame member 130 forming a right edge. The upper frame member 100 and the lower frame member 110 are formed of wooden plate members of a predetermined thickness extending in the left-right direction. The left frame member 120 and the right frame member 130 are formed of extruded members (metal members) such as aluminum alloys having a predetermined cross-sectional shape extending in the up-down direction. The left frame member 120 and the right frame member 130 are formed in shapes symmetrical to each other when viewed from the front. The left end of the upper frame member 100 and the upper end of the left frame member 120 are connected and fixed via a connecting metal fitting 141, and the right end of the upper frame member 100 and the upper end of the right frame member 130 are connected and fixed via a connecting metal fitting 142. Additionally, the left end of the lower frame member 110 and the lower end of the left frame member 120 are connected and fixed via a connecting metal fitting 143, and the right end of the lower frame member 110 and the lower end of the right frame member 130 are connected and fixed via a connecting metal fitting 144. In this manner, the upper, lower, left, and right frame members 100-130 are connected to each other via a plurality of connecting metal fittings 141-144 to form an outer frame 1 that is vertically elongated rectangular when viewed from the front-to-rear direction. A speaker unit 150 having an overall horizontally elongated box shape is attached to the lower region (skirt panel region) of the outer frame 1 configured in this manner.

[0061] The speaker unit 150 is composed of a back panel member 160 arranged at the front end position of the lower frame member 110, two speakers (also called "back panel speakers") 170 on the left and right, a speaker box 180 that holds the two speakers 170, and a duct forming member 190 that forms a bass reflex duct (bass reflex passage) between the back panel member 160 and the back panel member 160, and is removably attached to the upper side of the lower frame member 110 using screws or the like.

[0062] The front panel member 160 is a horizontally long plate-like member extending in the left-right direction, and is disposed so as to close the front opening of the speaker box 180. The front of the front panel member 160 is decorated with a shallow relief. A pair of speaker holes 161 are formed penetrating the left and right sides of the front panel member 160 in the front-rear direction, which output the sound generated from the front side of the speaker 170 forward. The front part of the speaker 170 faces the speaker holes 161. Therefore, the sound (air) generated from the front side of the speaker 170 (diaphragm 173) is emitted from the speaker holes 161. Furthermore, a pair of bass reflex holes (bass reflex ports) 162 are formed penetrating the center of the front panel member 160 in the front-rear direction, which output the sound (air) generated from the back side of the speaker 170 forward. A plurality of cylindrical screw bosses 163 for fastening a flange portion 172 of a speaker 170 with screws are protruded from the rear surface side of the front panel member 160.

[0063] Speaker (back panel speaker) 170 is a circular cone-type speaker that includes a cylindrical speaker frame 171 that forms the skeleton of speaker 170, a flange 172 provided on the front end side of speaker frame 171, a cone-shaped diaphragm 173 supported by speaker frame 171, and magnetic circuit parts such as magnet 174 (see Figure 11) supported by speaker frame 171, and outputs sound by vibrating diaphragm 173.

[0064] The speaker box 180 is formed with a housing part 181 formed in a horizontally elongated hollow box shape having a speaker housing chamber 182 open toward the front, and a flange part 183 formed along the periphery of the front side of the housing part 181. In this embodiment, an enclosure having an air chamber sealed inside is formed by combining the front panel member 160 and the speaker box 180. The housing part 181 has a lower wall part 184 for holding the speaker 170 in a substantially horizontal position (horizontal position). The lower wall part 184 is formed with a horizontally elongated rectangular flat plate part 185 extending in the left-right direction, and a speaker receiving part 186 formed continuously on the left and right sides of the flat plate part 185 and recessed below the flat plate part 185. The speaker receiving part 186 is a protruding part that has a shape (a cross-sectional arc shape recessed downward) corresponding to the outer periphery of the speaker 170 (speaker frame 171) and bulges downward. Speaker 170 is held in a substantially horizontal position (horizontal orientation) with diaphragm 173 facing forward in speaker receiving portion 186. In addition, speaker connector 189 is fixed to the rear surface of housing portion 181 using screws (not shown). Speaker 170 is electrically connected to speaker connector 189 via a connector cable (not shown).

[0065] On the upper surface side of the lower frame member 110, a flat lower frame main body 111 and a countersunk portion 112 formed in a shape (a cross-sectional arc shape recessed downward) corresponding to the speaker receiving portion 186 of the speaker box 180 are integrally formed. The countersunk portion 112 is a recessed portion processed from the upper surface side of the lower frame member 110, and is configured to be able to receive the speaker receiving portion 186. This countersunk portion 112 is formed in a partial area in the depth direction (front-rear direction) of the lower frame member 110. When the speaker unit 150 is placed on the upper surface of the lower frame member 110, the speaker receiving portion 186, which is convex downward, is fitted into the countersunk portion 112 of the lower frame member 110, thereby suppressing the installation height of the speaker 170 accordingly. In addition, the speaker receiving portion 186 is fitted into the countersunk portion 112, so that the positioning of the speaker unit 150 with respect to the lower frame member 110 can be easily performed. The depth of the recessed portion 112 in the vertical direction is smaller than the plate thickness of the lower frame member 110 (for example, about half the plate thickness of the lower frame member 110). The length of the recessed portion 112 in the depth direction (front-rear direction) is smaller than the plate width of the lower frame member 110 in the depth direction (front-rear direction) (for example, about two-thirds the plate width of the lower frame member 110). In this way, since the recessed portion 112 does not penetrate (does not penetrate through) the lower frame member 110 in the plate thickness direction (vertical direction) and plate width direction (front-rear direction), the thickness of the lower frame member 110 can be sufficiently ensured, and the speaker unit 150 can be stably held without reducing the strength (compressive strength, bending strength, etc.) and rigidity of the lower frame member 110.

[0066] The duct cover 190 is formed in a horizontally long gutter shape that is open on the front side and both the left and right sides, and forms a pair of left and right bass reflex ducts (bass reflex passages) 191 between the rear surface of the front panel member 160. The bass reflex ducts 191 are formed to extend in the left and right direction, and connect the enclosure of the speaker box (speaker housing chamber 182) and the bass reflex hole 162 of the front panel member 160 to each other, forming a transmission path for sound due to vibration of air. This bass reflex duct 191 amplifies and outputs low-frequency sounds by the Helmholtz resonance phenomenon. As a result, the sound (low-frequency sounds) emitted from the rear side of the speaker 170 is amplified by the bass reflex duct 191 and output from the bass reflex hole 162 of the front panel member 160 toward the front of the gaming machine (the player).

[0067] In this embodiment, by providing the lower frame member 110 with a recess (counterbore portion 112) that corresponds to the external shape of the speaker 170 (speaker receiving portion 186), it is possible to effectively utilize the limited space (the skirting board area) inside the gaming machine and arrange a larger speaker 170 in the amount of this counterbore portion 186, thereby improving the acoustic effect of the gaming machine PM.

[0068] In addition, by concentrating a pair of bass reflex holes 162 at the center of the apron member 160 in the left-right direction, the bass sound output from the speaker 170 to the player sitting in front of the gaming machine PM can be heard. This makes it possible to make the sound pressure more easily felt.

[0069] [Detachable glass unit structure] Next, we will explain the glass unit attachment / detachment structure 530. Fig. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the glass frame 5, Fig. 13 is a perspective view of the glass frame 5 seen from the rear side, Fig. 14 is a rear view of the upper part of the rear side of the glass frame 5, and Fig. 15 is a detailed view of part A in Fig. 14.

[0070] The glass frame 5 is composed of a door frame member 510 that can be opened and closed by swinging and that can be detached from the front surface of the front frame 2, and a glass unit 520 that can be detached from the rear surface of the door frame member 510.

[0071] Door frame member 510 is a rectangular frame made of a synthetic resin material such as ABS resin, and has a window 511 that opens in the front-rear direction in the center. A glass unit attachment / detachment structure 530 for detachably mounting glass unit 520 is provided on the rear side of door frame member 510.

[0072] The glass unit 520 is configured with two glass plates 521, one at the front and one at the back (also called "insulating glass"), and a glass frame 522 that supports the periphery of each glass plate 521, and the two glass plates 521 are held in the glass frame 522 so that they are parallel to each other with a specified gap between them. Each glass plate 521 is formed to be slightly larger than the opening area of ​​the window 511 in accordance with the shape of the window 511 of the door frame member 510, and is fixed to the glass frame 522 using, for example, an adhesive (hot melt adhesive).

[0073] The glass frame 522 is formed using a synthetic resin material such as ABS resin. The glass frame 522 is configured to have an outer peripheral frame portion 523 forming the outer peripheral portion of the glass frame 522, a pair of lever receiving portions 524 formed on the left and right sides of the upper portion of the outer peripheral frame portion 523, and a latch receiving portion 525 formed on the upper portion of the outer peripheral frame portion 523 to the right of the center. The outer peripheral frame portion 523 is formed to match the contour shape of the window 511 of the door frame member 510 and the glass plate 521, and is integrally formed so that the upper half portion has a semi-elliptical frame shape and the lower half portion has a substantially rectangular frame shape. The lever receiving portion 524 is formed in a plate shape extending in the left-right direction and is arranged at a position where it engages with a fixed lever 542 described later. The latch receiving portion 525 is bent into a U-shape opening downward, and is arranged at a position where it overlaps with a latch member 551 described later in the front-rear direction (a position where it fits between the door frame member 510 and the latch member 551).

[0074] The glass unit attachment / detachment structure 530 is composed of two fixed lever mechanisms 540 provided on the left and right sides of the upper part of the rear side of the door frame member 510, and a latch mechanism 550 provided to the right of the center of the upper part of the rear side of the door frame member 510 (towards the right decorative unit 200).

[0075] The fixed lever mechanism 540 is configured to include a support shaft 541 implanted on the rear surface of the door frame member 510, and a fixed lever 542 provided so as to be rotatable between a retreat position displaced upward around the support shaft 541 and a locking position displaced downward. A locking portion (not shown) that can be engaged with and disengaged from the lever receiving portion 524 of the glass frame 522 is formed at the tip of the fixed lever 542. When the fixed lever 542 is in the locking position, the locking portion of the fixed lever 542 engages with the lever receiving portion 524 of the glass frame 522, while when the fixed lever 542 is in the retreat position, the locking portion of the fixed lever 542 is disengaged from the lever receiving portion 524 of the glass frame 522. Note that Figs. 13 and 14 show a state in which the fixed lever 542 is in the locking position.

[0076] The latch mechanism 550 includes a latch member 551 that is attached so as to be slidable in the left-right direction, and a coil spring 552 that constantly biases the latch member 551 to the left (the latch receiving portion 525 side). 52. The latch member 551 is formed with three guide grooves 553 that penetrate in the front-rear direction and extend in the left-right direction. A guide protrusion (not shown) that is planted on the rear surface side of the door frame member 510 and guides the sliding movement of the latch member 551 in the left-right direction is inserted into each guide groove 553. Therefore, the latch member 551 can slide between a right limit position where the guide protrusion abuts against the left end face of the guide groove 553 and a left limit position where the guide protrusion abuts against the right end face of the guide groove 553. A washer (flat washer) 555 is fixed to the tip (rear end) of each guide protrusion by using a screw 554, and the washer 555 prevents the latch member 551 from slipping out backward.

[0077] A latch head portion 551a formed as a one-sided inclined surface is formed protrudingly on the left side of the latch member 551. A flat surface (not shown) that is approximately parallel to the rear surface of the door frame member 510 is formed on the front side of the latch head portion 551a, and an inclined surface 551b that inclines forward (toward the door frame member 510) from the right side to the left side is formed on the rear side of the latch head portion 551a. A gap corresponding to the thickness (thickness in the front-rear direction) of the latch receiving portion 525 of the glass frame 522 is formed between the front side of the latch head portion 551a and the rear surface of the door frame member 510. One end of the coil spring 552 is supported by the latch member 551, and the other end is supported by the rear surface side of the door frame member 510, and the coil spring 552 is held in a state of being compressed in the axial direction (left-right direction) across the latch member 551 and the door frame member 510, and always biases the latch member 551 toward the left (toward the latch receiving portion 525). As a result, the latch member 551 is slid leftward by the biasing force of the coil spring 552 and held at the left limit position (reference position).

[0078] Next, a procedure for attaching the glass unit 520 to the rear surface of the door frame member 510 will be described. First, to attach the glass unit 520 to the door frame member 510, the glass unit 520 is aligned with the rear surface side of the door frame member 510, and the entire front surface of the glass unit 520 is moved closer to the rear surface side of the door frame member 510. When the glass unit 520 is gradually moved closer to the rear surface side of the door frame member 510, the latch receiving portion 525 of the glass unit 520 comes into contact with the inclined surface 551b of the latch head portion 551a, and the latch member 551 is pressed by the action of the inclined surface 551b (inclined guide action) and slides from the left limit position (reference position) to the right (direction away from the latch receiving portion 525). When the glass unit 520 is pushed forward in this state, the latch receiving portion 525 is released from the inclined surface 551b of the latch head portion 551a, and the latch receiving portion 525 passes over the latch head portion 551a forward. When the latch receiving portion 525 passes over the latch head portion 551a, the latch member 551 slides leftward (approaching the latch receiving portion 525) due to the biasing force of the coil spring 552 and returns to its original left limit position (reference position). When the latch member 551 returns to its left limit position (reference position), the latch receiving portion 525 fits between the front surface of the latch head portion 551a and the rear surface of the door frame member 510 and is sandwiched between them. At this time, the latch receiving portion 525 is fitted between the latch head portion 551a and the door frame member 510 without any backlash (without play). As a result, the upper part of the glass unit 520 (around the latch receiving portion 525) is fixed so as to conform to the upper part of the door frame member 510, so that even if the upper part of the door frame member 510 is tilted forward due to the weight of the right decorative unit 200, the rear surface of the door frame member 510 and the front surface of the glass unit 520 can be fixed in a nearly tight contact state.Furthermore, when the glass unit 520 is fixed by the latch mechanism 550 in this way, the glass unit 520 is corrected to a position following the upper part of the door frame member 510 (or the door frame member 510 is corrected to its original vertical position), so the positional relationship between the lever receiving portion 525 of the door frame member 510 and the fixed lever 542 does not shift in the front-rear direction (there is no problem that the fixed lever 542 interferes with the side portion of the lever receiving portion 524 when rotated to the lower locking position, resulting in an inability to fit properly), and the fixed lever 542 can be rotated to the locking position to reliably engage with the lever receiving portion 542 of the glass frame 522. In this way, the latch mechanism 550 and the fixed lever mechanism 540 secure the window 511 of the door frame member 510 and the glass plate 5 of the glass unit 520. With the door frame member 510 and the glass unit 520 aligned with each other, the glass frame 5 is connected and fixed to the rear surface of the door frame member 510, and the door frame member 510 and the glass unit 520 are combined to form the glass frame 5. By assembling the glass frame 5 to the front frame 2, the playing area PA of the game board 20 can be viewed from the front side of the gaming machine through the window 511 (laminated glass 521) of the glass frame 5.

[0079] Next, a procedure for removing the glass unit 520 from the rear surface of the door frame member 510 will be described. First, to remove the glass unit 520 from the door frame member 510, the fixed lever 542 is rotated to an upper retracted position to release the engagement between the fixed lever 542 and the lever receiving portion 524 of the glass frame 522. Next, the latch member 551 is slid from the left limit position (reference position) to the right (in the direction away from the latch receiving portion 525) against the biasing force of the coil spring 552 to release the engagement between the latch head portion 551a of the latch member 551 and the latch receiving portion 525 of the glass frame 522. Then, the glass unit 520 can be easily removed from the door frame member 510 by holding the glass unit 520 by hand and pulling it backward (toward the user).

[0080] Thus, according to this embodiment, even if the upper part of the door frame member 510 is tilted forward by the weight of the right decorative unit 200, the upper part of the glass unit 520 (around the latch receiving part 525) is forcibly pushed forward against the door frame member 510, so that the latch receiving part 525 of the glass unit 520 is fitted between the door frame member 510 and the latch member 551 without play, and the entire glass unit 520 is reliably fixed in a substantially tight contact state along the rear surface of the door frame member 510 (the glass unit 520 is fixed so as to follow the rear surface of the door frame member 510), thereby improving the rigidity of the entire glass frame 5. As a result, even if the right decorative unit 200 is attached to the front side of the glass frame 5, it is possible to prevent the glass frame 5 from being deformed or distorted. In addition, the latch member 551 automatically engages with the latch receiving part 525 of the glass unit 520 simply by pushing the glass unit 520 toward the rear side of the door frame member 510, making the installation work of the glass unit 520 simple and safe. In addition, since the glass unit 520 is pre-fixed by the latch member 551, when engaging or releasing the fixing lever 542 with the lever receiving portion 524, it is no longer necessary to support the glass unit 520 with one hand while rotating the fixing lever 542 with the other hand, thereby further improving the ease of installation and removal of the glass unit 520.

[0081] [Right decorative unit] Next, the right decorative unit 200 will be described. Fig. 16 is an exploded perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 17 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200 seen from the front, Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200 seen from the rear, Fig. 19(A) is a side view of the right decorative unit 200 seen from the left side, Fig. 19(A) is a perspective view of the right side speaker section 250, Fig. 20(A) is a perspective view of the cover member 260, Fig. 20(B) is a plan view of the cover member 260, Fig. 21 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the right side speaker section 250, Fig. 23 is a perspective view of the cover member 260, Fig. 24 is a plan view of the cover member 260, Fig. 25 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 26 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 27 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 28 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 29 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 30 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 31 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 32 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 33 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 34 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 35 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 36 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 37 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 200, Fig. 38 is a perspective view of the right decorative unit 2 22A is a diagram for explaining the open position of the cover member 260, FIG. 22A is a diagram mainly showing the storage state of the first design sheet 281, FIG. 22B is a diagram mainly showing the storage state of the second design sheet 282 and the third design sheet 283, FIG. 22C is a diagram showing the arrangement of each design sheet 281-283 as seen from the front, and FIG. 23 is a diagram for explaining the identification symbols of each design sheet 281-283. Note that in FIG. 18, the base plate 270 is omitted for convenience. Also, FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the design sheets 281-283 extracted while maintaining the arrangement in the actual storage state for ease of understanding.

[0082] In this embodiment, as described above, a set of decorative units 12 is formed by combining the right decorative unit 200 and the upper decorative unit 300, and when changing the model of the gaming machine PM, When the decorative unit 12 is replaced, the decorative unit 12 may be replaced in its entirety, or the design sheets 281 to 283 housed in the decorative unit 12 may be replaced.

[0083] The right decorative unit 200 is composed of a box-shaped right unit case 201 having an upper opening 202 (see Figure 18) and a rear opening 203 (see Figure 18), an LED accommodating member 240 mounted in the right unit case 201, a right side speaker section 250 mounted in the right unit case 201, a cover member 260 that closes the upper opening 202 of the right unit case 201, a base plate 270 that closes the rear opening 203 of the right unit case 202, and a number of design sheets 281-283.

[0084] The right unit case 201 has an outer case member 210 that forms the right side, an inner case member 220 that forms the left side, a front case member 230 that forms the front end, and a decorative member 235 attached to the front case member 230, and is formed in a box shape that protrudes forward and above the gaming machine.

[0085] The outer case member 210 includes an outer decorative member 211 with a predetermined decoration and an outer partition member 212 attached to the outer decorative member 211 with a predetermined gap in the left-right direction. A first sheet storage section 213 for storing a first design sheet 281 (see FIG. 22) is formed between the outer decorative member 211 and the outer partition member 212. The first sheet storage section 213 is a narrow hollow section (pocket section) that opens to the rear, and is configured so that the first design sheet 281 can be detached (replaced) through this rear opening. The first design sheet 281 is formed in a thin sheet shape using a synthetic resin material having translucency, and its surface is decorated with a logo, a pattern, etc. according to the model (type) of the game board 20. The outer shape of the first design sheet 281 is approximately the same as the cross-sectional shape (pocket shape) of the first sheet storage section 213.

[0086] The outer decorative member 211 is provided with an outer diffusion lens portion 211a made of transparent resin that diffuses light from the light source provided in the LED housing member 240, and an outer window portion 211b made of transparent resin through which the first design sheet 281 can be seen from the outside.

[0087] The inner case member 220 is disposed opposite the outer case member 210 in the left-right direction, and an LED housing member 240 and a right side speaker unit 250 are provided between the inner case member 220 and the outer case member 210. A second sheet housing section 221 for housing a second design sheet 282 (see FIG. 22) is formed in the upper half of the inner case member 220, and a third sheet housing section 222 for housing a third design sheet 283 (see FIG. 22) is formed in the lower half of the inner case member 220. The second sheet housing section 221 is a narrow hollow section (pocket section) that opens to the rear, and is configured so that the second design sheet 282 can be detached (replaced) through this rear opening. The second design sheet 282 is formed in a thin sheet shape using a synthetic resin material having translucency, and its surface is decorated with a logo, a pattern, or the like according to the type (model) of the game board. The outer shape of the second design sheet 282 is approximately the same as the cross-sectional shape (pocket shape) of the second sheet storage section 221. Similarly, the third sheet storage section 222 is a narrow hollow section (pocket section) that opens upward, and is configured so that the third design sheet 283 can be attached and detached (replaced) through this upper opening. The third design sheet 283 is formed in a thin sheet shape using a synthetic resin material having translucency, and its surface is decorated with a logo, a pattern, etc. according to the type (machine) of the game board. The outer shape of the third design sheet 283 is approximately the same as the cross-sectional shape (pocket shape) of the third sheet storage section 222. The second sheet storage section 221 and the third sheet storage section 222 are each defined as an independent hollow section inside the inner case member 220, so that the second design sheet 282 and the third design sheet 283 can be attached at the appropriate position without overlapping each other.

[0088] In addition, the left case member 220 is formed with a predetermined decoration on its left side, and this left side is provided with an inner diffusion lens portion 220a (see Figure 19) made of transparent resin that diffuses light from the light source provided in the LED accommodating member 240, an inner upper window portion 220b (see Figure 19) made of transparent resin through which the second design sheet 282 can be seen from the outside, and an inner lower window portion 220c (see Figure 19) made of transparent resin through which the third design sheet 283 can be seen from the outside.

[0089] The front case member 230 is provided between the front end of the outer case member 210 and the front end of the inner case member 220, and forms an accommodation space for accommodating the LED accommodation member 240 and the right side speaker unit 250 between the outer case member 210 and the inner case member 220. A lower attachment protrusion 231 that is inserted and supported in a lower support groove 516a opened on the front side of the glass frame 5 is formed to protrude from the lower end of the front case member 230.

[0090] The LED housing member 240 is formed in a box shape using a transparent synthetic resin material, and an LED board (not shown) is housed inside. This LED board (not shown) is equipped with a plurality of surface-mounted LEDs as light-emitting elements for lighting the right decorative unit 200. As this light-emitting element (LED), a full-color LED having a light-emitting element capable of emitting R (red), G (green), and B (blue) is preferably used. In addition, the LED housing member 240 is formed with a through hole (not shown) for wiring a power cable and a signal line to the LED board. This LED housing member 240 is disposed between the outer diffusion lens portion 211a of the outer case member 210 and the inner diffusion lens portion 220a of the inner case member 220, and the left and right diffusion lens portions 211a, 220a are illuminated and displayed by the light emitted from the LED board.

[0091] 19(B), the right side speaker section 250 is configured to include a right side speaker 251 and a speaker holding member 252 that holds the right side speaker 251 and is disposed between the outer case member 210 and the inner case member 220. The speaker holding member 252 is provided with a rear cover engaging / disengaging member 253 that is formed by punching and bending a metal flat plate. The rear cover engaging / disengaging member 253 includes a pair of engaged parts 254 that can be engaged with a pair of locking claws 267a of the cover member 260 described below, a release lever 255 for releasing the engagement between the pair of locking claws 267a and the pair of engaged parts 254, and a connecting piece 256 that integrally connects the pair of engaged parts 254 and the release lever 255. The cover engaging / disengaging member 253 is constantly biased leftward (in the direction in which the locked portion 254 engages with the locking claw 267a) by the elastic force of a coil spring 257 supported between a spring locking portion 252a of the speaker holding member 252 and a spring locking portion 256a of the connecting piece 256. Therefore, in a state in which the pair of locking claws 267a and the pair of locked portions 254 are engaged with each other, the entire cover engaging / disengaging member 253 slides rightward against the biasing force of the coil spring 257, and the engagement between the pair of locking claws 267a and the pair of locked portions 254 is released. The release lever 255 protrudes rearward and is inserted into a lever connection port 273 of a base plate 270, which will be described later. As will be described in detail later, when the right decorative unit 200 is attached to the front of the glass frame 5, this release lever 255 can be released from the rear side by opening the glass frame 5.

[0092] Lid member 260 has a shape (approximately triangular) corresponding to upper opening 202 of right unit case 201, and is configured to be able to open and close this upper opening 202. Lid member 260 has a so-called bi-fold structure, and includes a front lid portion 261 and a rear lid portion 265 that is hinged to front lid portion 261.

[0093] A hinge hook 262 that is bent into a substantially J-shape is formed at the tip of the front cover portion 261. The hinge hook 262 is attached to a hinge pin ( This allows the front lid portion 261 to be connected to the right unit case 201 so as to be able to swing up and down about the hinge shaft. Furthermore, a front lid locking mechanism 263 for fixing the front lid portion 261 to the right unit case 201 is provided in the approximate center of the front lid portion 261.

[0094] The front cover locking mechanism 263 is configured with a claw forming member 263b having two movable claws 263a, and a claw operating portion 263c for operating the two movable claws to engage and disengage. The two movable claws 263a are integrally formed with the claw forming member 263b slidably attached to the front cover 261, and are arranged to protrude from the back side of the front cover 261 at a predetermined interval. The movable claw 263a is bent in a substantially L-shape in side view, and is configured to be engageable with a fixed piece 225 formed on the inner side of the inner case member 220. The claw forming member 263b is attached slidably along the longitudinal direction of the front cover 261, and is always biased in a direction in which the movable claw 263a engages with the fixed piece 225 by the elastic force of a coil spring (not shown). The claw operating portion 263c is formed in a convex shape on the upper surface side of the claw forming member 263b, and is received in a long groove 261a recessed in the center of the front cover 261. When the claw operation portion 263c is operated in a predetermined direction along the extension direction of the long groove 261a, the claw forming member 263b slides and displaces in the predetermined direction, and the movable claw 263a engages with the fixed piece 225. On the other hand, when the claw operation portion 263c is operated in the direction opposite to the predetermined direction along the extension direction of the long groove 261a, the claw forming member 263b slides and displaces in the opposite direction, and the engagement between the movable claw 263a and the fixed piece 225 is released.

[0095] The rear lid portion 265 is integrally connected to the rear end of the front lid portion 261 via a hinge 266, and is configured to be vertically swingable (rotatable) relative to the front lid portion 261. A fixing metal plate 267 (see FIG. 18) extending to the left and right is screwed to the end of the rear back side of the rear lid portion 265. A pair of left and right locking claws 267a formed in a hook shape are protruded from the fixing metal plate 267. As described above, the pair of locking claws 267a are configured to be engageable with the pair of locked portions 254 provided on the speaker holding member 252.

[0096] The base plate 270 is formed into a substantially L-shape by punching and bending a metal plate, and is attached so as to close the rear opening 203 of the right unit case 201. An upper hook portion 271 (see FIG. 16) that engages with an upper hook receiving groove 516b (see FIG. 32) formed on the front side of the glass frame 5 is formed to protrude rearward on the rear surface side of the base plate 270. A right unit removal lever 272 (see FIG. 16) that displaces the upper hook portion 271 elastically in a direction to remove it from the upper hook receiving groove 516b, and disengages the upper hook portion 271 from the upper hook receiving groove 516b, is provided to protrude forward on the right end side of the upper part of the base plate 270. This right unit removal lever 272 is covered by an operation cover portion 226 formed on the upper left end side of the speaker holding member 252, and the right unit removal lever 271 can be operated from the outside through an opening (not shown) formed in this operation cover portion 226. Note that this operation cover portion 226 (right unit removal lever 272) is concealed from the front side by the upper decorative unit 300 when the decorative unit 12 is attached to the front side of the glass frame 5 (external operation is restricted).

[0097] Furthermore, the base plate 270 is provided with a lever connection port 273 (see FIG. 16) at a position almost directly to the side of the upper hook portion 271, through which the release lever 255 of the speaker holding member 252 arranged on the front side of the base plate 270 is inserted. As a result, even when the rear opening 203 of the right unit case 201 is closed by the base plate 270, the release lever 255 protrudes rearward from the base plate 270 through the lever connection port 273. Meanwhile, a substantially rectangular lever operation port 517 (see FIGS. 12 to 15) is formed in the upper right part of the glass frame 5 at a position corresponding to the lever connection port 273 (release lever 255), penetrating in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the right decorative unit 200 is mounted on the front side of the glass frame 5, When attached, the lever connection port 273 of the base plate 270 and the lever operation port 517 of the glass frame 5 are aligned (because they communicate from the front to the back), so that the release lever 255 faces (is visible and accessible) from the lever operation port 517 on the rear side of the glass frame 5. Therefore, in order to open the lid member 260 upward relative to the right unit case 201 when the right decorative unit 200 is attached to the front side of the glass frame 5, after opening the glass frame 5 relative to the front frame 2, the release lever 255 is operated from the rear side of the glass frame 5 through the lever operation port 517 to release the engagement between the lock claw 267a of the lid member 260 and the engaged portion 254 of the speaker holding member 252, thereby making it possible to open the lid member 260.

[0098] As described above, the design sheets 281-283 are translucent film members on which decorative markings related to the model of the gaming machine PM are applied. A unique identification symbol is printed on the surface of each of the design sheets 281-283. This identification symbol is a symbol for identifying one design sheet from another, and is, for example, a letter, a number, or a combination of these. This is for the purpose of identifying and managing each model so that the design sheets for the wrong model are not sent when the gaming machine manufacturer ships the gaming board 20 and the design sheets 281-283 as a set, or the gaming board 20 and the entire right decorative unit 200 (including the design sheets 281-283) as a set, to each gaming facility when the gaming machine manufacturer performs a board surface replacement (board surface change).

[0099] As shown in FIG. 23, the identification symbol is composed of a combination of a board symbol, a sheet symbol, and a unit symbol, and a different identification symbol (letter, number) is assigned to each design sheet. Here, the board symbol is a symbol assigned according to the type (model) of the game board 20. The sheet symbol is a symbol assigned according to the type (shape, pattern, color, etc.) of the design sheets 281 to 283. The unit symbol is a symbol assigned according to the type of the decoration unit 12 (200, 300). In this embodiment, "PM04" is assigned as the board symbol of the game board 10, "DY01" is assigned as the sheet number of the first design sheet 281, "DY02" is assigned as the sheet symbol of the second design sheet 282, "DY03" is assigned as the sheet symbol of the third design sheet 283, and "A" is assigned as the unit symbol of the decoration unit 12 (200, 300).

[0100] In this embodiment, based on the combination of these board symbols, sheet symbols, and unit symbols, the first design sheet 281 is given an identification symbol of "PM04-DY01-A", the second design sheet 282 is given an identification symbol of "PM04-DY02-A", and the third design sheet 283 is given an identification symbol of "PM04-DY03-A". In addition, a fourth design sheet (not shown) is stored in the upper decoration unit 300, and this fourth design sheet (not shown) is given an identification symbol of "PM04-DY04-A" (the sheet number is "DY04"). In this way, the identification symbols of each design sheet 281 to 283 are linked to the model (type) of the game board 20 and the type of the decoration unit 12.

[0101] As a modification of this embodiment, instead of printing an identification symbol on each of the design sheets 281-283, a barcode (such as a QR code (registered trademark)) may be printed or an IC tag (IC chip) may be attached as identification information for each of the design sheets 281-283.

[0102] Next, a procedure for attaching the right decorative unit 200 to the glass frame 5 will be described. First, to attach the right decorative unit 200 to the glass frame 5, the right decorative unit 200 is aligned with the front right side of the glass frame 5, and the lower attachment protrusion 231 of the right decorative unit 200 is inserted obliquely from above into the lower support groove 516a of the glass frame 5, and the lower attachment protrusion 231 is supported as a fulcrum ( The upper part of the right decorative unit 200 is swung toward the front side of the glass frame 5 with the right decorative unit 200 pivoting about the upper hook portion 271 of the right decorative unit 200 as the swing center. When the right decorative unit 200 is swung in this manner, the upper hook portion 271 of the right decorative unit 200 is engaged with the upper hook receiving groove 516b of the glass frame 5, so that the right decorative unit 200 is attached to the right side of the front side of the glass frame 5 in a state in which attachment and detachment are restricted. After the right decorative unit 200 is attached to the glass frame 5 in this manner, the upper decorative unit 300 is attached to the front side of the glass frame 5, and the upper decorative unit 300 is fixed using a fixing screw 501 such as a urea screw (see FIG. 14) that can be manually tightened or loosened by an operator from the rear side of the glass frame 5, thereby assembling the entire decorative unit 12 to the upper front part of the glass frame 5.

[0103] Next, a procedure for replacing the design sheets 281-283 of the right decorative unit 200 will be described. First, to remove the design sheets 281-283 from the right decorative unit 200, the glass frame 5 is opened relative to the front frame 2. When the glass frame 5 is opened forward, the release lever 255 is exposed from the rear side of the glass frame 5 through the lever operation opening 517, and the release lever 255 can be accessed (see FIG. 14). Next, the release lever 255 is operated from the rear side of the glass frame 5 through the lever operation opening 517 to release the engagement between the lock claw 267a of the cover member 260 and the engaged portion 254 of the right unit case 201, so that the rear cover portion 265 can be swung up and down relative to the front cover portion 261 around the hinge 266 as a fulcrum (the rear cover portion 265 can be opened and closed). Next, by operating the claw operating portion 263c of the front lid portion 261 to release the engagement between the movable claw 263a of the front lid portion 261 and the fixed piece 225 of the unit case 201, the front lid portion 261 becomes in a state in which it can swing up and down about the hinge shaft (hinge hook 262) relative to the unit case 201 (a state in which the front lid portion 261 can be opened and closed). By performing a two-stage release operation on the lid member 260 (front lid portion 261, rear lid portion 265) in this manner, the entire lid member 260 can be swung upward relative to the unit case 201, and the upper opening 202 of the unit case 201 can be opened. At this time, as shown in Fig. 21, the cover member 260 has a bi-fold structure, so that the rear cover portion 265 can be relatively swung and displaced with respect to the front cover portion 261 around the hinge 266 as a fulcrum, and the entire cover member 260 can be opened in a desired folded position (since the swing radius of the entire cover member 260 can be changed), so that the space required to open the cover member 260 can be reduced. Therefore, when the cover member 260 is opened (when replacing the design sheets 281-283), it is possible to reliably prevent the cover member 260 from colliding with the glass frame 5 or the island equipment, making it impossible to open or being damaged. Then, by opening the cover member 260 upward in this way, the upper opening 202 of the unit case 201 is opened, and each of the design sheets 281-283 can be taken out from each of the sheet storage portions 213, 221, and 223 of the unit case 201.After removing the design sheets 281-283 from the unit case 201 in this way, new design sheets are inserted into the sheet storage sections 213, 221, 223, whereby the new design sheets are stored in the sheet storage sections 213, 221, 223, and the new design sheets can be seen from the outside through the outer window section 211b, the inner upper window section 220b, and the inner lower window section 220c of the unit case 201. After replacing the design sheets 281-283 in this way, the cover member 260 is swung downward to again engage the locking claw 267a of the cover member 260 with the engaged section 254 of the right unit case 201, whereby the cover member 260 is connected and fixed in a state in which it closes the upper opening 202 of the right unit case 201.

[0104] The reason why, as a locking mechanism between the right unit case 201 and the lid member 260, not only the locking claw 267a is provided at the rear end of the lid member 260 but also the movable claw 263a is provided at the center of the lid member 260 is that, when the lid member 260 has a bi-fold structure consisting of the front lid portion 261 and the rear lid portion 265, if only the front end portion (hinge hook 262) and the rear end portion (locking claw 267a) of the lid member 260 are connected to the unit case 201 (if only two-point support is provided at both the front and rear ends), the action of the hinge 266 of the lid member 260 will cause the middle portion of the lid member 260 (the portion of the hinge 266) to be lifted upward with the front and rear ends of the lid member 260 as fulcrums. This is because there is a risk that a gap will be created in the lifted portion, through which a fraudulent tool such as a piano wire or wire may be inserted to commit a fraudulent act. Therefore, in this embodiment, a locking mechanism using a movable claw 263a is also provided in the middle portion of the lid member 260, and the three-point support structure of the front end, center, and rear end of the lid member 260 reliably restricts the lid member 260 from swinging open.

[0105] Next, the procedure for removing the right decorative unit 200 from the glass frame 5 will be described. First, to remove the right decorative unit 200 from the glass frame 5, the glass frame 5 is opened relative to the front frame 2. Next, a predetermined release operation is performed from the rear side of the glass frame 5 to remove the upper decorative unit 300 from the front side of the glass frame 5. When the upper decorative unit 300 is removed from the glass frame 5, the right unit removal lever 272 provided on the right decorative unit 200 is exposed and accessible. Next, the right unit removal lever 272 is operated to release the engagement between the upper hook portion 271 and the upper hook receiving groove 516b of the glass frame 5. This releases the lock state between the right decorative unit 200 and the glass frame 5. Then, the upper part of the right decorative unit 200 is swung (tilted) forward, and the lower mounting protrusion 231 provided at the lower end of the right decorative unit 200 is removed from the lower support groove 516a of the glass frame 5. This allows the right decorative unit 200 to be removed from the front side of the glass frame 5.

[0106] Thus, according to this embodiment, the cover member 260 has a two-piece structure (bi-fold structure) connected by the hinge 266, and the cover member 260 can be opened and closed while folding into a desired position when replacing the design sheets 281-283, etc., so that the space required for opening and closing the cover member 260 can be reduced, and it is possible to prevent the cover member 260 from colliding with structures such as the glass frame 5 and island equipment and being damaged when opening and closing the cover member 260. In addition, by giving unique identification symbols according to the model (type) of the game board 20, the type of the decorative unit 12, and its storage position, etc. to the multiple design sheets 281-283 so that they can be individually identified, it is possible to easily replace and manage the design sheets 281-283 without shipping the design sheets 281-283 of the wrong model (type) or mixing the design sheets 281-283 of different models (types) in the decorative unit 12. Furthermore, for example, when manufacturing machines that use the same motif (character or title) but have different jackpot probabilities (machines with different specifications), one of the multiple design sheets can be used in common and the design of the other can be changed, thereby reducing the man-hours required for design sheet development and manufacturing costs (it becomes unnecessary to create all design sheets from scratch for each machine). As an example, when manufacturing a machine with different specifications from this model (a so-called series machine), the first design sheet 281 and the second design sheet 282 can be used in common and only the third design sheet 283 can be replaced with a new design sheet. In the case of machines with different specifications (series machines), the above board symbols may be the same or different. In addition, in the case of models with different specifications (series machines), the above dial symbols may be related symbols. For example, "PM04" may be a common symbol for multiple models with different specifications, and individual symbols such as "A", "B", and "C" may be assigned according to the specifications ("PM04A", "PM04B", and "PM04C" may be set for each model as the dial symbols for series machines).In addition, the above sheet numbers may be set according to the arrangement of design sheets 281-283; for example, "DY1" may be assigned to the design sheet arranged on the outside (right side) of the right decorative unit 200, "DY2" to the design sheet arranged on the upper inside (upper left side) of the right decorative unit 200, and "DY3" to the design sheet arranged on the lower inside (lower left side) of the right decorative unit 200, making the arrangement of each design sheet easy to understand.

[0107] [Anti-tampering structure of glass frame] Next, the tamper-proof structure of the glass frame 5 will be described with reference to FIG. 37 in addition to the above-mentioned FIG. 12, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, etc. Note that FIG. 37 shows the second tamper-proof rib 529 and the reinforcing metal plate 5 12.

[0108] The rear side of the glass frame 5 is provided with an anti-tampering structure that prevents the intrusion of illegal tools such as wire or piano wire into the gaming machine. This anti-tampering structure is composed of a first anti-tampering rib 518 formed on the upper part of the rear side of the door frame member 510 and a second anti-tampering rib 529 formed along the right edge of the glass frame 522.

[0109] The first tamper-proof rib 518 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape protruding backward from the upper right part of the rear side of the door frame member 510, and is arranged so as to surround the periphery of the opening end of the lever operation opening 517 penetrating the upper right part of the door frame member 510. In other words, the first tamper-proof rib 518 is a peripheral wall part that surrounds the periphery of the lever operation opening 517 on the rear side of the door frame member 510. As described above, the release lever 255 protruding from the rear side of the right decorative unit 200 is inserted into the lever operation opening 517, and when the glass frame 5 is opened, it is possible to operate the release lever 255 through the lever operation opening 517 from the inside of the first tamper-proof rib 518 from the front side of the front frame 2 with a predetermined protrusion amount from the rear surface of the door frame member 510, and is arranged to be close to the front surface of the front frame 2 when the glass frame 5 is closed to the front frame 2. Needless to say, it is preferable that the gap between the rear end of this first tamper-proof rib 518 and the front surface of the front frame 2 is as small as possible (that is, the two may be configured to abut against each other).

[0110] The second tamper-proof rib 529 is formed continuously extending vertically along the right edge of the glass frame 522. The second tamper-proof rib 529 is formed to protrude rightward from the right edge (right side) of the glass frame 522, and a reinforcing metal plate 512 fixed to the door frame member 510 is arranged facing the front-rear direction on the front side of the second tamper-proof rib 529. The reinforcing metal plate 512 is attached along the right end (open end) of the rear side of the door frame member 510, reinforcing the strength of the door frame member 510 and forming a part (key receiving side) of the locking device 4. The reinforcing metal plate 512 has a strip-shaped back metal plate part 513 fastened to the rear part of the door frame member 510 with a screw or the like, and a strip-shaped side metal plate part 514 formed by bending the left end of the back metal plate part 513 rearward in an L-shape. Cylindrical door locking receivers 515 extending outward to the right are attached to the top and bottom of the side sheet metal portion 514. A door locking hook 49 (see FIG. 4) provided on the locking device 4 is configured to be able to engage and disengage with this door locking receiver 515. A notch 514a is formed on the tip surface (rear end surface) of the side sheet metal portion 514, which is cut out (relief processing is performed) in the plate width direction (front-rear direction) of the side sheet metal portion 514, and the front side of the second tamper prevention rib 529 abuts against this notch 514a (or is adjacent to it with a very small gap). In addition, this second anti-tamper rib 529 protrudes to the right (towards the open end of the glass frame 5) further than the side sheet metal portion 514 (cutout portion 514a), and the second anti-tamper rib 529 and the side sheet metal portion 514 (cutout portion 514a) overlap each other when viewed from the front-to-back direction.

[0111] Next, the function of the tamper-proof structure of the glass frame 5 will be described. In the gaming machine PM of this embodiment, the right decorative unit 200 is provided as a heavy object in the upper right part of the front side of the glass frame 5, and the weight of the right decorative unit 200 causes the upper right part of the glass frame 5 (the upper part of the open end side of the glass frame 5) to tilt forward, which may cause unintended gaps in the connection parts and joints of the components arranged in the upper right part of the glass frame 5. Therefore, in order to eliminate the adverse effects caused by attaching the right decorative unit 200 to the upper right part of the front side of the glass frame 5, a strict tamper-proof measure (tamper-proof measure using two tamper-proof ribs 518, 529) is applied to the upper right part of the glass frame 5.

[0112] First, there is a small gap between the rear surface of the right decorative unit 200 and the front surface of the glass frame 5. Alternatively, if a tampering tool such as wire or piano wire is inserted through the small gap between the right unit case 201 of the right decorative unit 200 and the cover member 260 and the tampering tool is inserted into the lever operation opening 517 of the glass frame 5 toward the inside of the gaming machine PM, the first tampering prevention rib 518 is formed to surround the entire opening end of the lever insertion opening 517, and therefore, the presence of this first tampering prevention rib 518 prevents the tampering tool from entering any further, and tampering cannot be achieved within the gaming area PA of the gaming board 20.

[0113] On the other hand, when a tampering tool such as a wire or piano wire is inserted through the gap in the window portion 5a of the glass frame 5 (the gap between the window 511 of the door frame member 510 and the glass plate 521 of the glass unit 520), the second tampering prevention rib 529 formed along the right edge of the glass frame 522 extends toward the open end side (locking device 4 side) of the glass frame 5, so that even if the tampering tool is inserted toward the locking device 4, it hits the second tampering prevention rib 529 and cannot be inserted any further, thereby preventing a tampering act of tampering with the locking device 4 to open the glass frame 5. In particular, in this embodiment, the second tampering prevention rib 529 abuts against the cutout portion 514a of the reinforcing sheet metal 512, and this second tampering prevention rib 529 protrudes toward the open end side beyond the side sheet metal portion 514 of the reinforcing sheet metal 514, so that the intrusion path of the tampering tool toward the locking device 4 can be blocked, thereby further enhancing the tampering prevention effect.

[0114] Thus, according to this embodiment, even if a fraudulent tool is inserted through a weak part (gap) in the upper right part of the glass frame 5 that may occur when the heavy right decorative unit 200 is attached to the upper right part of the front surface of the glass frame 5, the fraud prevention ribs 518, 529 are provided on the entry path from the weak gap (the opening end around the release lever 255, the right edge of the glass unit 520), so that the fraudulent tool can be prevented from entering further by the fraudulent tool by the fraud prevention ribs 518, 529, thereby making it possible to effectively prevent fraudulent operations (fraudulent acts) performed on the game board 20 (game area PA) and the locking device 4.

[0115] [Used ball ejection mechanism] Next, a description will be given of the played ball discharge mechanism 600. Fig. 24 is an exploded perspective view of the played ball discharge mechanism 600 seen from the front, Fig. 25 is an exploded perspective view of the played ball discharge mechanism 600 seen from the rear, Fig. 26 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor cassette 670 seen from the front, and Fig. 27 is an exploded perspective view of the sensor cassette 670 seen from the rear.

[0116] The played ball discharge mechanism 600 is mainly composed of a passage forming member 601 in which a played ball discharge passage 650 is formed for discharging game balls (played balls) that enter the various winning ports of the game area PA or flow into the outlet 29 and then flow downward from the rear side of the game board 20 outside the machine.

[0117] The passage forming member 601 is configured to include a first passage forming member 610 attached to the rear side of the game auxiliary board 25, a second passage forming member 620 attached to the rear side of the first passage forming member 610, and a sensor cassette 670 detachably attached to the front side of the second passage forming member 620. A passage cover member 625 that forms a ball removal passage between the second passage forming member 620 and the rear side of the second passage forming member 620 is detachably attached. The sensor cassette 670 forms a part of the passage (discharge passage 683 described later) of the played ball discharge passage 650, and is provided with a played ball detection switch 690 that detects game balls (played balls) flowing down the played ball discharge passage 650.

[0118] The played ball discharge passage 650 is composed of a wide passage 651, a first front passage 652, a second front passage 653, a connecting passage 654, a rear passage 655, a serpentine passage 656 and a discharge passage 683.

[0119] The wide passage 651 is formed at the upper left end of the first passage forming member 610, and is partitioned between the rear surface of the game board 20 and the left rear passage wall 621 formed in the second passage forming member 620. The wide passage 651 has a passage width of about two game balls in the front-rear direction and is formed so as to slope downward from the left side to the right side. Therefore, game balls that fall into the wide passage 651 from the rear side of the game board 20 flow down toward the first front passage 652 provided to the right of it.

[0120] The first front passage 652 is formed so as to be continuously connected to the rear row side of the right end of the wide passage 651. The first front passage 652 is formed at the central upper end of the first passage forming member 610, and is partitioned between the front passage wall portion 611 formed at the upper right side of the first passage forming member 610 and the left rear passage wall portion 621 of the second passage forming member 620. The first front passage 652 has a passage width of about one game ball in the front-rear direction and is formed so as to slope downward from the left side to the right side. Therefore, the game ball that reaches the first front passage 652 flows down toward the connecting passage 654 provided to the right of it.

[0121] The second front passage 653 is formed so as to be continuously connected to the right end of the communication passage 654. This second front passage 653 is formed at the upper right end of the first passage forming member 610, and the front is partitioned by the front passage wall portion 611 of the first passage forming member 610. The second front passage 653 has a passage width of about one game ball in the front-rear direction and is formed so as to slope downward from the right side to the left side. Therefore, the game ball that reaches the second front passage 653 flows down toward the communication passage 654 provided on the left side thereof.

[0122] The communication passage 654 is formed by continuously connecting the right end of the first front passage 652 and the left end of the second front passage 653. This communication passage 654 is formed at the central upper end of the first passage forming member 610, and is partitioned at the front by the front passage wall portion 611 of the first passage forming member 610, with the rear passage portion 655 facing behind it. The communication passage 654 has a passage width of about one game ball in the front-rear direction, extends approximately horizontally to the left and right, and is formed so as to slope downward toward the rear. Therefore, the game ball that reaches the communication passage 654 flows down toward the rear passage 655 provided behind it.

[0123] The rear passage 655 is formed on the rear side of the row of passages 651-654, extending left and right at a height position lower than the passages 651-654. The rear passage 655 is formed on the front side of the second passage forming member 620, and the rear is partitioned by the right rear passage wall portion 622 of the second passage forming member 620. The rear passage 655 has a passage width of about one game ball in the front-rear direction, and is formed so as to slope downward from the right side to the left side. Therefore, the game ball that reaches the rear passage 655 flows down toward the serpentine passage 656 provided on the left side thereof.

[0124] The meandering passage 656 is formed by being continuously connected to the left end of the rear passage 655. The meandering passage 656 is formed in a meandering shape in which a front inclined surface inclined downward to the front and a rear inclined surface inclined downward to the rear are continuous through a turn-back portion, straddling the first passage forming member 610 and the second passage forming member 620. In other words, the meandering passage 656 is a passage for coasting the game balls flowing down from the right side to the left side in the front-rear direction. A band-shaped static electricity removing sheet metal 660 is attached to an intermediate passage portion 662 formed between the upstream portion of the meandering passage 656 and the downstream portion of the rear passage 655. The static electricity removing sheet metal 660 is made of metal such as stainless spring steel, and is formed into a desired shape by punching and bending a thin metal plate. An attachment plate portion 661 that is screwed to the second passage forming member 620 is formed at the lower portion of the static electricity removing sheet metal 660. The upper surface of this static electricity removing metal plate 661 forms a passage surface from the downstream part of the rear passage 655 to the upstream part of the serpentine passage 656, and contacts the game ball flowing down this passage surface to remove the static electricity charged on the game ball. 0 is connected to the earth plate (not shown) of the locking device 4 via an earth wire or the like. The game ball that reaches the downstream end of the serpentine passage 656 flows down into a discharge passage 683 provided below.

[0125] The discharge passage 683 is formed so as to be continuously connected to the rear end of the left side 670 of the serpentine passage 656. The discharge passage 683 is formed inside the sensor cassette 670 which is attached to and detached from the second passage forming member 620. The sensor cassette 670 will be described in detail later. The discharge passage 683 has a passage width of about one game ball in the front-rear direction and is formed so as to slope downward from the left side to the right side. At the entrance of the discharge passage 683, a played ball detection switch (played ball detection sensor) 690 is disposed to detect the game ball (played ball) flowing down the discharge passage 683. The played ball detection switch 690 will be described in detail later.

[0126] A game ball discharge port 685 that opens downward is formed at the end of the discharge passage 683. Therefore, the game balls flowing down the discharge passage 683 are discharged from the game ball discharge port 685 at the downstream end to the outside of the game machine, and are eventually collected in the game island (game hall facility).

[0127] Next, a description will be given of the configuration of sensor cassette 670. Note that, for convenience of explanation, in Fig. 25, sensor cassette 670 is arranged on the first passage forming member 610 side, but in reality, sensor cassette 670 is attached to the second passage forming member 620 side as shown in Fig. 24.

[0128] The sensor cassette 670 is configured to include a box-shaped sensor case 680 having an L-shape when viewed from the front, and a played ball detection switch 690 held in the sensor case 680. The sensor cassette 670 is detachably attached to a cassette storage section 630 formed in the center of the lower part of the front surface of the second passage forming member 620. The cassette storage section 630 opens forward and downward, and a partition wall 631 that closes a part of the front opening and restricts the forward and backward movement of the sensor cassette 670 attached to the cassette storage section 630 is formed in the upper right part of the cassette storage section 630 and extends in a vertical plane. Therefore, the sensor cassette 670 is detachable from the cassette storage section 630 only in the vertical direction. In other words, the sensor cassette 670 is restricted from being attached and detached in the forward and backward directions by the presence of the partition wall 631 of the cassette storage section 630.

[0129] The sensor case 680 is composed of a front case 681 and a rear case 682, and the above-mentioned discharge passage 683 is defined between the front case 681 and the rear case 682. At the upper end of the sensor case 680, a game ball inlet 684 for introducing game balls (played balls) is opened in the vertical direction, and at the lower end of the sensor case 680, the above-mentioned game ball outlet 685 for discharging game balls (played balls) is opened in the vertical direction. Directly below the game ball inlet 684 of the sensor case 680, a sensor holding groove 686 for mounting a played ball detection switch 690 is recessed between the rear surface of the front case 681 and the front surface of the rear case 682.

[0130] The front case 681 is made of a transparent synthetic resin material and is formed in a generally box-like shape that opens to the rear. A tongue piece 681a that protrudes downward is formed at the bottom of the front case 681, and screw insertion holes 681b through which screws for fixing the sensor case 680 to the second passage forming member 620 are inserted are formed in the tongue piece 681a. In addition, a plurality of stepped grooves 681c extending in the front-rear direction are recessed in the outer peripheral wall of the front case 681, and a wedge-shaped outer peripheral protrusion 681d is formed on the bottom surface of the stepped groove 681c.

[0131] The rear case 682 is made of a conductive material and is generally box-shaped with an opening at the front. As the conductive material, for example, a conductive resin material mixed with carbon fiber or a material that has been subjected to conductive gold plating or the like is preferably used. By making one of the two-part sensor case 680 (the rear case 682) conductive in this way, it is possible to effectively remove static electricity charged on the game balls (played balls) flowing down the discharge passage 683 formed between the front case 681 and the rear case 682. A metal flat conductive plate 632 is fixed to the front wall of the cassette storage section 630, and when the sensor cassette 670 is attached to the cassette storage section 630, the rear case 682 and the conductive plate 632 abut against each other from the front to the rear, so that static electricity is discharged from the rear case 682 to the conductive plate 632. The conductive plate 632 is connected to the earth plate (not shown) of the locking device 4, similar to the static electricity removing sheet metal 660.

[0132] Further, the outer peripheral wall of the rear case 682 is formed with substantially annular outer peripheral locking portions 682a protruding forward at positions corresponding to the plurality of stepped grooves 681c formed in the front case 681. The outer peripheral locking portions 682a are inserted in the front-rear direction into the stepped grooves 681c of the front case 681, and are further capable of engaging with outer peripheral protrusions 681d formed on the bottom surfaces of the stepped grooves 681c. In other words, the front case 681 and the rear case 682 are overlapped in the front-rear direction, and the outer peripheral locking portions 682a and the outer peripheral protrusions 681d are engaged with each other, whereby the front case 681 and the rear case 682 are joined together, and the integrated sensor case 680 is assembled.

[0133] The played ball detection switch 690 is a passing type sensor (for example, an electromagnetic induction type proximity sensor) that detects the passage of a game ball (played ball), and counts the actual number of game balls (played balls) flowing down the played ball discharge passage 650. When a game ball (played ball) passes through a detection port, the played ball detection switch 690 detects the passage of the game ball (played ball), which is a metal object, by changing the impedance of a coil (not shown) arranged around the detection port. The played ball detection switch 690 is attached to the sensor case 680 by being fitted into a sensor holding groove 686 formed between the rear surface of the front case 681 and the front surface of the rear case 682. The detection port of this played ball detection switch 690 is positioned so as to face the game ball inlet port 684 of the sensor case 680 in the vertical direction, so that a game ball (played ball) introduced from the game ball inlet port 684 into the inside of the sensor case 680 (discharge passage 683) passes through the detection port of the played ball detection switch 690.

[0134] To attach the sensor cassette 670 having such a configuration to the second passage forming member 620, the sensor cassette 670 is oriented so that the game ball inlet 684 of the sensor cassette 670 faces directly upward, and the sensor cassette 670 is fitted into the cassette accommodating portion 630 from below the second passage forming member 620. Next, a screw (not shown) is inserted into the screw insertion hole 681b of the cassette case 680 and screwed into a screw hole (not shown) of the second passage forming member 620, whereby the sensor cassette 670 is attached into the cassette accommodating portion 630 of the second passage forming member 620. When the sensor cassette 670 is attached to the cassette storage section 630, the game ball inlet 684 of the sensor cassette 630 and the downstream end of the serpentine passage 656 are aligned in the vertical direction, so that game balls (played balls) that reach the downstream end of the serpentine passage 656 flow down into the discharge passage 683 via the game ball inlet 684 of the sensor cassette 670.

[0135] On the other hand, to remove the sensor cassette 670 from the second passage forming member 620, a screw (not shown) is removed from a screw hole (not shown) of the second passage forming member 620, and the sensor cassette 670 is pulled downward from the cassette accommodating portion 630, thereby removing the sensor cassette 670 from the second passage forming member 620. At this time, since the removal direction of the sensor cassette 670 from the cassette accommodating portion 630 is the downward direction, even if a jam of game balls occurs near the detection port of the played ball detection switch 690, the passing direction of the game balls with respect to the detection port is the same as that of the sensor cassette 670. Since the direction of the sensor cassette 670 (downward) coincides with the direction of the sensor cassette 670 (downward), the sensor cassette 670 can be easily removed along the direction of the game ball passing through (flowing down). In other words, when a configuration in which the detection sensor (passing type sensor) is removed horizontally is adopted as in the past, the direction of the game ball flowing down (downward) and the direction of the sensor cassette 670 removing (horizontal) are perpendicular to each other, so when a ball is jammed near the detection port of the detection sensor and the detection sensor is forcibly removed, the jammed game ball is sandwiched between the detection sensor and the passage wall, resulting in a problem of so-called ball biting. However, in this embodiment, the presence of the partition wall 631 of the cassette storage section 630 restricts the removal of the played ball detection switch 690 in the horizontal direction (forward), and prevents the problem of ball biting occurring when the sensor cassette 670 is removed.

[0136] In addition, by providing a serpentine passage 656 just before the played ball detection sensor 690, the flow speed of the game ball is slowed down as it flows down this serpentine path 656, and the momentum (flow speed) of the game ball is sufficiently suppressed by the time it passes through the played ball detection sensor 690 downstream, thereby preventing erroneous detection (detection failure) due to wear or chattering of the detection part of the played ball detection switch 690, and making it possible to stabilize the detection accuracy of the game ball by the played ball detection sensor 690.

[0137] In addition, by forming the passage surface downstream of the static electricity removing plate 660 as a part of the serpentine passage 656, a temporary stop of the game ball occurs when flowing down the serpentine passage 656, and the time that the succeeding game ball flows down the upper surface of the static electricity removing plate 660 is accordingly longer (that is, the contact time between the game ball and the static electricity removing plate 660 is longer), so that the static electricity charged on the game ball can be more reliably released to the outside. Also, if the static electricity removing plate is provided in the serpentine passage 656, the shape of the static electricity removing plate becomes complicated, but if the static electricity removing plate is provided upstream of the serpentine passage 656, the shape of the static electricity removing plate can be simplified (the manufacture and installation of the static electricity removing plate becomes easier).

[0138] According to this embodiment, the flow direction (downward) of the game ball when passing through the played ball detection switch 690 and the attachment / detachment direction (downward) of the sensor cassette 670 are the same, so even if game balls become clogged near the detection port of the played ball detection switch 690, the sensor cassette 670 (played ball detection switch 690) can be easily removed from the second passage forming member 620 without the balls getting caught, thereby improving the maintainability of the gaming machine PM.

[0139] [Direction Operation Unit] Next, the performance operation unit 700 will be described. Fig. 28 is an exploded perspective view of the performance operation unit 700, Fig. 29 is a diagram explaining the rotation mechanism of the lever role object 710, Fig. 30 is a side view of the performance lever 701, Fig. 31 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the performance operation unit 700, Fig. 32 is a front view showing the lower frame 560 of the glass frame 5, Fig. 33 is a bottom view showing the base part 580 of the lower frame 560, Fig. 34 is a diagram for explaining the sliding operation of the movable plate 585, Fig. 35 is a rear view showing the lower part of the rear side of the glass frame 5, and Fig. 36 is an exploded perspective view of the frame relay base unit 980.

[0140] The performance operation unit 700 is detachably attached to the lower frame 560 (see Figures 30, 32, 34, etc.) provided in the lower area on the front side of the glass frame 5. This lower frame 560 has a ball tray unit 14 equipped with upper and lower ball trays 6, 7 attached to the left side of the front, and an operation switch unit 15 equipped with a cross switch, ball lending switch, etc. attached to the right side of the front. The performance operation unit 700 is attached in a state where it is fitted between the ball tray unit 14 and the left wall part of the operation switch unit 15.

[0141] As shown in Figs. 32 and 34, the lower frame 560 is configured with a frame body 570 provided so as to cover the lower part of the front side of the glass frame 5, and a base part 580 extending forward from the central lower end of the frame body 570. The production operation unit 700 is fixed to the lower frame 560 of the glass frame 5 by two fixing devices 590 (rear fixing device 590A) provided across the door frame member 510 and the frame body 570, and two fixing devices 590 (bottom fixing device 590B) provided on the base part 580. Specifically, the rear side (rear side) of the production operation unit 700 is fixed to the frame body 570 using the rear fixing device 590A as shown in Figs. 34 to 35, and the lower side (bottom side) of the production operation unit 700 is fixed to the base part 580 using the bottom fixing device 590B as shown in Figs. 33 to 34. Since rear fixing device 590A and bottom fixing device 590B basically have the same structure, in the following description, when there is no need to particularly distinguish between rear fixing device 590A and bottom fixing device 590B, they will be collectively referred to as "fixture 590."

[0142] The base 580 is formed with a predetermined thickness in the vertical direction, and protrudes forward from the lower end of the frame body 570. The upper surface of the base 580 is formed as a seat on which the performance operation unit 700 is placed. A pair of left and right fixture holding holes (not shown) are formed through the base 580 in the vertical direction, and the bottom fixture 590B is attached to the fixture holding hole (not shown) so as to be slidable in the vertical direction without falling out. The bottom fixture 590B is formed in the shape of a shaft extending in the vertical direction, and is arranged to be rotatable back and forth between a predetermined reference rotation position (rotation position of 0 degrees around the axis) and a maximum rotation position (rotation position of 90 degrees around the axis) when inserted into the fixture holding hole (not shown). In other words, the bottom fixture 590B is rotatable within a range of approximately 90 degrees within the fixture holding hole (not shown). Furthermore, a coil spring 599b (see FIG. 32) for constantly biasing bottom surface fixture 590B downward is disposed in this fixture holding hole (not shown).

[0143] As shown in FIG. 34, a movable plate 585, which is substantially flat and parallel to the upper surface, is attached to the upper surface of the base 580 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction. A pair of left and right lock grooves 586, which are punched in the plate thickness direction (vertical direction) and open forward, are formed on the tip side of the movable plate 585. Each lock groove 586 is formed in a spline groove shape in which unevenness (peaks and valleys) are alternately and continuously formed in the circumferential direction. The peaks (large diameter portions) and valleys (small diameter portions) of the lock groove 586 are formed at intervals of 90 degrees in the circumferential direction. The lock groove 586 has a groove shape corresponding to the outer shape of a locked shaft portion 593 (described later) formed in the axial middle portion of the fixing device 590 (bottom fixing device 590B), and is configured to be able to be fitted (engaged) with the locked shaft portion 593 in the front-rear direction. In addition, four long hole portions 587 are formed in the movable plate 585, penetrating in the thickness direction (up and down direction) and extending in the front and rear direction, and cylindrical pin portions 582 provided on the base portion 580 are inserted into these long hole portions 587.

[0144] The movable plate 585 is guided and supported by the pin portion 582 inserted into the long hole portion 587 on the upper surface side of the base portion 580, and is slidable in the front-rear direction between a locked position (front end position) where the lock groove 586 fits into the fixture 590 (bottom fixture 590B) to restrain the bottom fixture 590B, and an unlocked position (rear end position) where the lock groove 586 moves away from the fixture 590 (bottom fixture 590B) to release the bottom fixture 590B. In this embodiment, the position where the pin portion 582 abuts against the rear end of the long hole portion 587 is the restrained position (front end position), and the position where the pin portion 582 abuts against the front end of the long hole portion 587 is the released position (rear end position). Moreover, this movable plate 585 is mechanically connected to a slide operation part 588 provided on the rear side of the glass frame 5 via a slide link mechanism (not shown), and is configured so that when the slide operation part 588 is pushed forward, the movable plate 585 slides forward (to the locked position), and when the slide operation part 588 is pulled back, the movable plate 585 slides backward (to the unlocked position). A coil spring 589 is interposed between this slide operation part 588 and the base part 580, and this slide operation part 588 is subjected to the elastic force of the coil spring 589 and then Therefore, when the glass frame 5 is opened, the slide operation part 588 is pushed rearward by the biasing force of the coil spring 588, so that the movable plate 585 slides rearward and is held in the unlocked position. On the other hand, when the glass frame 5 is closed, the slide operation part 588 abuts against the front part of the front frame 2 and is pushed forward, so that the movable plate 585 slides forward and is held in the locked position.

[0145] On the other hand, as shown in Figs. 32, 35 and 36, a pair of left and right fastener holding holes (not shown) are formed in the frame main body 570 and the door frame member 510 in the front-rear direction, and the rear fastener 590A is attached to the fastener holding hole (not shown) in a manner that allows it to move freely in the front-rear direction without falling out. The rear fastener 590A is formed in a shaft shape extending in the front-rear direction, and is arranged so as to be able to rotate back and forth between a predetermined reference rotation position (a rotation position of 0 degrees around the axis) and a maximum rotation position (a rotation position of 90 degrees around the axis) when inserted into the fastener holding hole (not shown). In other words, the rear fastener 590A is able to rotate within a range of about 90 degrees within the fastener holding hole (not shown). In addition, a coil spring 599a (see Fig. 32) is arranged in the fastener holding hole (not shown) for constantly biasing the rear fastener 590A backward.

[0146] Here, as shown in Figures 35 and 36, at the rear side of the glass frame 5, at the arrangement position of the right rear fixing tool 590A among the left and right rear fixing tools 590A, a frame relay board unit 980 is detachably attached so as to cover the rear fixing tool 590A from the rear. This frame relay board unit 980 is composed of a frame relay board 981 electrically connected to the frame lamp 11 and the performance operation unit 700 provided on the glass frame 5, and a transparent resin board case 982 that houses the frame relay board 981 inside, and is screwed to the board mounting portion 519 formed on the rear side of the door frame member 510. The frame relay board case 982 is composed of a case main body 983 to which the frame relay board 981 is fixed, and a case lid 984 that is detachably attached to the case main body 983 and covers the rear side of the frame relay board 983. When this frame relay board unit 980 is attached to the board attachment portion 519 of the glass frame 5, the right-side rear fastener 590A of the left and right rear fasteners 590A is concealed by the frame relay board unit 980. As a result, even if the glass frame 5 is opened, it becomes impossible to access the right-side rear fastener 590A of the left and right rear fasteners 590A unless the frame relay board unit 980 is removed.

[0147] Each of the fixing devices 590 (rear surface fixing device 590A, bottom surface fixing device 590B) is a rod member having a generally cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction. At the axial tip of each of the fixing devices 590, a shaft tip portion 591 is formed which can be inserted into insertion holes 753a, 754a of a unit base 740 described later. At the axial base end of the fixing device 590, a rib-shaped operation knob portion 592 which can be gripped by fingers is formed. At the axial intermediate portion of the fixing device 590, a locked shaft portion 593 having a cross-sectional shape (spline shape) corresponding to the lock groove 586 of the movable plate 585 is formed, and configured to be able to be engaged (engaged) with the lock groove 586 in the front-rear direction. When the locked shaft portion 593 of the fixing device 590 (bottom fixing device 590B) is engaged with the lock groove 586 of the movable plate 585, the fixing device 590 (bottom fixing device 590B) cannot rotate around the shaft (rotation operation of the bottom fixing device 590B is restricted). In this embodiment, by using such four fixing devices 590, the performance operation unit 700 is connected and fixed to the lower frame 560 of the glass frame 5.

[0148] As shown in Figures 28 and 30, the performance operation unit 700 is mainly composed of a performance lever 701 operated by the player and a unit base 740 that supports the performance lever 710 so that it can be tilted back and forth. This performance operation unit 700 is configured as a composite operation device that allows the player to operate the lever (tilt operation) and the button (press operation).

[0149] The effect lever 701 is configured to have a lever role 710 that accepts input operations by the player and performs effect operations (rotational and reciprocating movements) by receiving power from a motor 731 described later, and a role support member 720 that supports the lever role 710 so that it can perform effect operations (rotational and reciprocating movements). The effect lever 701 is equipped with an effect lever LED 702 (see FIG. 31) that illuminates the entire effect lever 710.

[0150] As shown in Fig. 28 and Fig. 29, the lever role 710 is a movable member (operation member) having a shape imitating the face of an alien. At the upper end of this lever role 710, there is provided a performance button 711 that can be pressed by the player. The performance button 711 has a general push button structure, and is provided with a press detection sensor 712 (see Fig. 31) that detects that the performance button 711 has been pressed by the player, and a performance button LED 713 (see Fig. 31) that illuminates the performance button 711. At the lower end of the lever role 710, there is provided a sphere 714 that constitutes a ball joint described later.

[0151] The role support member 720 is formed in a hollow pot shape with a circular opening at the top, and the lower part of the lever role 710 is received and held in this hollow part. A lever detection piece 721 is protrudingly formed on the lower right side of the role support member 720 to detect the tilt position of the performance lever 710 by an initial tilt position sensor 792 and a maximum tilt position sensor 793 (see FIG. 31) described later. In addition, a first drive mechanism 730 that rotates the lever role 710 is attached inside the role support member 720.

[0152] As shown in FIG. 29, the first driving mechanism 730 includes a motor 731 as a driving source and a gear mechanism 732 that transmits the driving force of the motor 731 to the lever role 710. The motor 731 can be rotated in both forward and reverse directions based on a driving pulse signal from the performance control board 920. The gear mechanism 732 includes a motor gear 733 directly connected to the output shaft of the motor 731, a reduction gear 734 meshing with the motor gear, and an output gear 735 meshing with the reduction gear, and each gear 733 to 735 is rotatably attached to a gear support plate 739. The reduction gear 734 is a two-stage gear in which a large diameter gear 734a and a small diameter gear 734b are formed coaxially, and the large diameter gear 734a meshes with the motor gear 733, and the small diameter gear 734b meshes with the output gear 735. The output gear 735 has a cylindrical portion 736 that protrudes upward formed coaxially and integrally therewith. Inside the cylindrical portion 736, a ball receiving seat 737 having a substantially spherical concave surface is opened upward. The ball receiving seat 737 is configured to be rotatable integrally with the output shaft 735 around the central axis X of the output gear 735 as the center of rotation. The ball 714 of the lever part 710 is fitted into the ball receiving seat 737, and a ball joint (spherical joint) is formed by combining the ball 714 of the lever part 710 and the ball receiving seat 737 of the output gear 735, so that the lever part 710 can swing in any direction (three-dimensionally) around the ball joint as a fulcrum. When the motor 731 rotates, the rotational driving force is transmitted to the lever part 710 via the gear mechanism 732 and the ball joint mechanism, and the lever part 710 rotates to draw a circle or an arc around the central axis X as the center of rotation. At this time, by switching the rotation drive direction of the motor 731 to the forward direction or the reverse direction, the rotation direction of the lever role 710 can be switched to the clockwise direction or the counterclockwise direction in conjunction with the switching. The details of the performance operation (rotation operation, reciprocating operation) of the lever role 710 will be described later.

[0153] The device support member 720 is provided with an upper rotation reference position sensor 791 (see FIG. 31) that detects whether the rotation position of the lever device 710 is at the upper rotation reference position, which is the upper end position on the rotation circumference. As the upper rotation reference position sensor 791, for example, a photosensor having a light-projecting section that projects light and a light-receiving section that receives light from the light-projecting section is suitable. The upper rotation reference position sensor 791 is set at the position on the rotation circumference of the lever device 710 where the lever device 710 is most displaced toward the gaming machine PM (the 12 o'clock position on the clock). In this embodiment, In this embodiment, the lever part 710 can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise starting from this upper rotation reference position (the 12 o'clock position on a clock). As a result, the number of rotations and the number of reciprocations (the number of vibrations) in the performance operation (rotational operation and reciprocating operation) of the lever part 710 are detected based on the number of times the lever part 710 reaches or passes through the upper rotation reference position. The detection signal of the upper rotation reference position sensor 791 is input to the performance control board 920. In this embodiment, when the lever part 710 is in the upper rotation reference position or when the lever part 710 is in the lower rotation reference position, the player can tilt the performance lever 701 backward. The lower rotation reference position is set to the position (the 6 o'clock position on a clock) where the lever part 710 is displaced most toward the player on the rotation circumference of the lever part 710. That is, the lower rotation reference position is a position where the lever role 710 is rotated 180 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise from the upper rotation reference position. In this embodiment, the lever role 710 is not detected to be in the lower rotation reference position, but a position detection sensor (lower rotation reference position sensor) for detecting that the lever role 710 is in the lower rotation reference position may be provided.

[0154] As shown in FIG. 28, the unit base 740 is configured to include a base body 750 that supports the performance lever 701 so that it can be tilted freely in the front-rear direction, and a decorative frame body 770 that is attached to the base body 750 and surrounds the performance lever 701.

[0155] The base body 750 is formed in a substantially L-shape with a bottom plate 751 and a standing plate 752, and is detachably attached to the lower frame 560 of the glass frame 5. A pair of bottom locking receiving parts 753 are provided on the upper surface side of the bottom plate 751 so as to protrude upward, and a bottom insertion hole 753a is formed in the substantially center of the bottom locking receiving parts 753 so as to penetrate in the vertical direction. A pair of back surface locking receiving parts 754 are provided on the front surface side of the standing plate 752 so as to protrude forward, and a back surface insertion hole 754a is formed in the substantially center of the back surface locking receiving parts 754 so as to penetrate in the front-rear direction. The bottom insertion hole 753a and the back surface insertion hole 754a are formed in the same hole shape (cross-sectional shape), and are configured so that the shaft tip parts 591 of each fixing tool 590 can be inserted in the axial direction.

[0156] In addition, a thin rod-shaped support shaft 755 extending in the left-right direction is installed on the upper end side of the standing plate 751, and by inserting this support shaft 755 into the bearing portion 722 of the role support member 720, the performance lever 701 is supported so as to be tiltable (swingable) in the front-rear direction around the support shaft 755 with respect to the base body 750. A return spring 756 is provided on this support shaft 755 to bias the performance lever 701 upward (to the initial tilt position). This return spring 756 is a torsion spring, one end of which is engaged with the standing plate 752, and the other end of which is engaged with the performance lever 701. As a result, the performance lever 701 is constantly biased upward (to the initial tilt position described later) by receiving an elastic force from the return spring 765.

[0157] The base body 750 is provided with a second drive mechanism 760 that tilts the performance lever 701 in the forward and backward directions. The second drive mechanism 760 includes a motor 761 as a drive source, and a tilt mechanism 762 that transmits the drive force (rotational force) of the motor 761 to the performance lever 701. The motor 761 can be driven to rotate in both forward and reverse directions based on a drive pulse signal from the performance control board 920. The tilt mechanism 762 is configured with mechanical components such as gears and cams, and converts the rotational motion of the motor 761 into a tilting motion (swinging motion) around the support shaft 755 of the performance lever 701.

[0158] The decorative frame 770 is composed of an upper decorative portion 771 and a lower decorative portion 772, and the upper decorative portion and the lower decorative portion are combined with each other to form a ring-shaped frame. The decorative frame 770 is provided with a lever insertion opening 773 formed in a substantially circular shape corresponding to the operating range of the performance lever 701. The decorative frame 770 is screwed to the front side of the base main body 750. It can be attached by

[0159] The base body 750 is provided with an initial tilt position sensor 792 (see FIG. 31) that detects that the effect lever 701 is in an initial tilt position, which is the position where it is tilted most forward (toward the game machine), and a maximum tilt position sensor 793 (see FIG. 31) that detects that the effect lever 701 is in a maximum tilt position, which is the position where it is tilted most backward (toward the player). Each position sensor 792, 793 is a photosensor that has a light projecting section that projects light and a light receiving section that receives light from the light projecting section, and is arranged in a substantially U-shape with a space into which the lever detection piece 721 of the effect lever 701 can be inserted. Each position sensor 792, 793 detects that the effect lever 701 is in each position (initial tilt position or maximum tilt position) when the lever detection piece 721 provided on the effect lever 701 is inserted between the light projecting section and the light receiving section in response to the tilt of the effect lever 701 and blocks the light. The detection signals of each position sensor 792, 793 are input to the performance control board 920.

[0160] In the effect operation device 700 having such a configuration, the player can tilt the effect lever 701 from the initial tilt position (gaming machine side) to the maximum tilt position (player side) by gripping the effect lever 701 and applying an operating force against the biasing force of the return spring 756. When the player releases the effect lever 701, the effect lever 701 returns to the original initial tilt position (gaming machine side) by the restoring force of the return spring 756. In addition, the effect lever 701 is capable of tilting (swinging) between the initial tilt position and the maximum tilt position in an effect manner by receiving the driving force of the motor 761. Furthermore, the lever gimmick 710 of the effect lever 701 is capable of rotating and reciprocating (oscillating) around a predetermined central axis X by receiving the driving force of the motor 731.

[0161] Next, a procedure for attaching the production operation unit 700 to the glass frame 5 will be described. First, the production operation unit 700 is placed on the base 580 of the lower frame 560 while being fitted between the right wall of the ball tray unit 14 and the left wall of the operation switch unit 15. When the production operation unit 700 is placed on the upper surface of the base 580 in this manner, the bottom insertion hole 753a formed in the bottom plate 751 of the unit base 740 and the bottom fixing tool 590B of the base 580 are aligned vertically, and the rear insertion hole 754a formed in the vertical plate 752 of the unit base 740 and the rear fixing tool 590A of the frame main body 570 are aligned longitudinally.

[0162] Next, glass frame 5 is opened relative to front frame 2, and slide operation portion 588 is pushed rearward by the biasing force of coil spring 589, causing movable plate 585 to slide rearward and be held in the unlocked position (see FIG. 34(B)).

[0163] Next, by grasping operation knob 592 of bottom fixing device 590B from the underside of pedestal portion 580 and pushing bottom fixing device 590B upward against the biasing force of coil spring 599b, shaft tip portion 591 formed at the tip of bottom fixing device 590B is inserted into bottom insertion hole 753a of unit base 740 and protrudes upward. Then, after bottom fixing device 590B is rotated 90 degrees in one direction about the axis (after being rotated from the reference rotation position to the maximum rotation position), the upward pressing force on bottom fixing device 590B is released, and bottom fixing device 590B is returned downward by the biasing force of coil spring 599b, whereby shaft tip portion 591 of bottom fixing device 590B is engaged with the upper surface of bottom locking receiving portion 753. This causes the unit base 740 of the performance operation unit 700 and the base portion 580 of the glass frame 5 to be connected and fixed via the bottom fixing device 590B.

[0164] Next, the operating knob 592 of the rear fixing tool 590A is grasped from the rear side of the glass frame 5, and the rear fixing tool 590A is pushed forward against the biasing force of the coil spring 599a, so that the shaft tip portion 591 formed at the tip of the rear fixing tool 590A is inserted into the rear surface of the unit base 740. The rear fixing tool 590A is inserted through the hole 754a and protrudes forward. After the rear fixing tool 590A is rotated 90 degrees in one direction around the axis (after being rotated from the reference rotation position to the maximum rotation position), the forward pressing force on the rear fixing tool 590A is released, and the rear fixing tool 590A is returned backward by the biasing force of the coil spring 599a, so that the shaft tip part 591 of the rear fixing tool 590A is locked to the front surface of the rear locking receiving part 754. As a result, the unit base 740 of the production operation unit 700 and the frame main body 570 of the glass frame 5 are connected and fixed via the rear fixing tool 590A. In this way, the production operation unit is assembled to the lower frame 560 of the glass frame 5 via the four fixing tools 590 (590A, 590B).

[0165] Next, the frame relay board unit 980 is attached to the board attachment portion 519 of the glass frame 5, thereby hiding the right rear fixing device 590A with the frame relay board unit 980. After that, when the glass frame 5 is closed relative to the front frame 2, the slide operation portion 588 is pressed forward by the front portion of the front frame 2, and the movable plate 585 is slid and displaced to the front lock position, whereby the lock groove 586 of the movable plate 585 and the locked shaft portion 593 of the bottom fixing device 590B are engaged with each other, and the bottom fixing device 590B cannot rotate around the shaft (see FIG. 34(A)). In other words, the engagement between the two restricts the bottom fixing device 590B from rotating back from the maximum rotation position to the reference rotation position, and the shaft tip portion 591 cannot be removed from the bottom insertion hole 753a (that is, the engagement between the shaft tip portion 591 and the bottom locking receiving portion 753 cannot be released). Therefore, unless the glass frame 5 is opened and the movable plate 585 is retracted to the rear unlocked position, the locked state of the rear fixing device 590B by the movable plate 585 cannot be released, and the performance operation unit 700 cannot be removed from the glass frame 5. This effectively prevents mischief or fraudulent acts by outsiders such as players who attempt to intentionally remove the performance operation unit 700.

[0166] Next, a procedure for removing the performance operation unit 700 from the glass frame 5 will be described. First, the glass frame 5 is opened relative to the front frame 2, and the slide operation part 588 is pushed backward by the biasing force of the coil spring 589, so that the movable plate 585 slides backward and is held in the unlocked position (see FIG. 34(B)). This releases the concave-convex fit (engagement) between the lock groove 586 of the movable plate 585 and the bottom fixing device 590B, and the bottom fixing device 590B can be rotated around the axis. Accordingly, the bottom fixing device 590B is rotated 90 degrees in the other direction around the axis from the underside of the base part 580 (by rotating from the maximum rotation position to the reference rotation position), so that the engagement between the shaft tip part 591 of the bottom fixing device 590B and the upper surface of the bottom locking receiving part 753 is released, and the bottom fixing device 590B slides downward by the biasing force of the coil spring 599b. As a result, the shaft tip portion 591 of the bottom surface fixing device 590B comes out downward from the bottom surface insertion hole 753a of the unit base 740, and the connection between the pedestal portion 580 and the unit base 740 by the bottom surface fixing device 590B is released.

[0167] Next, the frame relay board unit 980 is removed from the rear side of the glass frame 5 to expose the right rear fixing tool 590A, and the two rear fixing tools 590A on the left and right are made accessible. Accordingly, the rear fixing tool 590A is rotated 90 degrees from the rear side of the glass frame 5 to the other direction around the axis (by rotating it from the maximum rotation position to the reference rotation position), and the engagement between the shaft tip part 591 of the rear fixing tool 590A and the front surface of the rear locking receiving part 754 is released, and the rear fixing tool 590A slides backward by the biasing force of the coil spring 599a. As a result, the shaft tip part 591 of the rear fixing tool 590A comes out backward from the rear insertion hole 754a of the unit base 740, and the connection between the frame main body 570 and the unit base 740 by the rear fixing tool 590A is released.

[0168] In this way, the connection between the performance operation unit 700 and the lower frame 560 of the glass frame 5 by the four fasteners 590 (590A, 590B) is released, and the performance operation unit 700 can be removed from the glass frame 5 by lifting the performance operation unit 700 upward from the lower frame 560.

[0169] Thus, according to this embodiment, the performance operation unit 700 can be attached and detached using a one-touch fastening device 590, which makes it easier to replace and maintain the performance operation unit 700. Furthermore, by making it impossible to attach or detach the performance operation unit 700 unless the glass frame 5 is opened (all fastening devices 590 cannot be operated), it is possible to prevent breakdowns and malfunctions caused by players' mischief.

[0170] <Major functional configuration of pachinko machines> Next, with additional reference to Figure 38, various functions of the pachinko game machine PM (mainly the main control board 910 / performance control board 920) according to this embodiment will be explained. Note that Figure 38 is a functional block diagram of this game machine PM (mainly the main control board 910 / performance control board 920).

[0171] 38, the main control board 910 includes a ball entry determination means 9110, a game lottery random number generation means 9120, a reserve control means 9130, a pre-determination means 9135, a special symbol lottery processing means 9140, a normal symbol lottery processing means 9145, a special game control means 9150, a symbol display control means 9155, an electric role control means 9160, a game state control means 9165, an error monitoring control means 9170, a main information storage means 9180, and a command transmission / reception means 9190. Each of the above-mentioned means in the main control board 910 is a functional representation of a main CPU 911, a ROM 912, a RAM 913, hardware such as electronic circuits provided on the main control board 910, and software such as a control program stored in the ROM 912, etc.

[0172] The ball entry determination means 9110 determines whether a game ball has entered each prize opening based on detection signals from the first start opening switch 51a, the second start opening switch 52a, the operating gate switch 53a, the special prize opening switch 54a, the general prize opening switch 55a, etc. When the ball entry determination means 9110 detects the entry of a game ball through the first start port switch 51a, it generates a presentation control command indicating that fact (referred to as the "first start port entry command"), when it detects the entry of a game ball through the second start port switch 52a, it generates a presentation control command indicating that fact (referred to as the "second start port entry command"), when it detects the passage of a game ball through the operation gate switch 53a, it generates a presentation control command indicating that fact (referred to as the "operation gate entry command"), when it detects the entry of a game ball through the large prize port switch 54a, it generates a presentation control command indicating that fact (referred to as the "large prize port entry command"), and when it detects the entry of a game ball through the general prize port switch 55a, it generates a presentation control command indicating that fact (referred to as the "general prize port entry command") and temporarily stores this in the command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180.

[0173] The game lottery random number generating means 9120 takes in the built-in random numbers generated by the random number generating circuit of the main control microcomputer 915 by software, and generates a random number for a special symbol used in the lottery to determine whether or not a special symbol will win by adding a software random number for a special symbol, which will be described later, to the built-in random numbers. The game lottery random number generating means 9120 also includes a random number counter for generating various software random numbers by program processing of the main CPU 911. These random number counters play the role of random number generating means for generating random numbers by software. The software random numbers include a soft random number per special symbol which is added to the aforementioned built-in random number to generate a winning random number, a soft initial value random number per special symbol which is used to determine the initial value for a new update after one cycle of updating the soft random number per special symbol is completed, a special stopping symbol random number which is used to determine the winning symbol (the combination of symbols which will activate the condition device) as the stopping symbol for the special symbol, a special stopping symbol initial value random number which is used to determine the initial value for a new update after one cycle of updating the special stopping symbol random number is completed, a special symbol fluctuation pattern random number which is used to select the fluctuation pattern of the special symbol, a random number per normal symbol which is used to draw the winning or losing result of a normal symbol, an initial value random number for a new update after one cycle of updating the random number per normal symbol is completed, These include the normal symbol initial value random number for determining the initial value, the normal symbol variation pattern random number for use in selecting the normal symbol variation pattern, etc. The update timing of these software random numbers is to update (increment, decrement, add prime numbers, etc.) once every time a timer interrupt process occurs, and the initial value random number is updated using the remaining time of the interrupt cycle even when the timer interrupt process is not being executed (during loop processing).

[0174] The reservation control means 9130 includes a special symbol reservation control means 9131 and a normal symbol reservation control means 9132.

[0175] The special symbol reservation control means 9131 acquires the random number values ​​for the special symbol game, such as the random number value for the special symbol, the random number value for the symbol, and the random number value for the special symbol variation pattern, when a game ball enters the first starting hole 51 or the second starting hole 52, and manages the random number values ​​as the operation reserved ball information of the first special symbol or the second special symbol. The special symbol reservation control means 9131 temporarily stores the operation reserved ball information of the first special symbol or the second special symbol up to a predetermined upper limit number (4 pieces) in the first special symbol reservation storage area or the second special symbol reservation storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180 in a form combined with the entry order of the reserved balls.

[0176] The first special symbol reserved storage area and the second special symbol reserved storage area are provided with a reserved 1 memory area (first reserved memory area), a reserved 2 memory area (second reserved memory area), a reserved 3 memory area (third reserved memory area), and a reserved 4 memory area (fourth reserved memory area) in the order of balls entering the starting holes 51 and 52. Each reserved memory area can store a set of random numbers per special symbol, random numbers for symbols per special symbol, and random numbers for special symbol variation patterns as operating reserved ball information. The operating reserved ball information is stored in the order of the reserved 1 memory area, the reserved 2 memory area, the reserved 3 memory area, and the reserved 4 memory area, while it is consumed in the order of the reserved 1 memory area, the reserved 2 memory area, the reserved 3 memory area, and the reserved 4 memory area (first in, first out principle). In addition, when the reserved ball information in the reserved 1 memory area is consumed, the reserved ball information stored in the reserved 2 memory area, the reserved 3 memory area, and the reserved 4 memory area is shifted to the memory area with the lower number, and the contents of the reserved 4 memory area are cleared to zero.

[0177] The special symbol reserved control means 9131 also has a first special symbol reserved ball number counter for counting the number of activated reserved balls of the first special symbol, and a second special symbol reserved ball number counter for counting the number of activated reserved balls of the second special symbol. As an update process of the number of activated reserved balls of the special symbol, the special symbol reserved control means 9131 adds 1 to the corresponding counter every time an activated reserved ball of the special symbol is acquired, and subtracts 1 from the corresponding counter every time an activated reserved ball of the special symbol is consumed.

[0178] In addition, when the special symbol reservation control means 9131 updates (adds or subtracts) the number of activated reserved balls of the first special symbol or the second special symbol, it generates a performance control command (referred to as a "symbol memory number command") including the update information of the number of reserved balls, and temporarily stores this in the command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180. This one command includes information on both the number of activated reserved balls of the first special symbol and the number of activated reserved balls of the second special symbol. In principle, the activated reserved balls of each special symbol are consumed in the order in which they entered, but in this embodiment, a so-called priority consumption is adopted in which the variable display of the second special symbol is given priority over the first special symbol, so that while an activated reserved ball related to the second special symbol game exists, the activated reserved ball related to the second special symbol game is preferentially consumed regardless of the existence of an activated reserved ball related to the first special symbol game. In addition, under this priority consumption, if an activated ball with a second special pattern is present, the consumption of the activated ball with the first special pattern will be put on hold even if an activated ball with a first special pattern is also present.

[0179] The normal symbol reservation control means 9132, upon the entry of a game ball into the operation gate 53, The normal symbol random number, the normal symbol random number, and the normal symbol variation pattern random number, which are lottery random numbers related to the common symbol game, are acquired, and the random number values ​​are managed as the operation reserved ball information of the normal symbol. The normal symbol reservation control means 9132 temporarily stores the operation reserved ball information of the normal symbol up to a predetermined upper limit number (4 pieces) in the normal symbol reservation storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180 in a form combined with the ball entry order of the reserved balls. The normal symbol reservation control means 9132 also has a normal symbol reserved ball number counter for counting the number of operation reserved balls of the normal symbol. As an update process of the reserved ball number of the operation normal symbol, the normal symbol reservation control means 9132 adds 1 to the corresponding counter every time an operation reserved ball of the normal symbol is acquired, and subtracts 1 from the corresponding counter every time an operation reserved ball of the normal symbol is consumed.

[0180] When the pre-judgment means 9135 acquires an activated reserved ball of a special pattern at a predetermined pre-judgment timing, it executes a pre-judgment for a pre-reading notice on the activated reserved ball. An example of the above pre-judgment timing is when any of the following conditions is satisfied: (1) when an activated reserved ball of a first special pattern is acquired while waiting for a win and the electric chute support function is not in operation, (2) when an activated reserved ball of a second special pattern is acquired while waiting for a win and the electric chute support function is in operation, and (3) when an activated reserved ball of a second special pattern is acquired during a big win or a small win. Note that the above pre-judgment timing is an example, and the pre-judgment timing may be changed according to the specifications of the gaming machine (for example, in a machine that has a starting port for a second special pattern that does not have a normal electric role and can accumulate eight reserved balls during normal times, the above (1) may be applied to not only the first special pattern but also the second special pattern, etc.), or a specification that performs a pre-judgment at any time without setting a pre-judgment timing may be adopted. Also, only the reserved ball of the special symbol that is the main player in each game state may be the subject of the pre-determination, for example, it is preferable to make only the reserved ball of the first special symbol the subject of the pre-determination in the normal game state, and make only the reserved ball of the second special symbol the subject of the pre-determination in the time-saving game state, the latent probability change game state, and the probability change game state. Specifically, the pre-determination means 9135 reads out the random number value corresponding to the reserved ball obtained this time from the first special symbol reserved storage area or the second special symbol reserved storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180, and sequentially performs the pre-determination of whether or not it is a win (pre-determination of whether or not it is a win), the pre-determination of the symbol (pre-determination of the symbol), and the pre-determination of the variation pattern (pre-determination of the variation pattern). Although the pre-determination tables used in each pre-determination are not shown, the win / lose pre-determination table, the pattern pre-determination table, and the variation pattern pre-determination table are each divided into a plurality of regions corresponding to the total number of random numbers, and a lottery ID (a number indicating the result of the pre-determination (also called a "pre-determination number")) is assigned to each of these regions (determination number). Therefore, the result of this pre-determination is equivalent to the result of the actual lottery by the special pattern lottery processing means 9140 described later (the result of the win / lose determination, the result of the pattern determination, and the result of the variation pattern determination).The winning / losing advance judgment table and the pattern advance judgment table may be the same as the winning / losing lottery table and the pattern lottery table used for the lottery when the variation actually starts. Here, since the game situation at the time of the variation start (whether or not there is a probability change, whether or not there is a time reduction, whether or not there is a limited frequency period in which the special table is referred to, the number of reserved balls, etc.) may change, it is preferable to judge which of the multiple areas the variation pattern advance judgment table is included in, as described above. Also, as a modified example, it may be configured to pre-judge the random number value of the register on the main CPU 911, which is temporarily stored before storing it in the first special pattern reserved storage area or the second special pattern reserved storage area. Then, the pre-judgment means 9135 sequentially generates performance control commands (referred to as "pre-judgment commands") including information on the results of the pre-judgment (pre-judgment numbers), and stores them in the command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180.

[0181] The special symbol lottery processing means 9140 includes a special symbol win / loss determination means 9141, a special symbol stop symbol determination means 9142, and a special symbol change pattern determination means 9143. When the change start condition of the first special symbol or the second special symbol is established, the special symbol lottery processing means 9140 determines the random number value for the special symbol, the pattern random number value for the special symbol, and the special symbol change pattern random number stored in the most advanced memory area (reserved 1 memory area) of the special symbol reserved storage area in the main information storage means 9180. The numerical value is read and stored in the special symbol hit / miss judgment area, the special symbol pattern judgment area, and the special symbol change pattern judgment area of ​​the main information storage means 9180. Here, "the change start condition of the first special symbol is established" means that all of the following conditions are satisfied: (A1) the jackpot is not being won, (A2) the first special symbol and the second special symbol are waiting to change, and (A3) the operation reserved ball of the first special symbol is present. Also, "the change start condition of the second special symbol is established" means that all of the following conditions are satisfied: (B1) the jackpot is not being won, (B2) the first special symbol and the second special symbol are waiting to change, and (B3) the operation reserved ball of the second special symbol is present. In addition, when the change start condition of the first special symbol and the change start condition of the second special symbol are established at the same time, the change start condition of the second special symbol is processed preferentially under the above-mentioned priority digestion.

[0182] The special symbol hit / miss judgment means 9141 reads out the special symbol hit random number value from the special symbol hit / miss judgment area of ​​the main information storage means 9180, executes hit / miss judgment, and determines whether the judgment result corresponds to a big hit, a small hit, or a miss. The result of this hit / miss judgment is temporarily stored in the special symbol judgment flag of the main information storage means 9180 (for example, big hit data "55H", small hit data "33H", miss data "00H"), and is used in subsequent processing, and then cleared when the special symbol stops varying. The special symbol hit / miss judgment means 9141 holds a special symbol hit / miss lottery table that is referenced when this hit / miss judgment is made. In the special symbol hit / miss lottery table, the random number range of the special symbol hit random number value and the result of the hit / miss judgment of the special symbol (big hit, miss) are associated with each other. In the game state (low probability state) where the probability variation function of the special symbol is not activated, for example, a jackpot occurs when the random number value of the special symbol falls within the range of "0 to 204", and in the game state (high probability state) where the probability variation function of the special symbol is activated, a jackpot occurs when the random number value of the special symbol falls within the range of "0 to 1506". In other words, when the probability variation function of the special symbol is activated, the probability of winning a jackpot changes from the low probability of "1 / 319.69" to the high probability of "1 / 43.49". In this way, the probability of winning a jackpot changes depending on the game state, but the probability of winning a jackpot is set to be equal between the first special symbol hit / miss judgment and the second special symbol hit / miss judgment. In this embodiment, a "small hit" is not set as a result of the hit / miss judgment of the special symbol, but a "small hit" may be set as a result of the hit / miss judgment of the special symbol. The probability of winning a small win is set to the same probability regardless of the game state (low probability state, high probability state).

[0183] The special symbol stop symbol determination means 9142 determines the stop symbol of the first special symbol or the second special symbol based on the result of the winning / losing lottery for the first special symbol or the second special symbol. The special symbol stop symbol determination means 9142 has a first special symbol stop symbol table and a second special symbol stop symbol table that are referenced when determining the jackpot symbol (jackpot type) of the first special symbol and the second special symbol. In each special symbol stop symbol table, multiple types of jackpot symbols (jackpot types) are assigned to the special symbol stop symbol random number value. And, the contents of the jackpot (the number of times the probability fluctuation function and the fluctuation time shortening function of the special symbol are operated, the operation pattern of the big prize entrance, etc.) are associated with each jackpot symbol (jackpot type). In this embodiment, the "special jackpot" refers to a jackpot (variable jackpot) that triggers the activation of the probability fluctuation function of the special symbol after the end of the jackpot game, and the "normal jackpot" refers to a jackpot (non-variable jackpot) that does not trigger the activation of the probability fluctuation function of the special symbol after the end of the jackpot game. In this embodiment, three types of jackpots are provided: 16R special jackpot, 8R special jackpot, and 4R normal jackpot. The expected value of winning balls in the special game (expected value of winning balls) is 16R special jackpot > 8R special jackpot > 4R special jackpot. Furthermore, if a jackpot is won in the lottery for the first special symbol, a 16R specific jackpot is selected with a predetermined probability, whereas if a jackpot is won in the lottery for the second special symbol, a 16R specific jackpot is selected with a higher probability than the predetermined probability, so that winning the second starting hole is more advantageous to the player in that more balls can be won by winning the second starting hole than by winning the first starting hole.

[0184] The special symbol variation pattern determination means 9143 determines the variation pattern of the special symbol based on the special symbol variation pattern random number value. Here, the special symbol variation pattern determination means 9143 holds a plurality of variation pattern tables to be referred to when selecting the variation pattern of the special symbol. The special symbol variation pattern determination means 9143 selects one of the plurality of variation pattern tables based on the current variation pattern selection state and the result of the winning / losing lottery. A plurality of variation patterns are defined in each variation pattern. The various variation patterns are defined on the premise that the variation time is determined for each variation pattern as the end condition of the pattern variation, and the pattern variation by the decorative pattern composed of a plurality of patterns is also executed during the variation time.

[0185] The decorative pattern change performance that is performed in conjunction with the special pattern change display is determined based on the type of special pattern change pattern (change time), etc. For example, "ultra-shortened change", "shortened change", and "normal change" are performances in which three rows of decorative patterns change and the display stops in a so-called "miss" without ever going through a reach state. These non-reach misses (ultra-shortened change, shortened change, and normal change) have different change modes in that the display stops in a shorter time for the shortened change than for the normal change, and in a shorter time for the ultra-shortened change than for the shortened change.

[0186] An "N Reach (Normal Reach)" is a state in which the same decorative pattern stops in two of the three rows (usually the left and right rows) (reach state), and if a different decorative pattern stops in the remaining row (usually the middle row), it is a "miss", and if the same decorative pattern stops in the remaining row (usually the middle row), it is a "jackpot".

[0187] "SP Reach (Super Reach)" is a reach effect with a relatively higher jackpot expectation than the above-mentioned N Reach, and is an effect in which, after the reach is established, it develops from the N Reach and displays still images and videos such as animations and live action. In the variation pattern types of this embodiment, the jackpot expectation is set to increase in the order of "non-reach" < "N Reach" < "SP Reach". "Pseudo consecutive" is an effect (pseudo consecutive effect, pseudo variation effect, pseudo continuous variation effect, re-variation effect) in which the decorative pattern is temporarily stopped (pseudo stop, temporary stop) and re-varied during one variation display of the decorative pattern, making it look as if multiple variation displays have been performed in a pseudo manner. In other words, pseudo consecutive is an effect in which all three rows of decorative patterns start to vary or vary again and then a pseudo variation is temporarily or definitively stopped multiple times. The more the number of pseudo consecutives (number of pseudo variations) is, the higher the possibility of development into an SP Reach with a higher jackpot expectation.

[0188] After selecting the variation pattern of the special pattern, the special pattern variation pattern determination means 9143 generates a presentation control command (communication test command) to check whether communication with the presentation control board 920 is normal, a presentation control command (variation additional information designation command) including a variation additional pattern of the special pattern (information for adding or subtracting variation time), a presentation control command (variation pattern designation command) including information on the variation pattern of the special pattern, a presentation control command (pattern designation command) including information on the character performance number (pattern group and game state), etc. (hereinafter these commands are collectively referred to as "variation start commands") in order to instruct the presentation control board 920 to start varying the decorative pattern, and stores these in the command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180.

[0189] The normal symbol lottery processing means 9145 has a normal symbol hit / miss determination means 9146, a normal symbol stop symbol determination means 9147, and a normal symbol change pattern determination means 9148. When the normal symbol change start condition is satisfied, the normal symbol lottery processing means 9145 reads out the normal symbol hit random number value and the normal symbol change pattern random number value stored in the most recent memory area in the normal symbol reserved storage area, and stores them in the normal symbol hit / miss determination area and the normal symbol change pattern determination area of ​​the main information storage means 9180, respectively. Here, the "normal symbol change start condition" is (1) that the normal symbol is waiting to change, and (2) that a normal symbol operation reserved ball exists. This When all of the above conditions are met, it is determined that the normal pattern is in a state where it can start to change (the change start conditions are met).

[0190] The normal symbol hit / miss determination means 9146 reads out the normal symbol hit random number value from the normal symbol hit / miss determination area of ​​the main information storage means 9180, executes a hit / miss determination for the normal symbol, and determines whether the determination result corresponds to "hit" or "miss." The result of this hit / miss determination for the normal symbol is temporarily stored in the normal symbol determination flag of the main information storage means 9180, and is cleared when the normal symbol stops changing after being used in subsequent processing. The normal symbol hit / miss determination means 9146 holds a normal symbol hit / miss lottery table (not shown) that is referenced when determining whether the normal symbol hits or misses. The hit probability of the normal symbol is set to "1 / 3001" when the electric chute support function (normal symbol probability fluctuation function) is not activated, and is set to "2999 / 3001" when the electric chute support function (normal symbol probability fluctuation function) is activated.

[0191] The normal symbol stop symbol determination means 9147 refers to a normal symbol stop symbol table (not shown), and selects a predetermined winning symbol (a stopping symbol that triggers the operation of the normal electric device 52b) when the result of the normal symbol hit / miss determination is a hit, and selects a predetermined losing symbol (a stopping symbol that does not trigger the operation of the normal electric device 52b) when the result of the normal symbol hit / miss determination is a miss. In this embodiment, the symbols A and B are assigned as winning symbols for normal symbols, and the symbol C is assigned as a losing symbol for normal symbols.

[0192] The normal symbol variation pattern determination means 9148 reads out the normal symbol variation pattern random number value from the normal symbol variation pattern determination area of ​​the main information storage means 9180, and determines the normal symbol variation pattern (variation time) by referring to a normal symbol variation pattern table (not shown). The normal symbol variation time is set to "0.6 seconds" when the electric chute support function (function to shorten the normal symbol variation time) is not activated, and is set to "0.2 seconds" when the electric chute support function (function to shorten the normal symbol variation time) is activated. Regardless of which normal symbol variation pattern is selected, the fixed stop time (fixed display time) of the normal symbol is set to "0.1 seconds". The fixed stop time (fixed display time) of the normal symbol is the time during which the normal symbol is fixedly displayed as stopped (the time during which the completely stopped state is maintained). In addition, in controlling the normal symbols, in order to reduce the processing load on the main control board 910, it is also possible to adopt a specification in which, when the electric chute support function is not operating, the probability of a win for determining whether or not the normal symbol is a hit is set to "0" and the fluctuation time of the normal symbol is made constant.

[0193] In addition, the normal symbol lottery processing means 9145 determines the opening pattern (opening time) of the normal electric role 52c according to the result of the normal symbol hit / miss judgment, etc. The normal symbol lottery processing means 9145 holds a normal electric role opening pattern table that is referred to when determining the opening pattern (opening time) of the normal electric role 52b. The opening pattern (opening time) of the normal electric role 52c is set to "0.2 seconds" when the electric chute support function (opening extension function) is not activated, and is set to "5.8 seconds" when the electric chute support function (opening extension function) is activated. The opening pattern of the normal electric role 52b may be different depending on the type of winning symbol of the normal symbol. For example, as the opening pattern of the normal electric device 52b, when the electric chute support function (opening extension function) is activated, if the winning normal pattern is pattern A, it will be "3 second opening x 1 time → 2.8 second opening x 1 time (total opening time 5.8 seconds)", and if the winning normal pattern is pattern B, it will be "2.8 second opening x 1 time → 3 second opening x 1 time (total opening time 5.8 seconds)".

[0194] When the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment is a hit, the special game control means 9150 determines the execution time (demo time) of the hit start demo and the hit end demo, and the execution time (round time) of the round game according to the determined hit type (symbol group). Then, the special game control means 9150 instructs the performance control board 920 to execute the hit start demo performance. The special game control means 9150 generates a performance control command (referred to as a "jackpot start demo command") instructing the start of a jackpot end demo performance and a performance control command (referred to as a "jackpot end demo command") instructing the execution of a jackpot end demo performance, and stores these in a command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180. The jackpot start demo command also serves as a trigger for determining the content of a series of jackpot mid-performances (jackpot start demo performance, round performance, jackpot end demo performance) that are developed during a jackpot game on the performance control board 920 side. In addition, the special game control means 9150 generates a performance control command (referred to as a "round performance designation command") for instructing the start of a round performance corresponding to each round game in each round game during a jackpot game, and stores this in a command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180. This round performance designation command includes information on the current round number and information on the opening and closing of the jackpot winning port 54.

[0195] The symbol display control means 9155 includes a special symbol display control means 9156 and a normal symbol display control means 9157. The special symbol display control means 9156 causes the first special symbol to be variably displayed on the first special symbol display device 61 according to the variation pattern (variation time) of the first special symbol, and causes the first special symbol to be fixedly displayed after the variation display. The special symbol display control means 9156 also causes the second special symbol to be variably displayed on the second special symbol display device 62 according to the variation pattern (variation time) of the second special symbol, and causes the second special symbol to be fixedly displayed after the variation display. The special symbol display control means 9156 has a special symbol game timer for managing the time (variation time, fixed display time) related to the display of the first special symbol and the second special symbol. The operation states of the first special symbol display device 61 and the second special symbol display device 62 are monitored based on the special symbol game status of the main information storage means 9180. The special symbol display control means 9156 generates a performance control command (referred to as a "variation stop command") for requesting the performance control board 920 to display the decorative symbol when the special symbol stops varying (i.e., when the value of the special symbol game timer becomes "0"). The normal symbol display control means 9157 causes the normal symbol display device 65 to display the normal symbol in a variable manner according to the normal symbol variation pattern (variation time), and causes the normal symbol to be displayed in a fixed manner after the variable display. The normal symbol display control means 9157 has a normal symbol game timer for managing the time (variation time, fixed display time) related to the display of the normal symbol. The operating state of the normal symbol display device 65 is monitored based on the normal symbol game status of the main information storage means 9180.

[0196] In addition, when the game interruption state continues for a predetermined time or more, the special symbol display control means 9156 generates an effect control command (called a "standby demo command") that triggers the execution of a standby demo effect (a demo effect waiting for customers), and stores this in a command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180. "The game interruption state continues for a predetermined time or more" means that there is no special symbol activation reserved ball, and the period during which the special symbol variable display is not performed continues for a predetermined time or more. Note that the game interruption state may continue for a predetermined time or more when the period during which the game ball is not shot continues for a predetermined time or more, or when the period during which the game ball has not entered all the winning slots continues for a predetermined time or more.

[0197] When the result of the special symbol hit / miss judgment is a big hit, the electric device control means 9160 outputs a control signal to the special electric device solenoid 54c as a big hit game process after the special symbol is confirmed and displayed, and controls the special electric device 54b to open and close according to a predetermined operation pattern. In the big hit game, one opening and closing operation of the special electric device 54b is one round game (unit game), and the round game is continuously executed for a specified number of rounds. The electric device control means 9160 holds a big prize opening opening counter for storing the number of times the special electric device 54b is operated (i.e., the number of rounds being executed). Here, the operation end condition of the special electric device 54b in the big hit game (end condition of the unit game) is that a specified count number of game balls ("10" in this embodiment) enter the big prize opening 54, or the opening time of the big prize opening 54 reaches the maximum opening time ("29 seconds" in this embodiment).

[0198] In addition, when the result of the hit / miss judgment of the normal pattern corresponds to a hit, the electric device control means 9160 outputs a control signal to the normal electric device solenoid 52c to control the opening and closing of the normal electric device 52b (second start hole 52) for a predetermined opening time. Here, as described above, the electric device control means 9160 opens the normal electric device 52b for 0.2 seconds in the low base state in which the electric chute support function (opening extension function) is not activated, whereas it opens the normal electric device 52b for 5.8 seconds in the high base state in which the electric chute support function (opening extension function) is activated. Here, the operation end condition of the normal electric device 52b is that a predetermined number of game balls (in this embodiment, "10 balls") have entered the second start hole 52, or the opening time of the second start hole 52 has reached the maximum opening time (in this embodiment, "0.2 seconds" or "5.8 seconds").

[0199] When the result of the hit / miss judgment of the first special symbol or the second special symbol is a hit, the game state control means 9165 determines the game state after the end of the hit game based on the hit type (type of symbol group) and the game state at the time of the hit, and switches the game state after the end of the hit game. In this embodiment, a normal game state, a time-saving game state, and a probability-changing game state are set as multiple types of game states. As the types of the game states, (1) a game state in which the probability-changing function of the special symbol, the time-saving function of the special symbol, and the electric chute support function are activated is called a "probability-changing state" or a "probability-changing game state", (2) a game state in which the probability-changing function of the special symbol is not activated and the time-saving function of the special symbol and the electric chute support function are activated is called a "time-saving state" or a "time-saving game state", and (3) a state in which all functions are not activated is called a "normal state" or a "normal game state". Here, the "high probability game state" and the "time-limited game state" can be said to be game states that are more advantageous to the player than the "normal game state". Therefore, the high probability game state and the time-limited game state are also called "advantageous game states" as game states that are more advantageous to the player than the normal game state.

[0200] In addition, each game state can be expressed as (1) a high probability high base state for a sure-change game state, (2) a low probability high base state for a time-saving game state, and (3) a low probability low base state for a normal game state, depending on the combination of the operating state of the probability fluctuation function of the special symbol (high probability state / low probability state) and the operating state of the electric chute support function (high base state / low base state). In addition, the special symbol fluctuation time reduction function means that the fluctuation time of at least the special symbol that is the main focus of the game in that game state, between the first special symbol and the second special symbol, is reduced. In other words, in this embodiment, when the special pattern change time shortening function is activated, in a game state (normal game state) in which the change display of the first special pattern is the main focus of the game, at least the change time (average change time) of the first special pattern is shortened, and in a game state (high probability game state, potential probability game state, time-saving game state) in which the change display of the second special pattern is the main focus of the game, at least the change time (average change time) of the second special pattern is shortened.

[0201] In addition, when a jackpot game is executed, the game state control means 9165 determines the variation pattern selection state after the jackpot game ends based on the jackpot type (type of pattern group), and switches the variation pattern selection state after the jackpot game ends. The variation pattern selection state is one of the conditions referred to when selecting the variation pattern table of the special pattern described above. In this embodiment, a normal selection state, a time-saving selection state, and a probability variation selection state are set as multiple types of variation pattern selection states, and one of the multiple types of variation pattern selection states is selectively set according to the determined game state, jackpot type, and the number of times the special pattern is displayed. The time to switch the variation pattern selection state is when the special game ends or when the final number of times of the variation pattern selection state is reached.

[0202] In addition, the game status control means 9165 generates a presentation control command (referred to as a “game status designation command”) that includes current game status information and variation pattern selection status information, and stores this in a command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180.

[0203] The error monitoring control means 9170 monitors the input information of the I / O port circuit 914, and checks the magnetic detection signal by the magnetic sensor, the disconnection / short circuit power supply abnormality signal, the radio wave detection signal by the radio wave sensor, the door / frame opening signal, etc. to determine whether the gaming machine is in an error state. If it is in an error state, it requests a performance control command ("error performance designation command") including the error information to instruct the performance control board 920 to perform an error state performance. Although not shown in FIG. 7, etc., the door opening switch is a detection means for detecting whether the glass frame 5 is open, the frame opening switch is a detection means for detecting whether the front frame 2 is open, and the back set opening switch is a detection means for detecting whether the back set board 30 is open. The magnetic sensor and the radio wave sensor are detection means for discovering so-called illegal gaming activities.

[0204] The main information storage means 9180 is configured to temporarily store random number value information obtained in special pattern play and normal pattern play, information on the operating reserved balls for special and normal patterns, information on the game status (probability fluctuation function, fluctuation time reduction function, electric chute support function) related to special and normal pattern play, information on the fluctuation pattern selection status, information on the result of the hit / miss judgment for special and normal patterns (jackpot, miss), information on the stopping patterns (including pattern groups) related to special and normal patterns, information on the fluctuation patterns (including additional variable patterns) of special and normal patterns, information on jackpot play (number of rounds, opening time, opening mode (number of times opened per round of play), etc.), status information indicating the operating status of the special pattern display devices 61, 62, status information indicating the operating status of the special electric device 54b, information on performance control command data, etc., and is provided with a specified memory area for storing each information.

[0205] The command transmission / reception means 9190 is configured to transmit various performance control command data stored in the command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180 to the performance control board 920 by a parallel transmission method when a command transmission request is received. Each performance control command is a two-byte configuration including one byte of MODE data and one byte of EVENT data, and in order to distinguish between MODE and EVENT, Bit 7 of the MODE data is set to "1" and Bit 7 of the EVENT data is set to "0". When this information is transmitted as valid, a strobe signal is output at the transmission timing of each of the MODE and EVENT. In principle, the performance control commands generated in each process are transmitted one command per interrupt period according to the order set in the command storage area of ​​the main information storage means 9180.

[0206] 38, the performance control board 920 includes a performance lottery random number generating means 9210, a performance generalizing means 9220, a lamp control means 9230, a role control means 9240, an error performance control means 9250, a sub-main information storage means 9260, and a command transmission / reception means 9270. Note that each of the above-mentioned means in the performance control board 920 is a functional representation of what is configured by hardware such as a sub-main CPU 921, a ROM 922, a RAM 923, and electronic circuits arranged on the performance control board 920, and software such as a control program stored in the ROM 922.

[0207] The performance lottery random number generating means 9210 is equipped with a random number counter for generating various software random numbers (performance lottery random numbers) through program processing of the sub-main CPU 921. These random number counters serve as random number generating means for generating random numbers in a software manner. These software random numbers include pre-reading lottery random numbers used to draw pre-reading performances, decorative pattern random numbers used to draw decorative pattern stop patterns, variable performance pattern random numbers used to draw decorative pattern variable performance patterns, advance lottery random numbers used to draw advance performances, jackpot performance pattern random numbers used to draw jackpot performance patterns, and stage lottery random numbers used to draw performance stage transitions. These random numbers are updated when command analysis is not performed within the performance control main processing described below (when command analysis is not performed from the main control board 910 to the performance control If no command is received, the remaining time is used to update the

[0208] The performance control means 9220 includes a performance mode control means 9221, a pending information display control means 9222, a look-ahead notice control means 9223, a variable performance control means 9224, a decorative pattern control means 9225, a notice performance control means 9226, and a special game performance control means 9227.

[0209] The presentation mode control means 9221 controls the presentation mode (also referred to as "game presentation mode") in a manner consistent with the game state and the variation pattern selection state managed by the main control board 910 based on a game state designation command from the main control board 910. In this embodiment, a "normal presentation mode", a "time-saving presentation mode", and a "probability variation presentation mode" are set as a plurality of presentation modes, and one of the plurality of presentation modes is selectively set according to the game state (or the variation pattern selection state) managed by the main control board 910 and the number of times the special pattern is displayed, and a variation presentation according to the set presentation mode is executed. In this embodiment, when the game state is a normal game state, the "normal presentation mode" is set, when the game state is a time-saving game state, the "time-saving presentation mode" is set, and when the game state is a probability variation game state, the "probability variation presentation mode" is set. When any of the presentation modes is set, a background image (background image behind the decorative pattern) dedicated to that presentation mode is displayed on the screen as a presentation (variable presentation) indicating that the presentation mode is in effect, and BGM dedicated to that presentation mode is output from each of the speakers 8, 170, and 251. In this way, the background image and BGM are set to be different for each presentation mode, so that the player can recognize which presentation mode they are currently in from the type of background image or BGM.

[0210] The reserved information display control means 9222 has a first reserved ball number counter for counting the number of activated reserved balls of the first special pattern, and a second reserved ball number counter for counting the number of activated reserved balls of the second special pattern. When the reserved information display control means 9222 receives a pattern memory number command from the main control board 910, it updates (adds) the value of the corresponding counter based on the information on the number of activated reserved balls included in this command. On the other hand, when the reserved information display control means 9222 receives a fluctuation start command from the main control board 910, that is, when the activated reserved balls are consumed, it updates (subtracts) the value of the corresponding counter. In addition, the reserved information display control means 9222 controls the display of reserved images in the number corresponding to the number of activated reserved balls of the first special pattern and reserved images in the number corresponding to the number of activated reserved balls of the second special pattern in the reserved image display area 72 of the performance display device 70 based on the values ​​of the first reserved ball number counter and the second reserved ball number counter. In addition, the pending information display control means 9222 controls the display of a changing image in the changing image display area 73 of the performance display device 70, which is switched to a reserved image corresponding to the activated reserved ball when the activated reserved ball (first activated reserved ball) of the first special pattern or the second special pattern is consumed. In this embodiment, unless explicitly stated, the reserved image of the first special pattern and the reserved image of the second special pattern may be simply referred to as a "reserved image" without distinction, and the changing image of the first special pattern and the changing image of the second special pattern may be simply referred to as a "changing image" without distinction.

[0211] The pre-reading notice control means 9223 executes a pre-reading judgment (referred to as a "pre-reading lottery") for the activated reserved ball that is the target of the pre-reading notice performance. The pre-reading notice performance is generated as one aspect of the so-called continuous notice performance that predicts the possibility of a jackpot win or the occurrence of a high expectation performance (for example, a reach performance) over one or more variable displays before the activated reserved ball that is the target of the pre-reading is consumed. At this time, the pre-reading lottery is performed based on the information of the pre-determination result included in the pre-determination command from the main control board 910. Here, when the pre-reading notice control means 9223 receives a pre-determination command from the main control board 910, it distinguishes between the information of the pre-determination result of the first special symbol and the information of the pre-determination result of the second special symbol, and temporarily stores up to a predetermined upper limit number (4 pieces) of each in a pre-reading information storage area of ​​the sub-main information storage means 9260 in a form combined with the ball entry order of the activated reserved ball. This pre-reading information storage area is stored in the reserve memory of the main control board 910. The area has the same structure as the reserved 1 storage area, and in the order of balls entering each starting port 51, 52, reserved 2 storage area (first reserved storage area), reserved 3 storage area (third reserved storage area), and reserved 4 storage area (fourth reserved storage area) are provided. Each reserved storage area can store information on the result of the preliminary judgment of winning or losing, information on the result of the preliminary judgment of the pattern, and information on the result of the preliminary judgment of the variation pattern as a set. The information on the preliminary judgment result is stored in the reserved 1 storage area, reserved 2 storage area, reserved 3 storage area, and reserved 4 storage area in that order, while it is consumed in the reserved 1 storage area, reserved 2 storage area, reserved 3 storage area, and reserved 4 storage area in that order (first in, first out principle). In addition, when the information on the preliminary judgment result in the reserved 1 storage area is consumed, the information on the preliminary judgment result stored in the reserved 2 storage area, reserved 3 storage area, and reserved 4 storage area is shifted to the storage area with the lower number, and the contents of the reserved 4 storage area are cleared to zero.

[0212] The variable performance control means 9224 determines a variable performance pattern that specifies the variable process (performance process) from the start of the variable display of the decorative pattern to the stop of the variable display based on information (variation pattern information, variable additional information, etc.) included in the variable start command from the main control board 910. The variable performance control means 9224 holds a plurality of types of variable performance pattern tables that are referred to when selecting the variable performance pattern of the decorative pattern, and a variable performance pattern table corresponding to the variable pattern (variation time) of the special pattern is selected from among these plurality of types of variable performance pattern tables. Here, the main control board 910 determines the main variable pattern of the special pattern (for example, "SP reach A" or "SP reach B"), while the performance control board 920 determines the sub-variation pattern of the decorative pattern (for example, "SP reach A1, A2..." or "SP reach A2, A3...") that specifies the scenario of the performance display process in detail based on the main variable pattern. The decorative pattern variation presentation pattern defines the variation display mode of the decorative pattern, that is, the scenario of a series of presentation display processes from the start of the decorative pattern variation to the end of the variation, and the timing of the occurrence of the advance notice presentation at each stage of the display process is also specified as a time schedule. In addition, for the decorative pattern variation presentation pattern, even if the special pattern variation pattern is the same (even if the same information of the variation start command is received), if the current presentation mode is different, a variation presentation pattern with different presentation contents can be selected. In other words, a variation presentation pattern table is prepared for each current presentation mode.

[0213] In addition, when the variable performance control means 9224 receives a standby demo command from the main control board 910, it executes a standby demo performance (customer waiting demo performance) in which, for example, a demonstration video is played during the customer waiting period from when the standby demo command is received until the variable display of the special pattern begins (until the next variable start command is received).

[0214] The decorative symbol control means 9225 determines the final combination of decorative symbols (left, middle, and right symbols) by lottery based on the information (stop symbol information, game state information) included in the variable start command from the main control board 910 and the variable performance pattern determined by the variable performance control means 9224. In this example, three symbol rows including multiple types of decorative symbols are configured, and the decorative symbols are formed by identification elements such as numbers. In addition, the decorative symbol control means 9225 holds multiple types of stop symbol pattern tables that are referenced when determining the combination of decorative symbols (also called "stop symbol patterns") by lottery. The multiple types of tables include a stop symbol pattern table for a jackpot, a stop symbol pattern table for a reach miss, and a stop symbol pattern table for a non-reach miss. The decorative symbols are formed as a combination of three symbols, and include "a jackpot symbol (jackpot symbol)" and "a miss symbol (miss symbol)". The jackpot symbol indicating a specific jackpot (variable jackpot) is a combination of three symbols with the same odd numbers (for example, "7·7·7"). The jackpot symbol indicating a normal jackpot (non-variable jackpot) is a combination of three symbols with the same even numbers (for example, "2·2· 2"). A losing symbol is a combination of stop patterns where at least one of the three symbols is a number different from the other numbers (for example, "1·3·8"). Here, a close-to-miss symbol among the losing symbols is a combination of stop patterns where the left and right symbols match, and only the center symbol is shifted forward or backward by several frames (for example, "3·1·3"). In addition, in the case of a small winning symbol or a 2R winning symbol, the combination of stop patterns may be a predetermined combination, such as "3·5·7". In addition, when the lottery result is a non-close-to-miss, a specific result called a "chance symbol" (for example, "1·2·3" or "5·6·7" as a regular symbol, and "2·2·3" or "5·5·6" as a shift symbol) may be selected. Furthermore, in the pseudo consecutive performance described above, when a performance is performed in which a provisional stop display and a re-variable display are performed before the final stop pattern is confirmed, a special pattern (pseudo consecutive pattern) is selected as a provisional stop pattern suggesting the occurrence of a pseudo consecutive. When a provisional stop pattern suggesting the occurrence of a pseudo consecutive is displayed, at least one of the stop patterns (typically the middle pattern) of the three rows of decorative patterns may be replaced with a special pattern (pseudo consecutive pattern) displaying characters such as "NEXT" (for example, "2·NEXT·3"). The stopping order for stopping the decorative patterns is predetermined for each of the variable performance patterns described below, and in this embodiment, the patterns are stopped in the order of left pattern → right pattern → middle pattern as a general rule. However, in the case of a shortened fluctuation pattern where the fluctuation time is set to be extremely short, the left, middle, and right symbols are stopped almost simultaneously, and in the case of a special fluctuation pattern, the right symbol can be stopped in the order of middle, left, and left, in which case the probability of winning tends to be relatively high. Also, regardless of the stopping order, it is desirable for the left, right, and middle symbols to start fluctuating at the same time when the fluctuation starts. However, as a special fluctuation pattern, the fluctuating order may also be left, right, and middle.

[0215] The notice performance control means 9226 determines, by lottery, a notice performance pattern that specifies the contents of the notice performance executed at each stage of the decorative pattern fluctuation process according to the scenario of the fluctuation performance pattern determined by the fluctuation performance control means 9224. The notice performance pattern includes a performance pattern that temporarily or gradually displays an image of a specific character, an animation, etc., a performance pattern that outputs a specific sound, a performance pattern that displays the performance lamp LP with light, a performance pattern that operates the movable role 23, etc., and a performance pattern that has the player operate the performance lever 701 or the performance button 711, etc. The notice performance is executed in parallel with the fluctuation display of the decorative pattern, and indicates in advance that the pattern fluctuation stops in a jackpot state and the reliability of the jackpot is high. There are notice performances that are executed before a reach state occurs (including when the reach occurs) during the fluctuation display process of the decorative pattern, and notice performances that are executed after the reach state occurs. Each of the preview performances has a different jackpot reliability, and basically, the preview performance displayed after the reach occurs has a relatively higher jackpot expectation than the preview performance displayed before the reach occurs. The preview performance control means 9226 holds a preview lottery table for each type of preview performance to be referred to when selecting a preview performance pattern, and selects a preview lottery table according to the type of preview performance that occurs according to the scenario of the variable performance pattern. In addition, specific types of preview performances are prepared, for example, a comment preview performance, a background preview performance, a SU (step-up) preview performance, a logo preview performance, a mini character preview performance, a group preview performance, and a role preview performance. This preview performance is basically performed by combining the display of one or more preview performances with the variable display of the decorative pattern on the performance display device 70. Therefore, even if the decorative pattern is variable displayed by the same variable performance pattern, it is possible to generate a variety of performance modes by combining it with one or more preview performances.

[0216] The special game performance control means 9227 determines the contents of the jackpot performance (jackpot performance pattern) that notifies the player that a jackpot game is being played. The jackpot performance includes a jackpot start demo performance that notifies the player that a jackpot game is being played, a round performance that notifies the player that a round game is being played, and a jackpot end demo performance that notifies the player that a jackpot game is being played. The special game performance control means 9227 mainly When a jackpot start demo command is received from the control board 910, a jackpot performance pattern (a jackpot start demo performance pattern, a round performance pattern, a jackpot end demo performance pattern) is determined based on the information on the jackpot type stored in the sub-main information storage means 9260. In this jackpot performance pattern, a jackpot start demo performance time, a round performance time (performance time according to the opening pattern of the big prize opening 54), and a jackpot end demo performance time are set, and a series of performance contents are set along the time axis. In addition, the special game performance control means 9227 executes a jackpot start demo performance triggered by receiving a jackpot start demo command from the main control board 910, executes each round performance triggered by receiving a round performance designation command, and executes a jackpot end demo performance triggered by receiving a jackpot end demo command, according to the jackpot performance pattern. In the jackpot start demo performance, for example, the characters "jackpot start" are displayed on the screen to announce the start of the jackpot game. In addition, in the round performance, for example, the number of currently being played rounds and the number of winning balls are displayed on the screen, and various images (such as animation images) that liven up the big win game are displayed. And in the big win end demo performance, for example, the words "Big Win End" are displayed on the screen to announce the end of the big win game, and a performance indicating the game state (mode) to be transitioned to is displayed.

[0217] As described above, the performance control means 9220 generates image control commands related to images and sounds based on the determined performance content (pre-reading performance pattern, variable performance pattern, advance notice performance pattern, stopping pattern pattern, jackpot performance pattern, etc.) and stores this in the command storage area of ​​the sub-main information storage means 9260.

[0218] The lamp control means 9230 controls the lighting and light color of the performance lamps LP according to the performance contents set by the performance supervision means 9220. The lamp control means 9230 holds a plurality of types of lamp data (lamp pattern data) for controlling the lighting of the performance lamps LP, reads out the lamp data corresponding to the determined performance pattern, and transmits this lamp control signal (lamp data) to the lamp connection board 960.

[0219] The prop control means 9240 controls the driving of the movable props according to the performance contents set by the performance supervision means 9220. The prop control means 9240 holds a plurality of types of driving data for driving and controlling the movable props, and transmits a driving control signal (driving data) according to the determined performance pattern to the motor driver 970. The prop control means 9240 also controls the performance operation unit 700 (performance lever 701, performance button 711).

[0220] The error presentation control means 9250 is configured to determine an error presentation pattern when it receives an error presentation designation command from the main control board 910, and to notify the user that an error state has occurred in the gaming machine in accordance with the error presentation pattern.

[0221] The sub-main information storage means 9260 is configured to temporarily store information on decorative patterns, information on variable performance patterns, information on preview performance patterns, information on control commands, etc., and is provided with a predetermined storage area for storing each piece of information. For example, the command storage area includes a performance control command buffer for storing performance control commands from the main control board 910, an image control command buffer for storing image control commands to the image control board 930, and an ACK command buffer for storing ACK commands from the image control board 930. Each command buffer is composed of a ring buffer, and can store a predetermined number of performance control commands, image control commands, and ACK commands.

[0222] The command transmission / reception means 9270 is configured to receive a performance control command transmitted from the main control board 910 and store the performance control command in a performance control command buffer of the sub-main information storage means 9260. Based on the input of the above-mentioned strobe signal from 10, an interrupt is generated to execute a reception interrupt process for a performance control command (described in detail later), and various performance control commands are acquired in this interrupt process. Note that, when the command transmission / reception means 9270 receives a strobe signal, it gives priority to this reception interrupt process for a performance control command over other interrupt processes (interrupt processes with a priority level lower than 7, described later).

[0223] In addition, the command transmission / reception means 9270 transmits the image control command stored in the sub-main information storage means 9260 to the image control board 930 by serial communication in order to instruct the execution of the performance contents (variable performance pattern information, advance notice performance pattern information, decorative pattern information, etc.) set by the performance supervision means 9220. In principle, the image control command is transmitted at a predetermined cycle (500 μs in this example) according to the order set in the command storage area of ​​the sub-main information storage means 9260. As a result, the image control board 930 analyzes various image control commands transmitted from the performance control board 920, and displays the performance image including the decorative pattern on the performance display device 70 according to the scenario of the variable performance pattern, and displays the advance notice performance in a form superimposed on the performance of the pattern variation at each stage of the variable display process. Furthermore, the command transmission / reception means 9270 receives the ACK command transmitted from the image control board 930, and stores this ACK command in the ACK command buffer of the sub-main information storage means 9260.

[0224] [Various performances] In the pachinko game machine PM having such a configuration, as described above, various game effects are controlled and executed by the effect control board 920 and the image control board 930 according to the progress of the game, etc. In the following, among the various game effects, the moving effect of the lever role 710 will be described with additional reference to Figures 39 and 40. Figure 39 is a diagram for explaining the mode of the effect operation of the lever role 710, and Figure 40 is a diagram showing a typical effect operation pattern table of the lever role 710.

[0225] In this specification, when comparing one number with the other number (e.g., "more," "less," "different," etc.), it may include that one number or the other number is "0." When comparing the probability (proportion) of one execution with the probability (proportion) of the other execution (e.g., "higher," "lower," "different," etc.), it includes that the probability (proportion) of one execution or the probability (proportion) of the other execution is "0%," and also includes that the probability (proportion) of one execution or the probability (proportion) of the other execution is 100%. Similarly, when one is more likely to be executed than the other, it includes that the other is not executed at all (i.e., the probability or proportion of the other execution is 0%). Conversely, when one is less likely to be executed than the other, it includes that one is not executed at all (i.e., the probability or proportion of the other execution is 0%).

[0226] The moving performance is a performance that suggests or notifies the high probability of a big win by performing a predetermined performance action (rotation action, reciprocation action) of the lever role 710 during the variable display of the pattern. This moving performance is performed as one of the game performances such as a notice performance or a pre-reading performance. In addition, this moving performance may be executed as a performance performed during a special game (a big win game, a small win game) or a performance performed during a customer waiting demo.

[0227] In this embodiment, a reciprocating motion (reciprocating motion pattern) and a rotational motion (rotational motion pattern) are set as the performance motion (performance motion pattern) of the lever role 710. The performance motion (reciprocating motion, rotational motion) of the lever role 710 is performed with the upper rotation reference position, which is the uppermost end of the rotation range (on the rotation circumference) of this lever role 710, as the starting point of the motion.

[0228] The reciprocating motion is performed by rotating the lever 710 within a predetermined angle range as shown in FIG. This is a performance action in which the lever role 710 moves back and forth in the left and right direction by alternately switching the direction between clockwise and counterclockwise. The predetermined angle range is set to, for example, a range of 30 degrees. As shown in FIG. 40, the reciprocating motion pattern of the lever role 710 includes a reciprocating motion pattern PX1 in which the lever role 710 moves back and forth five times, and a reciprocating motion pattern PX2 in which the lever role 710 moves back and forth ten times.

[0229] The rotational motion is a performance motion in which the lever role 710 rotates continuously in a predetermined rotational direction (clockwise or counterclockwise) as shown in Fig. 39(B). As shown in Fig. 40, the rotational motion patterns of the lever role 710 include a rotational motion pattern PY1 in which the lever role 710 rotates once, a rotational motion pattern PY2 in which the lever role 710 rotates twice, a rotational motion pattern PY3 in which the lever role 710 rotates three times, a rotational motion pattern PY4 in which the lever role 710 rotates five times, and a rotational motion pattern PY5 in which the lever role 710 rotates seven times.

[0230] In this embodiment, the larger the operating range required for the performance operation of the lever role 710, the higher the jackpot expectation becomes, while the smaller the operating range required for the performance operation of the lever role 710, the lower the jackpot expectation becomes. Specifically, the jackpot expectation is set relatively higher in the rotational operation patterns PY1 to PY5 in which the operating range of the lever role 710 is the entire range on the rotational circumference (360 degrees on the rotational circumference) than in the reciprocating operation patterns PX1 to PX2 in which the operating range of the lever role 710 is a range of a predetermined angle on the rotational circumference (30 degrees on the rotational circumference).

[0231] In this embodiment, the greater the movement amount (movement amount) of the lever role 710 in one performance operation, the higher the jackpot expectation, while the smaller the movement amount (movement amount) of the lever role 710 in one performance operation, the lower the jackpot expectation. The movement amount (movement amount) of the lever role 710 is the actual movement distance (movement distance) of the lever role 710 in one performance operation.

[0232] Specifically, in the reciprocating motion pattern, when the number of reciprocating motions is 5, the amount of motion is 300 degrees (30 degrees x 5 times x reciprocating motions), and when the number of reciprocating motions is 10, the amount of motion is 600 degrees (30 degrees x 10 times x reciprocating motions). Therefore, in this embodiment, the expectation of a jackpot increases in the order of reciprocating motion pattern PX1 (5 reciprocating motions) < reciprocating motion pattern PX2 (10 reciprocating motions).

[0233] On the other hand, in the rotational motion pattern, when the number of rotations is 1, the amount of movement is 360 degrees (360 degrees x 1 rotation), when the number of rotations is 2, the amount of movement is 720 degrees (360 degrees x 2 rotations), when the number of rotations is 3, the amount of movement is 1080 degrees (360 degrees x 3 rotations), when the number of rotations is 5, the amount of movement is 1800 degrees (360 degrees x 5 rotations), and when the number of rotations is 7, the amount of movement is 2520 degrees (360 degrees x 7 rotations). Therefore, in this embodiment, the jackpot expectation increases by one step in the order of rotational motion pattern PY1 (1 rotation) < rotational motion pattern PY2 (2 rotations) < rotational motion pattern PY3 (3 rotations) < rotational motion pattern PY4 (5 rotations) < rotational motion pattern PY5 (7 rotations). In addition, when the rotation operation pattern PY5 is selected (when the lever device 710 executes a performance operation in which it rotates seven times), the lever device 710 may be configured to confirm a jackpot win or to suggest or notify that the probability of winning a jackpot is extremely high based on the number of rotations of the lever device 710 that has the special meaning of "7."

[0234] In addition, when the operation amount (movement amount) of the lever role 710 is the same or when the operation amount (movement amount) of the lever role 710 is different, the faster the operation speed of the lever role 710, the higher the expectation of a jackpot, while the slower the operation speed of the lever role 710, the lower the expectation of a jackpot. For example, when the operation amount (movement amount) of the lever role 710 is the operation amount of one rotation (360 degrees), the lever role 710 is rotated at a second rotation speed faster than the first rotation speed, and the lever role 710 is rotated at a second rotation speed faster than the first rotation speed. Similarly, when the amount of movement (movement) of the lever role 710 is five round trips (300 degrees), the expectation of a jackpot is higher in a reciprocating movement pattern in which the lever role 710 reciprocates at a second reciprocating speed faster than the first reciprocating speed than in a reciprocating movement pattern in which the lever role 710 reciprocates at a first reciprocating speed.

[0235] Also, the performance operation (rotation operation, reciprocating operation) of the lever role 710 may be executed as a continuous performance that is performed over a plurality of variable displays. The continuous performance is executed over a plurality of variable displays until the pre-read target activation reserved ball (called the "trigger reserved ball") is consumed. The execution possibility and execution pattern of this continuous performance are determined by a pre-read lottery. This pre-read lottery is executed when a new activation reserved ball is stored. This new activation reserved ball is the activation reserved ball of the special pattern that is the main player in the current game state. In other words, when the current game state is a normal game state, the activation reserved ball of the first special pattern is the subject of the pre-read lottery, and when the current game state is a time-saving game state or a probability variable game state, the activation reserved ball of the second special pattern is the subject of the pre-read lottery. Here, the conditions for executing the look-ahead lottery include, for example, (1) that one or more operating reserved balls (referred to as "advance reserved balls") exist before the operating reserved ball to be looked-ahead, (2) that all of these advance reserved balls have a non-reach type (such as shortened variation or normal variation) variation pattern, and (3) that a continuous performance is not already being executed (not in a state of winning the look-ahead lottery). When these execution conditions are satisfied, a look-ahead lottery is executed for the operating reserved ball to be looked-ahead, and the possibility of executing the continuous performance and its execution pattern (continuous performance pattern) are determined. In this embodiment, at the start of each variable display during this continuous performance, the lever role 710 may be rotated or reciprocated to suggest or notify the expectation of a jackpot in the variable display when the operating reserved ball to be looked-ahead is consumed. In addition, just before changing the display mode of the reserved image displayed in the reserved image display area 71 on the screen or the changing image displayed in the changing image display area 73, the lever device 710 may be made to perform a performance operation (rotating operation, reciprocating operation) to encourage a change in the display mode of the reserved image or the changing image (execution of a reserved change performance) or a change in the display mode of the reserved image or the changing image to one with a high expectation.In addition, with regard to the expectation of a pending change in this pre-reading performance (the expectation that the display mode of the pending image or the changing image will change, or the expectation that the pending image or the changing image will change to a display mode with high expectation), a configuration similar to the expectation of a jackpot suggested by the performance action performed during the aforementioned changing display can be applied (for example, a rotation action has a higher expectation of a pending change than a reciprocating action, and a two-rotation rotation action has a higher expectation of a pending change than a one-rotation rotation action).

[0236] In addition, as the performance operation pattern of the lever role 710, a performance operation pattern in which the lever role 710 rotates and then reciprocates, or a performance operation pattern in which the lever role 710 reciprocates and then rotates may be provided. When such a composite performance operation pattern is executed, the expectation of a big win may be set to be higher than when a performance operation pattern in which only a rotation or reciprocating operation is executed one-off is executed.

[0237] In addition, the performance lever 701 can be tilted from the initial tilt position to the maximum tilt position when the rotation position of the lever role 710 is in the upper rotation reference position or the lower rotation reference position, and is configured so that the expectation of a big win suggested or notified when the performance lever 701 is tilted is higher when the lever role 710 is in the lower rotation reference position than when the rotation position of the lever role 710 is in the upper rotation reference position. At this time, the expectation of a big win suggested or notified when the performance lever 701 is tilted in a state where the lever role 710 is in the lower rotation reference position may be configured so that the expectation of a big win suggested or notified when the performance lever 701 is tilted in a state where the lever role 710 is in the lower rotation reference position is higher when the lever role 710 moves from the upper rotation reference position to the lower rotation reference position in the opposite direction to the predetermined rotation direction (for example, counterclockwise direction) than when the lever role 710 moves from the upper rotation reference position to the lower rotation reference position in a predetermined rotation direction (for example, clockwise direction).

[0238] Thus, according to this embodiment, by associating the operating range of the lever device 710 with the probability of winning a jackpot, and suggesting or informing the player that the larger the operating range of the lever device 710, the higher the probability of winning a jackpot, it is possible to strongly attract the player's interest in the movement of the lever device 710, and further enhance the presentation effect of the two presentation actions (reciprocating action and rotational action).

[0239] [Main Effects of the Present Embodiment] The main effects achieved in this embodiment can be summarized as follows:

[0240] (1) According to this embodiment, a recess (countersink portion 112) corresponding to the external shape of the speaker 170 is provided in the lower frame member 110. This makes it possible to effectively utilize the limited space (the skirting area) inside the gaming machine and install a large speaker 170 in the recess, thereby improving the acoustic effect of the gaming machine.

[0241] (2) According to this embodiment, the bass reflex holes 162 are concentrated in the center of the curtain board member 160, which allows a player sitting in front of the gaming machine PM to more efficiently feel the low-frequency sound pressure emitted from the speaker 170, thereby enabling the player to experience realistic and powerful sound effects.

[0242] (3) According to this embodiment, even if the upper part of the door frame member 510 tilts forward due to the weight of the right decorative unit 200, by forcibly pushing the upper part of the glass unit 520 (around the latch receiving portion 525) forward against the door frame member 510, the latch receiving portion 525 of the glass unit 520 is fitted between the door frame member 510 and the latch member 551 without any play, and the entire glass unit 520 is securely fixed in a nearly tight contact state along the rear surface of the door frame member 510 (the glass unit 520 is fixed so as to follow the rear surface of the door frame member 510), thereby improving the rigidity of the entire glass frame 5 and making it possible to prevent deformation or distortion of the glass frame 5 even if the right decorative unit 200 is attached to the front side of the glass frame 5.

[0243] (4) According to this embodiment, simply by pushing the glass unit 520 toward the rear side of the door frame member 510, the latch member 551 automatically engages with the latch receiving portion 525 of the glass unit 520, making the installation work of the glass unit 520 simple and safe.

[0244] (5) According to this embodiment, the glass unit 520 is pre-fixed by the latch member 551, so that when engaging or releasing the fixing lever 542 with the lever receiving portion 524, it is not necessary to support the glass unit 520 with one hand while rotating the fixing lever 542 with the other hand, thereby further improving the ease of installation and removal of the glass unit 520.

[0245] (6) According to this embodiment, the cover member 260 of the right decorative unit 200 has a two-piece structure connected by hinge 266, and the cover member 260 can be opened and closed by folding it into the desired position, for example, when replacing the design sheets 281-283. This reduces the space required to open and close the cover member 260, thereby making it possible to prevent the cover member 260 from colliding with structures such as the glass frame 5 or island equipment and being damaged when opening or closing the cover member 260.

[0246] (7) According to this embodiment, the multiple design sheets 281-283 stored in the decorative unit 200 are given unique identification symbols corresponding to the model (type) of the game board 20, the type of decorative unit 12, and their storage positions, so that they can be individually identified. This prevents design sheets 281-283 of the wrong model (type) from being shipped, and prevents design sheets 281-283 of different models (types) from being mixed in the decorative unit 12, and makes it possible to easily identify the design sheets. This makes it possible to easily replace and manage the parts 281 to 283.

[0247] (8) According to this embodiment, even if a fraudulent tool is inserted through a weak part (gap) in the upper right part of the glass frame 5 that may occur when the heavy right decorative unit 200 is attached to the upper right part of the front surface of the glass frame 5, the fraud prevention ribs 518, 529 are provided on the entry path from the weak gap (the opening end around the release lever 255, the right edge of the glass unit 520), so that the fraudulent tool can be prevented from entering further by the fraud prevention ribs 518, 529. This makes it possible to effectively prevent fraudulent operations (fraudulent acts) performed on the game board 20 (game area PA) and the locking device 4.

[0248] (9) According to this embodiment, the direction in which the game ball flows down as it passes through the played ball detection switch 690 and the direction in which the sensor cassette 670 is attached and detached are configured to be the same (downward). Therefore, even if game balls become clogged near the detection port of the played ball detection switch 690, the sensor cassette 670 (played ball detection switch 690) can be easily removed from the second passage forming member 620 without the balls getting caught, thereby improving the maintainability of the gaming machine PM.

[0249] (10) According to this embodiment, by providing a serpentine passage 656 just before the played ball detection sensor 690, the flow speed of the game ball is slowed down as it flows down this serpentine path 656, and the momentum (flow speed) of the game ball is sufficiently suppressed when it passes through the played ball detection sensor 690 downstream. This makes it possible to prevent erroneous detection (detection failure) due to wear or chattering of the detection part of the played ball detection switch 690, and to stabilize the detection accuracy of the game ball by the played ball detection sensor 690.

[0250] (11) According to this embodiment, the passage surface downstream of the static electricity removing sheet metal 660 is formed as part of the serpentine passage 656, so that the game ball temporarily stops as it flows down this serpentine passage 656. As a result, the time that the game ball flows down the upper surface of the static electricity removing sheet metal 660 becomes longer (i.e., the contact time between the game ball and the static electricity removing sheet metal 660 becomes longer), so that the static electricity charged to the game ball can be more reliably released to the outside.

[0251] (12) According to this embodiment, the performance operation unit 700 can be attached and detached using a one-touch fastener 590, which facilitates replacement and maintenance of the performance operation unit 700. Furthermore, by making it impossible to attach or detach the performance operation unit 700 unless the glass frame 5 is opened (all fasteners 590 cannot be operated), it is possible to prevent breakdowns and malfunctions caused by players' mischief.

[0252] (13) According to this embodiment, the lever device 710 can execute a reciprocating motion and a rotational motion, each of which has a different operating range, as its presentation motion. The range of motion of the lever device 710 is associated with the likelihood of a jackpot, and the player is suggested or informed that the greater the range of motion of the lever device 710, the higher the likelihood of a jackpot. This strongly attracts the player's attention to the movement of the lever device 710, and further enhances the presentation effect of the two presentation motions (reciprocating motion and rotational motion), entertaining the player. As a result, the entertainment value of the game can be improved.

[0253] <Modification 1 of the gaming machine> In the above embodiment, a normal probability change game machine is used that determines whether or not a transition to a probability change will occur based on the stopping pattern of the special pattern (the jackpot pattern) when the result of the judgment of whether or not the special pattern is a jackpot, but it is not limited to this configuration, and a V probability change game machine may be used that determines whether or not a transition to a probability change will occur based on whether or not the game ball enters a specific area during the execution of the jackpot game when the result of the judgment of whether or not the special pattern is a jackpot. Also, as a modified example of the game machine of the above embodiment, A gaming machine equipped with a limiter function for limiting the number of consecutive times of a probability change game state or a potential probability change game state that is granted when a jackpot is hit with the first or second special symbol, up to a preset limit number (upper limit number), may be adopted. In addition, in the above embodiment, the probability change function of the special symbol is configured as a normal probability change machine that continues from the end of a jackpot game until the next jackpot occurs, but the probability change function of the special symbol may be configured as a number-cut probability change machine that continues to operate for a specified number of STs (for example, 100 times).

[0254] <Modification of gaming machine 2> In the above embodiment, a machine type having only one large prize opening in the game area is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a machine type having multiple large prize openings in the game area may be applied. In addition, when adopting a machine type having multiple large prize openings, the above-mentioned V-variable game machine may have two or more large prize openings, that is, a first large prize opening having a specific area (probability variation function activation area, V area) that is a trigger for the activation of the probability variation function of the special pattern, and a second large prize opening having no specific area (probability variation function activation area, V area). As an example of the board layout, the first large prize opening and the second large prize opening may be arranged approximately vertically or horizontally in the right area of ​​the game area, or the board area where the first large prize opening is arranged and the board area where the second large prize opening is arranged may be different areas. In this case, the number of prize balls (unit prize ball number) paid out when the game ball enters the first large prize opening and the number of prize balls (unit prize ball number) paid out when the game ball enters the second large prize opening may be the same or different. Also, of the two large prize openings, the first large prize opening (or the second large prize opening) may be configured as a large prize opening for small prize games, and the second large prize opening (or the first large prize opening) may be configured as a large prize opening for big prize games. In that case, the number of prize balls (unit prize ball number) of the large prize opening for small prize games may be 10, and the number of prize balls (unit prize ball number) of the large prize opening for big prize games may be 15, etc.

[0255] <Modification of gaming machine 3> In the above embodiment, the special symbol fluctuation time shortening function may be divided into a first special symbol fluctuation time shortening function and a second special symbol fluctuation time shortening function, and the latent probability change game state may be defined as a game state in which the special symbol probability fluctuation function and the second special symbol fluctuation time shortening function are activated and the electric chute support function is not activated. Also, the electric chute support function may be one that operates in synchronization with the special symbol fluctuation time shortening function (second special symbol fluctuation time shortening function) or one that operates independently of the special symbol fluctuation time shortening function (second special symbol fluctuation time shortening function).

[0256] Next, in order to make it easier to clearly understand the technical significance of the above embodiment and modifications, problems associated with the above embodiment and modifications will be outlined.

[0257] Conventional pachinko gaming machines are known that are comprised of an outer frame that forms the outer shell of the machine, a front frame that is attached to this outer frame and holds the gaming board, and a glass door that is attached to the front side of the front frame so that it can be opened and closed, and that are equipped with a speaker in the lower area of ​​the outer frame (the so-called curtain board area) that outputs sound effects according to the unfolding status of the game (see, for example, JP 2009-077872 A).

[0258] There are already many conventional pachinko machines that use this type of configuration, so in order to differentiate this machine from the conventional models, it is necessary to effectively utilize the limited space in the lower area of ​​the outer frame (the curtain board area) to enhance the acoustic effect of the speakers.

[0259] In addition, among conventional pachinko gaming machines, there are known ones that are configured with an outer frame that forms the outer shell of the gaming machine, a front frame that is attached to this outer frame and holds the gaming board, and a glass door that is attached to the front side of the front frame so that it can be opened and closed, and that are equipped with a decorative unit with a predetermined decoration on the front side of the glass door (see, for example, JP 2020-49184 A).

[0260] In a pachinko game machine with such a configuration, a design sheet decorated with a predetermined logo, character, etc. is stored inside the decoration unit, and this design sheet may be replaced with a new type of design sheet when changing the model (for example, when changing the board). However, in the conventional technology, when opening the cover member of the decoration unit to replace the design sheet, there is a problem that the cover member may collide with the glass door or the island equipment, causing the cover member to be damaged. In addition, when replacing the design sheet, the new type of design sheet may be mixed with other types of design sheets, making the management of the design sheets complicated, and there is a risk that the wrong type of design sheet may be stored in the decoration unit.

[0261] In addition, conventional pachinko gaming machines are known to be configured with an outer frame that forms the outer shell of the gaming machine, a front frame that is attached to this outer frame and holds the gaming board, and a glass door that is attached to the front side of the front frame so that it can be opened and closed, and is equipped with a performance operation device on the front side of the glass door that allows the player to input operations (see, for example, JP 2019-47965 A).

[0262] In a pachinko gaming machine of this configuration, it is necessary to improve the ease of attaching and detaching the performance operation device, as well as to take measures to prevent the performance operation device from being improperly removed by a player's mischievous acts.

[0263] Furthermore, conventional pachinko gaming machines are known that are configured with an outer frame that forms the outer shell of the gaming machine, a front frame that is attached to this outer frame and holds the gaming board, and a glass door that is attached to the front side of the front frame so that it can be opened and closed, and gaming balls that enter various winning holes on the gaming board or that flow into an outlet hole flow from the rear side of the gaming board down a gaming ball discharge passage provided at the bottom of the front frame and are discharged to the outside of the gaming machine (for example, see JP 2003-93676 A).

[0264] In recent years, a technology has been put into practical use in which a game ball detector is provided in the middle of the game ball discharge passage to detect game balls (played balls) flowing down the game ball discharge passage, and the number of these played balls is appropriately managed. In order to operate such a technology appropriately over a long period of time, there is a demand for improving the maintainability of the game ball detector, such as replacement and inspection.

[0265] In addition, among conventional pachinko gaming machines, there are known ones that are configured with an outer frame that forms the outer shell of the gaming machine, a front frame that is attached to this outer frame and holds the gaming board, and a glass door that is attached to the front side of the front frame so that it can be opened and closed, and that are equipped with a decorative unit with a predetermined decoration on the front side of the glass door (see, for example, JP 2020-49184 A).

[0266] In a pachinko machine configured in this manner, when assembling the glass unit to the rear side of the glass door, if the upper part of the glass door is tilted forward due to the weight of the decorative unit, the fixing lever on the rear side of the glass door does not fit properly into the glass unit, making it difficult to assemble the glass unit.

[0267] In addition, among conventional pachinko gaming machines, there are known ones that are equipped with a presentation operation device that can be operated by the player and executes predetermined presentation operations depending on the unfolding status of the game (see, for example, JP 2018-187115 A).

[0268] Since there are already many conventional pachinko gaming machines that use this type of configuration, further improvements in the entertainment value of the game are required to differentiate the new machine from the conventional models.

[0269] In addition, in conventional pachinko machines, the outer frame that forms the outer periphery of the machine and the A known game machine is configured with a front frame that is attached to hold the game board and a glass door that is attached to the front side of the front frame so that it can be opened and closed, and has a decorative unit with a predetermined decoration on the front side of the glass door (see, for example, JP 2020-49184 A).

[0270] In a pachinko machine configured in this manner, when the top of the glass door tilts forward due to the weight of the decorative unit, unnecessary gaps are likely to appear in the glass door, which can lead to the problem that fraudulent tools such as piano wire or wire may be inserted into the machine through these gaps and used to commit fraud.

[0271] Therefore, in the pachinko gaming machines according to the above-mentioned embodiments and modified examples, the above-mentioned configurations are adopted in order to achieve further improvements, and the above-mentioned effects are achieved.

[0272] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the scope of the present invention also includes combinations of the components described in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples, or deletions or conversions of some of the components described in the above-mentioned embodiment and modified examples using well-known or commonly used techniques. In the above-mentioned embodiment, the present invention is applied to a pachinko game machine, but it can be applied to other game machines such as slot machines, arrange ball machines, mahjong ball game machines, and enclosed game machines (game machines in which a predetermined number of game balls are enclosed and used in circulation), and similar effects can be obtained. [Explanation of symbols]

[0273] PM Pachinko Machine (Amusement Machine) PA Entertainment Area 1 Outer frame 2 Front frame 5 Glass Frame 20 Game Board 51 First starting point 52 Second starting point 53 Operational Gate 54 Grand Prize Winner 110 Lower frame member 112 Counterbore 150 Speaker unit 160 Skirting board parts 162 Bass reflex hole 170 Speaker 180 Speaker Box 186 Speaker receiving part 190 Duct cover 191 Bass reflex duct 200 Right Decorative Unit 201 Right unit case 255 Release lever 260 Lid member 261 Front cover 265 Rear lid part 266 Hinge 267a Locking claw 281 First Design Sheet 282 Second Design Sheet 283 3rd Design Sheet 510 Door frame parts 512 Auxiliary Sheet Metal 514 Side sheet metal part 514a Cutout 517 Lever operated port 518 First Anti-Tamper Rib 520 Glass Unit 522 Glass Frame 525 Latch receiving part 529 Second Anti-Tampering Rib 540 Fixed lever mechanism 542 Fixed lever 550 Latch mechanism 551 Latch member 585 Movable plate 590 Fixtures 600 Played ball discharge mechanism 601 Passage forming parts 610 First passage forming member 620 Second passage forming member 630 Cassette storage section 631 Partition wall 650 Used ball discharge passage 670 Sensor Cassette 690 Played ball detection switch 700 Production Operation Unit 701 Performance Lever 710 Lever parts 711 Production button 910 Main control board 920 Production control board 930 Image control board 940 Dispatch control board 9220 Production management means

Claims

[Claim 1] A gaming machine having an inner frame and a front door that can be opened and closed on the front side of the inner frame, the front door being provided with an input device that can be operated by a player, The input device can be attached by being fitted into the front surface of the front door, The front door is provided with a plurality of fixing members, and the input device is detachably attached to the front surface of the front door by manually operating the plurality of fixing members; Among the plurality of fixing members, a specific fixing member can be manually operated from the front side and the lower side of the front door, the specific fixing member is configured to be disabled from manual operation by an operation restriction means that is activated when the front door is closed, Among the plurality of fixing members, a predetermined fixing member can be manually operated from the rear side of the front door, A predetermined unit part is attached to the rear side of the front door so as to cover the predetermined fixing member, A gaming machine characterized in that when the front door is in an open state and the specified unit part is attached to the rear side of the front door, the specified fixing member is configured to be difficult to see from the rear side of the front door.

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