Gaming machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of suppressing a decrease in interest of a game.SOLUTION: A game machine includes second specific game state control means for controlling the game state to a second specific game state different from a first specific game state by stopping and displaying a specific symbol different from a big winning symbol as a result of variation display of the symbol, and game progress mode control means for determining a game progress mode when the specific symbol is stopped and displayed during the first specific game state. The game progress mode control means includes cases where advantageous control is ended at the scheduled end period of the first specific game state according to the timing at which the specific symbol is stopped and displayed and where the advantageous control is continued beyond the scheduled end period of the first specific game state, when the specific symbol is stopped and displayed during the first specific game state. The performance control means can execute the specific performance corresponding to the continuation of the advantageous control when the advantageous control is continued beyond the scheduled end period of the first specific game state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 182

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines (commonly also referred to as "pachinko machines") and rotary gaming machines (commonly also referred to as "pachislot machines").

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, There is a gaming machine that, when a symbol is variably displayed by a display means and the display result becomes a specific display result, gives a predetermined gaming value. This type of gaming machine is provided with a plurality of light emitters and is configured to emit light in various modes in relation to the display of the display means. In such a gaming machine, there is a gaming machine that emits light in a rainbow mode using a plurality of light emitters. it has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the above-described gaming machine, although the high probability of a big win for the variable display of the symbol is indicated by the light emission in the rainbow mode, since the probability of the light emission in the rainbow mode is kept low, it is not possible to know that there is an effect by the light emission in the rainbow mode, and as a result, there is a risk of causing a decrease in gaming interest.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine capable of suppressing a decline in gaming interest.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] Effective solutions for achieving the above object are shown below. In addition, the operation and the like will be described as necessary. Also, for ease of understanding, corresponding configurations and the like in the embodiments of the invention will be appropriately shown, but are not limited in any way.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, in the invention according to claim 1, it is a gaming machine capable of executing a predetermined symbol variation based on the establishment of a predetermined start condition, a light-emitting unit provided at a predetermined position, It is a separate member from the light-emitting part, and a separate light-emitting part provided at a predetermined position in the game board, and specific rainbow light emission control means for causing the light-emitting part and the separate light-emitting part to emit light in a specific rainbow mode, a plurality of light emitters are provided in the separate light-emitting part, and the specific rainbow mode can be exhibited by the light emission of the plurality of light emitters, the separate light-emitting part is not Electrically determined to be abnormal even when not connected to the gaming machine, When the separate light-emitting part is electrically connected to the gaming machine during a specific period which is a period in which the predetermined symbol variation is not executed and the light emission in the specific rainbow mode is executed by the light-emitting part while the separate light-emitting part is not electrically connected to the gaming machine, the separate light-emitting part electrically connected to the gaming machine can emit light in the specific rainbow mode during the specific period. the specific rainbow light emission control means causes the light-emitting part and the separate light-emitting part to emit light in the specific rainbow mode at regular intervals, but regardless of whether the light-emitting part can emit light in the specific rainbow mode, the separate light-emitting part can be made to emit light in the specific rainbow mode, Recorded special Furthermore, it further includes a special light-emitting part different from the light-emitting part and the separate light-emitting part, and the special light-emitting part can emit light in a special rainbow mode different from the specific rainbow mode, while the special light-emitting part can execute light emission in the special rainbow mode, light emission in the specific rainbow mode during the specific period is not executed. This is the gist. Also, as another invention different from the present invention, the following means are disclosed for reference. In a gaming machine capable of controlling a jackpot gaming state by performing variable display of symbols based on winning in a start port and stopping and displaying a jackpot symbol as a result of the variable display of the symbols, Means 1: first specific gaming state control means for controlling to a first specific gaming state based on the establishment of a predetermined start condition, second specific gaming state control means for controlling to a second specific gaming state different from the first specific gaming state regardless of whether the start condition is established, when a specific symbol different from the jackpot symbol is stopped and displayed as a result of the variable display of the symbols, and gaming progress mode control means for determining the progress mode of the game when the specific symbol is stopped and displayed during the first specific gaming state. When the specific symbol is stopped and displayed during the first specific gaming state, gaming progress mode control means for determining the progress mode of the game. performance control means for executing predetermined performance control, and comprising each of the first specific game state and the second specific game state is a game state in which the probability of the jackpot condition being satisfied is the same as that in the normal game state, but the game can be advanced with advantageous control more advantageous than the normal game state, when the specific symbol stops and is displayed during the first specific game state, the game progress mode control means, according to the timing when the specific symbol stops and is displayed, has a case where the advantageous control ends at the scheduled end time of the first specific game state, and a case where the advantageous control continues beyond the scheduled end time of the first specific game state, when the advantageous control continues beyond the scheduled end time of the first specific game state, the performance control means is capable of executing a specific performance corresponding to the continuation of the advantageous control characterized in that

[0008] In the above configuration, since the specific symbol different from the jackpot symbol is stopped and displayed as a result of the variable display of the symbol, the game is controlled to the second specific game state regardless of whether the start condition is satisfied, so it does not become a monotonous game that only determines whether to control to the first specific game state based on the satisfaction of a predetermined start condition. Also, according to the timing when the specific symbol stops and is displayed during the first specific game state, there are a case where the advantageous control ends at the scheduled end time of the first specific game state and a case where the advantageous control continues beyond the scheduled end time of the first specific game state. When the advantageous control continues beyond the scheduled end time of the first specific game state, since a specific performance corresponding to the continuation of the advantageous control can be executed, it is possible to draw attention to whether the specific performance is executed. When the specific performance is executed, the expectation that the advantageous control will continue beyond the scheduled end time of the first specific game state can be increased. As a result, a decrease in the game interest can be suppressed (see, for example, the descriptions in paragraphs 2297 to 2333, FIGS. 212 to 214, etc.).

Advantages of the Invention

[0009] Thus, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a gaming machine capable of suppressing a decrease in gaming interest.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010]

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[0011] [1. Overall Structure of Pachinko Machine] The pachinko machine 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. First, the overall configuration of the pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. FIG. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the pachinko machine, FIG. 3 is a left side view of the pachinko machine, and FIG. 4 is a rear view of the pachinko machine. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine seen from the right front, FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine seen from the left front, and FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine seen from the rear. FIG. 8 is a front view of the pachinko machine when the pressing operation part of the performance operation unit is in the raised position, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine seen from the right front when the pressing operation part of the performance operation unit is in the raised position. Further, FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the pachinko machine seen from the front with the door frame opened from the main body frame and the main body frame opened from the outer frame. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine disassembled into the door frame, game board, main body frame, and outer frame and seen from the front, and FIG. 12 is an exploded perspective view of the pachinko machine disassembled into the door frame, game board, main body frame, and outer frame and seen from the rear.

[0012] The pachinko machine 1 of this embodiment includes a frame-shaped outer frame 2 installed in an island facility (not shown) in a game hall, a door frame 3 that can open and close the front surface of the outer frame 2, a main body frame 4 that supports the door frame 3 so as to be openable and closable and is detachably attached to the outer frame 2, and a game board 5 that is detachably attached to the main body frame 4 from the front side and has a game area 5a that can be visually recognized by the player through the door frame 3 and into which a game ball B (see FIG. 89) is driven by the player.

[0013] The outer frame 2 is formed in a rectangular frame shape that extends vertically when viewed from the front. The outer frame 2 includes an outer frame left assembly 10 and an outer frame right assembly 20 that are spaced apart left and right and extend vertically, an outer frame upper member 30 that connects the upper ends of the outer frame left assembly 10 and the outer frame right assembly 20, an outer frame lower assembly 40 that connects the lower ends of the outer frame left assembly 10 and the outer frame right assembly 20, an outer frame upper hinge assembly 50 attached to the left end of the upper surface of the outer frame upper member 30, and an outer frame lower hinge member 60 attached to the lower right side of the outer frame left assembly 10 and the left end of the upper surface of the outer frame lower assembly 40.

[0014] The outer frame 2 is attached to an island facility in a game hall where the pachinko machine 1 is installed. The outer frame upper hinge assembly 50 and the outer frame lower hinge member 60 support the main body frame upper hinge member 510 and the main body frame lower hinge assembly 520 of the main body frame 4 so as to be rotatable coaxially, and are for detachably attaching the main body frame 4 to be openable and closable forward with the left side as the center when viewed from the front.

[0015] Also, when the main body frame 4 is closed, the outer frame lower assembly 40 cooperates with the speaker unit 620a of the substrate unit 620 in the main body frame 4 to form a part of the enclosure 624 of the main body frame speaker 622, and the sound output to the rear of the main body frame speaker 622 is radiated forward after being phase-inverted, so that a player can hear a more bassy sound.

[0016] The door frame 3 closes the game area 5a of the game board 5 into which the pachinko balls B are launched so as to be visible from the front side, stores the pachinko balls B for launching into the game area 5a, and includes a handle 195 that a player operates to launch the stored pachinko balls B into the game area 5a. Further, the door frame 3 decorates the entire front surface of the pachinko machine 1.

[0017] Also, the door frame 3 includes an effect operation unit 301 that can be operated by the player separately from the handle 195. When a player-participation type effect is executed, the player can participate in the effect by operating the effect operation unit 301, and in addition to the game using the pachinko balls B, the player can be entertained by operating the effect operation unit 301 as well.

[0018] The main body frame 4 includes a frame-shaped main body frame base unit 500 whose rear part can be inserted into the frame of the outer frame 2 and can support the outer periphery of the game board 5, a main body frame upper hinge member 510 and a main body frame lower hinge assembly 520 for attachably and detachably mounting the main body frame 4 to the outer frame 2 and for attachably and detachably mounting the door frame 3, a main body frame reinforcement frame 530 for reinforcing the main body frame base unit 500, a ball launching device 540 for launching the pachinko balls B into the game area 5a of the game board 5, a payout base unit 550 for receiving the pachinko balls B supplied from the island facilities in the game hall, a payout unit 560 for paying out the pachinko balls B received by the payout base unit 550 to the player side, a board unit 620 having a payout control board 633 in addition to a power supply board 630 having a power switch 630a capable of turning on the power of the pachinko machine 1, a back cover 640 for covering the rear side of the game board 5 attached to the main body frame base 501, and a locking unit 650 for locking between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4 and between the door frame 3 and the main body frame 4.

[0019] The main body frame 4 holds the game board 5 having a game area 5a where a game is played by hitting a game ball B, and is for paying out the game ball B to the player side or discharging the game ball B used in the game to the rear of the pachinko machine 1 (the side of the island facility in the game hall). The main body frame 4 is formed in a box shape with an open front, and the game board 5 is detachably accommodated inside from the front. Also, the main body frame 4 is openably attached to a frame-shaped outer frame 2 attached to the island facility in the game hall above and below the front left side end of the front, and a door frame 3 is openably attached so that the open front side is closed.

[0020] The game board 5 includes a game area 5a where a game ball B is played by the operation of the player, a front component member 1000 that partitions the outer periphery of the game area 5a and has a substantially rectangular shape in a front view, a plate-shaped game panel 1100 attached to the rear side of the front component member 1000 that partitions the rear end of the game area 5a, a substrate holder 1200 attached to the lower rear side of the game panel 1100, a main control unit 1300 attached to the rear surface of the substrate holder 1200 and having a main control board 1310 and a setting change board 1311, a function display unit 1400 that displays the game situation based on a control signal from the main control board 1310, a peripheral control unit 1500 (see FIG. 12) disposed on the rear side of the game panel 1100, an effect display device 1600 disposed at the center of the game area 5a in a front view and capable of displaying a predetermined effect image, a front unit 2000 attached to the front surface of the game panel 1100, and a back unit 3000 attached to the rear surface of the game panel 1100. The back unit 3000 is provided with various effect units capable of performing movable effects and light emission effects according to the game state.

[0021] In the game area 5a of the game board 5, there are a plurality of obstacle pins N that are in contact with the game ball B and implanted in a predetermined gauge arrangement, and a general winning opening 2001, a first start opening 2004, a gate 2002, a second start opening 2005, and a first big winning opening 2006 that give a predetermined privilege (for example, payout of a predetermined number of game balls B) to the player when the game ball B is received or passes through. The obstacle pins N are implanted on the front surface of the game panel 1100. The general winning opening 2001, the first start opening 2004, the gate 2002, the second start opening 2005, and the first big winning opening 2006 are provided in the front unit 2000.

[0022] In the game area 5a of the game board 5, the player can drive the game ball B by operating the handle 195 of the handle unit 180. Thereby, the player can enjoy the driving operation of the handle 195 so that the game ball B is received or passes through the general winning opening 2001, the first start opening 2004, the gate 2002, the second start opening 2005, the first big winning opening 2006, etc. in the game area 5a.

[0023] In addition, according to the game state that changes by driving the game ball B into the game area 5a of the game board 5, the game board 5 can display a predetermined effect image on the effect display device 1600, or cause light emission effects and movable effects to be performed by the lower right unit 2400, the back front peripheral decoration unit 3200, the back front upper effect unit 3300, the back front lower effect unit 3400, the back upper rear effect unit 3500, the back lower rear effect unit 3600, etc., so as to entertain the player.

[0024] [2. Overall Structure of the Outer Frame] The outer frame 2 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 18. FIG. 13 is a front view of the outer frame in the pachinko machine, FIG. 14 is a rear view of the outer frame, and FIG. 15 is a right side view of the outer frame. Further, FIG. 16 is a perspective view of the outer frame seen from the front, and FIG. 17 is a perspective view of the outer frame seen from the rear. FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view of the outer frame disassembled by each main member and seen from the front. The outer frame 2 is attached to an island facility (not shown) where the pachinko machine 1 such as a game hall is installed. The outer frame 2 is formed in a rectangular frame shape that extends vertically in a front view.

[0025] As shown in the figure, the outer frame 2 includes an outer frame left assembly 10 and an outer frame right assembly 20 that are spaced apart from each other horizontally and extend vertically, an outer frame upper member 30 that connects the upper ends of the outer frame left assembly 10 and the outer frame right assembly 20, an outer frame lower assembly 40 that connects the lower ends of the outer frame left assembly 10 and the outer frame right assembly 20, an outer frame upper hinge assembly 50 attached to the left end of the upper surface of the outer frame upper member 30, and an outer frame lower hinge member 60 attached to the lower part of the right side surface of the outer frame left assembly 10 and the left end of the upper surface of the outer frame lower assembly 40.

[0026] When the main body frame 4 is closed, the outer frame lower assembly 40 of the outer frame 2 cooperates with the speaker unit 620a of the substrate unit 620 in the main body frame 4 to form a part of the enclosure 624 of the main body frame speaker 622, and can radiate the sound output to the rear of the main body frame speaker 622 forward after phase inversion.

[0027] The outer frame 2 can detachably support the main body frame upper hinge member 510 of the main body frame 4 by the outer frame upper hinge assembly 50. The outer frame 2 can rotatably support the main body frame upper hinge member 510 and the main body frame lower hinge assembly 520 of the main body frame 4 coaxially by the outer frame upper hinge assembly 50 and the outer frame lower hinge member 60, and can attach the main body frame 4 so as to be openable and closable forward around the left side in a front view.

[0028] [2-1. Outer Frame Left Assembly and Outer Frame Right Assembly] The outer frame left assembly 10 and the outer frame right assembly 20 of the outer frame 2 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIG. 19. FIG. 19 is an exploded perspective view of the outer frame left assembly and the outer frame right assembly of the outer frame, each viewed from the front after being disassembled. The outer frame left assembly 10 and the outer frame right assembly 20 of the outer frame 2 each extend vertically and are arranged spaced apart from each other left and right. The outer frame left assembly 10 and the outer frame right assembly 20 are for rotatably supporting the upper hinge member 510 and the lower hinge assembly 520 of the main body frame 4 of the main body frame coaxially, and for attaching the main body frame 4 to the outer frame 2 so as to be openable and closable.

[0029] First, the outer frame left assembly 10 includes an outer frame left member 11 that extends vertically with a constant width (depth) in the front-rear direction, an upper left connecting member 12 attached to the upper end of the right side surface of the outer frame left member 11, and a lower left connecting member 13 attached to the lower end of the right side surface of the outer frame left member 11.

[0030] The outer frame left member 11 extends vertically with a constant cross-sectional shape and is formed of an extruded aluminum alloy profile. The outer frame left member 11 has a concave portion 11a that is flat and recessed to the right at a rear portion that trisects the front-rear direction on the left side surface, a bulging portion 11b that bulges to the right from a portion on the right side surface opposite to the concave portion 11a, and a hollow portion 11c that penetrates the bulging portion 11b vertically. The outer frame left member 11 has enhanced strength and rigidity due to the concave portion 11a and the bulging portion 11b, and has a reduced weight due to the hollow portion 11c.

[0031] In addition, the outer frame left member 11 has a plurality of grooves formed vertically on both the left and right side surfaces. The plurality of grooves on the left side surface are formed in a V shape, and the plurality of grooves on the right side surface are formed in a semi-circular shape. The outer frame left member 11 is formed in a shape symmetrical to the outer frame right member 21 of the outer frame right assembly 20 described later.

[0032] The upper left connecting member 12 is for connecting the upper end of the outer frame left member 11 and the left end of the outer frame upper member 30. The upper left connecting member 12 includes a horizontally extending flat plate-shaped horizontal fixing portion 12a, a flat plate-shaped upper horizontal fixing portion 12b extending upward from the middle in the front-rear direction on the left side of the horizontal fixing portion 12a, and a pair of flat plate-shaped lower horizontal fixing portions 12c extending downward from both the front and rear sides of the upper horizontal fixing portion 12b on the left side of the horizontal fixing portion 12a. The upper left connecting member 12 is formed by bending a flat plate-shaped metal plate.

[0033] The upper left connecting member 12 is attached to the outer frame left member 11 by inserting the rear lower horizontal fixing portion 12c into the cavity 11c of the outer frame left member 11, abutting the horizontal fixing portion 12a against the upper end of the outer frame left member 11, and further screwing a screw into the lower horizontal fixing portion 12c from the outside of the left side surface of the outer frame left member 11 with the front and rear lower horizontal fixing portions 12c abutting against the right side surface of the outer frame left member 11. Also, the upper left connecting member 12 is attached to the outer frame upper member 30 by abutting the horizontal fixing portion 12a against the lower surface on the left end side of the outer frame upper member 30, inserting the upper horizontal fixing portion 12b into the notch 30a on the left side surface of the outer frame upper member 30, and screwing a screw through the horizontal fixing portion 12a and the upper horizontal fixing portion 12b into the outer frame upper member 30.

[0034] The lower left connecting member 13 is for connecting the lower end of the outer frame left member 11 and the left end of the outer frame lower assembly 40 (outer frame lower member 41). The lower left connecting member 13 includes a horizontally extending flat plate-shaped horizontal fixing portion 13a, a flat plate-shaped upper horizontal fixing portion 13b extending upward from the left side of the horizontal fixing portion 13a and extending rearward from the horizontal fixing portion 13a, a flat plate-shaped lower horizontal fixing portion 13c extending downward from a portion on the rear side of the horizontal fixing portion 13a on the lower side of the upper horizontal fixing portion 13b, and a flat plate-shaped abutting portion 13d extending short to the right from the rear side of the upper horizontal fixing portion 13b. The lower left connecting member 13 is formed by bending a flat plate-shaped metal plate.

[0035] The lower left connecting member 13 is attached to the left outer frame member 11 by abutting the rear surface of the abutting portion 13d against the front surface of the bulging portion 11b of the left outer frame member 11, abutting the left side surface of the upper horizontal fixing portion 13b against the right side surface of the left outer frame member 11, aligning the lower surface of the horizontal fixing portion 13a with the lower end of the left outer frame member 11, and screwing a screw into the upper horizontal fixing portion 13b from the outside of the left side surface of the left outer frame member 11. Further, the lower left connecting member 13 is attached to the lower outer frame member 41 by abutting the horizontal fixing portion 13a against the upper surface of the left end side of the lower outer frame member 41, inserting the lower horizontal fixing portion 13c into the notch 41a on the left side surface of the lower outer frame member 41, and screwing a screw into the lower outer frame member 41 through the horizontal fixing portion 13a and the lower horizontal fixing portion 13c.

[0036] Next, the right outer frame assembly 20 includes a right outer frame member 21 that extends vertically with a constant width (depth) in the front-rear direction, an upper right connecting member 22 attached to the upper end of the left side surface of the right outer frame member 21, a lower right connecting member 23 attached to the lower end of the left side surface of the right outer frame member 21, an upper hook member 24 attached to the upper part of the left side surface of the right outer frame member 21, and a lower hook member 25 attached to the lower part of the left side surface of the right outer frame member 21.

[0037] The right outer frame member 21 extends vertically with a constant cross-sectional shape and is formed of an extruded aluminum alloy profile. The right outer frame member 21 has a concave portion 21a that is flat and recessed leftward at the rear part of the right side surface that divides the front-rear direction into three equal parts, a bulging portion 21b that bulges leftward from the portion on the left side surface opposite to the concave portion 21a, and a hollow portion 21c that penetrates the bulging portion 21b vertically. The right outer frame member 21 has enhanced strength and rigidity due to the concave portion 21a and the bulging portion 21b, and its weight is reduced due to the hollow portion 21c.

[0038] Also, the right outer frame member 21 has a plurality of grooves formed vertically on both the left and right side surfaces. The plurality of grooves on the right side surface are formed in a V shape, and the plurality of grooves on the left side surface are formed in a semi-circular shape. The right outer frame member 21 is formed in a shape symmetrical to the left outer frame member 11 of the left outer frame assembly 10.

[0039] The upper right connecting member 22 is for connecting the upper end of the outer frame right member 21 and the right end of the outer frame upper member 30. The upper right connecting member 22 includes a horizontally extending flat plate-shaped horizontal fixing portion 22a, a flat plate-shaped upper horizontal fixing portion 22b extending upward from the middle in the front-rear direction on the right side of the horizontal fixing portion 22a, and a pair of flat plate-shaped lower horizontal fixing portions 22c extending downward from both the front and rear sides of the upper horizontal fixing portion 22b on the right side of the horizontal fixing portion 22a. The upper right connecting member 22 is formed by bending a flat plate-shaped metal plate.

[0040] The upper right connecting member 22 is attached to the outer frame right member 21 by inserting the rear lower horizontal fixing portion 22c into the cavity portion 21c of the outer frame right member 21, abutting the horizontal fixing portion 22a against the upper end of the outer frame right member 21, and further screwing a screw into the lower horizontal fixing portion 22c from the outside of the right side surface of the outer frame right member 21 while abutting the front and rear lower horizontal fixing portions 22c against the left side surface of the outer frame right member 21. Also, the upper right connecting member 22 is attached to the outer frame upper member 30 by abutting the horizontal fixing portion 22a against the lower surface on the right end side of the outer frame upper member 30 and inserting the upper horizontal fixing portion 22b into the notch portion 30a on the right side surface of the outer frame upper member 30, and then screwing a screw through the horizontal fixing portion 22a and the upper horizontal fixing portion 22b into the outer frame upper member 30.

[0041] The lower right connecting member 23 is for connecting the lower end of the outer frame right member 21 and the right end of the outer frame lower assembly 40 (outer frame lower member 41). The lower right connecting member 23 includes a horizontally extending flat plate-shaped horizontal fixing portion 23a, a flat plate-shaped upper horizontal fixing portion 23b extending upward from the right side of the horizontal fixing portion 23a and extending rearward from the horizontal fixing portion 23a, a flat plate-shaped lower horizontal fixing portion 23c extending downward from a portion on the rear side of the horizontal fixing portion 23a on the lower side of the upper horizontal fixing portion 23b, and a flat plate-shaped abutting portion 23d extending short to the left from the rear side of the upper horizontal fixing portion 23b. The lower right connecting member 23 is formed by bending a flat plate-shaped metal plate.

[0042] The lower right connecting member 23 is attached to the outer frame right member 21 by abutting the rear surface of the abutting portion 23d against the front surface of the bulging portion 21b of the outer frame right member 21, abutting the right side surface of the upper horizontal fixing portion 23b against the left side surface of the outer frame right member 21, aligning the lower surface of the horizontal fixing portion 23a with the lower end of the outer frame right member 21, and screwing a screw into the upper horizontal fixing portion 23b from the outside of the right side surface of the outer frame right member 21. Further, the lower right connecting member 23 is attached to the outer frame lower member 41 by abutting the horizontal fixing portion 23a against the upper surface of the right end side of the outer frame lower member 41, inserting the lower horizontal fixing portion 23c into the notch 41a on the right side surface of the outer frame lower member 41, and screwing a screw into the outer frame lower member 41 through the horizontal fixing portion 23a and the lower horizontal fixing portion 23c.

[0043] The upper hook member 24 and the lower hook member 25 are for the outer frame hook 653 of the locking unit 650 in the main body frame 4 described later to be hooked. The upper hook member 24 has a flat plate-shaped mounting portion 24a that extends vertically with a constant width in the front-rear direction and is attached to the left side surface of the outer frame right member 21, and a flat plate-shaped locking piece portion 24b that extends leftward from the front edge of the mounting portion 24a and to which the upper outer frame hook 653 is hooked.

[0044] The lower hook member 25 has a flat plate-shaped mounting portion 25a that extends vertically with a constant width in the front-rear direction and is attached to the left side surface of the outer frame right member 21, a flat plate-shaped locking piece portion 25b that extends leftward from the front edge of the mounting portion 25a and to which the lower outer frame hook 653 is hooked, and an insertion port 25c that penetrates the locking piece portion 25b in the front-rear direction and through which the lower outer frame hook 653 can be inserted.

[0045] [2-2. Outer Frame Upper Member] The outer frame upper member 30 of the outer frame 2 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIG. 18. The outer frame upper member 30 is for connecting the upper ends of the outer frame left assembly 10 and the outer frame right assembly 20 that are spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction. The outer frame upper member 30 has a width in the front-rear direction that is substantially the same as the front-rear direction of the outer frame left member 11 and the outer frame right member 21, a constant thickness in the vertical direction, extends in the left-right direction, and is formed of wood. The outer frame upper member 30 is formed to have the same length in the left-right direction as the length in the left-right direction of the outer frame lower member 41 of the outer frame lower assembly 40 described later.

[0046] The upper outer frame member 30 is provided with notches 30a that penetrate vertically and are recessed toward the center in the left - right direction at the center in the front - rear direction on both the left and right side surfaces. The upper horizontal fixing parts 12b of the upper left connecting member 12 and the upper horizontal fixing parts 22b of the upper right connecting member 22 are respectively attached to the notches 30a at both the left and right ends in a state of being inserted therein.

[0047] Also, the upper outer frame member 30 is provided with a mounting step part 30b at the left - hand end, where the upper surface and the front surface are recessed more than the general surface. The outer - frame upper hinge assembly 50, which will be described later, is attached to this mounting step part 30b.

[0048] [2 - 3. Lower Outer Frame Assembly] The lower outer frame assembly 40 of the outer frame 2 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIG. 20. FIG. 20 is an exploded perspective view of the lower outer frame assembly of the outer frame as seen from the front. The lower outer frame assembly 40 connects the lower ends of the left outer frame assembly 10 and the right outer frame assembly 20 that are spaced apart from each other left and right, and is for closing and decorating the lower side of the door frame 3 in the pachinko machine 1.

[0049] The lower outer frame assembly 40 includes an outer frame lower member 41 that connects the lower ends of the left outer frame assembly 10 and the right outer frame assembly 20 that are spaced apart from each other left and right and extends left and right, a box - shaped front curtain member 42 that is disposed in front of the outer frame lower member 41, extends left and right along the outer frame lower member 41, and has an open rear, a box - shaped rear curtain member 43 that is attached to the rear side of the front curtain member 42, is attached to the upper surface of the outer frame lower member 41, extends left and right with an open front, and a ball - biting prevention mechanism 44 formed at the left end on the upper surface of the rear curtain member 43.

[0050] The outer frame lower member 41 has a width in the front - rear direction that is substantially the same as the front - rear direction of the left outer frame member 11 and the right outer frame member 21, has a constant thickness in the up - down direction, extends in the left - right direction, and is formed of wood. The length of the outer frame lower member 41 in the left - right direction is formed to be the same as the length of the upper outer frame member 30 in the left - right direction.

[0051] The lower outer frame member 41 has cutout portions 41a that are recessed toward the center in the left-right direction in a vertically penetrating state at the center in the front-rear direction on both the left and right side surfaces. The lower horizontal fixing portions 13c of the lower left connecting member 13 and the lower horizontal fixing portions 23c of the lower right connecting member 23 are respectively attached to the cutout portions 41a at both the left and right ends in a state where they are inserted. Thereby, the lower ends of the left outer frame member 11 and the right outer frame member 21 can be connected to each other.

[0052] Further, the lower outer frame member 41 is recessed from the upper surface and has a recess 41b into which the lower part of the curtain plate rear member 43 is inserted. The recess 41b extends in the left-right direction and extends from a position closer to the rear in the center in the front-rear direction to the front end side. This recess 41b makes the volume of the curtain plate internal space 40a formed by the curtain plate front member 42 and the curtain plate rear member 43 as wide as possible.

[0053] The curtain plate front member 42 extends in a length in the left-right direction that is the same as that of the lower outer frame member 41, and is formed in a horizontally long rectangular parallelepiped box shape with a short depth in the front-rear direction with respect to the height, and the entire rear surface is open. The curtain plate front member 42 closes the open rear side with the curtain plate rear member 43, and forms a curtain plate internal space 40a that becomes a part of the enclosure 624 of the main body frame speaker 622 in cooperation with the curtain plate rear member 43. The curtain plate front member 42 has an elongated hole-shaped opening 42a that penetrates in the front-rear direction and extends in the left-right direction on the front surface near the right end.

[0054] The curtain plate rear member 43 extends in a length in the left-right direction that is slightly shorter than that of the lower outer frame member 41, and is formed in a box shape with an open front. The curtain plate rear member 43 attaches the curtain plate front member 42 to the front surface, and forms a curtain plate internal space 40a that becomes a part of the enclosure 624 of the main body frame speaker 622 in cooperation with the curtain plate front member 42. The curtain plate rear member 43 has a cylindrical connection tube portion 43a that extends in the left-right direction at the center in the left-right direction on the upper surface, protrudes upward, and communicates with the curtain plate internal space 40a. The upper end of the connection tube portion 43a is inclined so that it is positioned upward more toward the rear from the front end side that coincides with the general upper surface of the curtain plate rear member 43. In the present embodiment, the upper end of the connection tube portion 43a is inclined at an angle of 45 degrees.

[0055] This connecting cylinder portion 43a is formed such that its length in the left - right direction is about 1 / 3 of the length of the entire rear curtain member 43, and its depth in the front - rear direction is formed slightly shorter than the depth of the entire rear curtain member 43. Inside the connecting cylinder portion 43a, a plurality of ribs 43b connecting the front - end side and the rear - end side are provided. At the upper end of this connecting cylinder portion 43a, when the main body frame 4 is closed with respect to the outer frame 2, the connecting portion 621c of the speaker cover 621 in the speaker unit 620a of the substrate unit 620 in the main body frame 4 is connected, and it is in a state of communicating with the internal space of the speaker unit 620a, forming an enclosure 624.

[0056] The ball - pinching prevention mechanism 44 is for preventing the game ball B from being pinched between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4 when the game ball B stays at the part of the lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame at the left end on the upper surface of the rear curtain member 43.

[0057] The ball - pinching prevention mechanism 44 is formed at the left end on the upper surface of the rear curtain member 43, and includes a placement portion 44a formed flat so that the lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame described later is placed thereon, a first discharge port 44b opening upward at the left end of the placement portion 44a, a second discharge port 44c opening upward and to the right of the first discharge port 44b in the placement portion 44a, a standing wall portion 44d extending upward from the rear side and the right side of the placement portion 44a, and an upper - end protruding portion 44e protruding forward from the upper end of the standing wall portion 44d and having an inclined upper surface that is positioned upward as it goes rearward.

[0058] The first discharge port 44b is formed at a position that coincides with the discharge hole 60d of the lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame described later. The first discharge port 44b and the second discharge port 44c are formed to have a size through which the game ball B can pass. The first discharge port 44b and the second discharge port 44c are not in communication with the internal space 40a of the curtain, but open to the rear surface of the rear curtain member 43. Therefore, the game ball B that has entered the first discharge port 44b and the second discharge port 44c can be discharged to the rear of the rear curtain member 43.

[0059] When an improper tool such as a piano wire is inserted through the gap between the outer frame lower hinge member 60 and the main body frame lower hinge assembly 520 described later, this ball jamming prevention mechanism 44 can prevent the intrusion of the improper tool by means of the standing wall portion 44d rising from the rear end of the placement portion 44a. Even if the tip of the improper tool abuts against the standing wall portion 44d and bends upward, it will abut against the upward protruding upper end protruding portion 44e provided at the upper end of the standing wall portion 44d, thereby preventing further intrusion. Therefore, it is possible to prevent improper acts from being performed through the part of the outer frame lower hinge member 60.

[0060] By the way, when the standing wall portion 44d is provided at the rear end of the placement portion 44a, when the main body frame 4 is opened with respect to the outer frame 2, the game ball B that has fallen onto the placement portion 44a for some reason is prevented from moving backward by the standing wall portion 44d, so the game ball B is likely to stay on the placement portion 44a. And when the game ball B stays on the placement portion 44a, when the main body frame 4 is closed with respect to the outer frame 2, the game ball B will be sandwiched between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4, resulting in the problem that the main body frame 4 cannot be closed.

[0061] In contrast, in the ball jamming prevention mechanism 44 of this embodiment, the game ball B that has fallen onto the outer frame lower hinge member 60 or the placement portion 44a can be discharged to the rear of the curtain plate rear member 43 (behind the outer frame 2) through the discharge hole 60d of the outer frame lower hinge member 60 and the first discharge port 44b, or through the second discharge port 44c, thereby preventing the game ball B from being sandwiched between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4.

[0062] The outer frame lower assembly 40 includes a pair of guide members 45 that are arranged horizontally and spaced apart on the upper surfaces of the curtain plate front member 42 and the curtain plate rear member 43, a flat grill member 46 that closes the opening 42a of the curtain plate front member 42 from the rear side, a port member 47 that is attached inside the curtain plate front member 42 so as to close the opening 42a with the grill member 46 sandwiched therebetween and has two cylinders extending in the front-rear direction, and a frame-shaped seal member 48 that is arranged at the upper end of the connection cylinder portion 43a of the curtain plate rear member 43.

[0063] The pair of guide members 45 are such that when the main body frame 4 is closed with respect to the outer frame 2, the lower end of the door frame 3 abuts thereon. The guide members 45 are formed of a low-friction material with low frictional resistance, facilitating the sliding of the lower end of the main body frame 4 and making the opening and closing easier.

[0064] The grill member 46 is in a strip plate shape extending in the left-right direction and has a plurality of blade parts 46b provided at intervals in the vertical direction. The blade parts 46b are provided in an inclined state such that the front end side is higher than the rear end side (see FIG. 47). This grill member 46 allows the inside (the curtain plate internal space 40a) and the outside of the front curtain plate member 42 to communicate with each other through the gaps between the blade parts 46b so as to be ventilable.

[0065] The port member 47 allows the curtain plate internal space 40a (enclosure 624) and the front of the outer frame 2 to communicate with each other through the gaps between the blade parts 46b in the grill member 46 by means of two cylinders. The two cylinders of the port member 47 are formed with a predetermined inner diameter and a predetermined length, and resonate and amplify the bass sound emitted from the main body frame speaker 622 to the rear (inside the enclosure 624) according to the principle of Helmholtz resonance, enabling rich bass to be radiated to the front of the outer frame 2 (the player side). That is, in the present embodiment, the enclosure 624 of the main body frame speaker 622 is of the bass reflex type, and can let the player hear the heavy bass.

[0066] The seal member 48 is compressed while being sandwiched between the upper end of the connection cylinder part 43a and the lower end of the connection part 621c of the speaker cover 621 in the main body frame 4 when the main body frame 4 is closed with respect to the outer frame 2, and prevents the sound inside the enclosure 624 of the main body frame speaker 622 from leaking from between the connection cylinder part 43a and the connection part 621c.

[0067] According to the grill member 46 of the present embodiment, the air vibration discharged from the inner space 40a of the curtain plate to the outside by the main body frame speaker 622 is directed by the plurality of inclined blade portions 46b into the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 in which the handle unit 180 is accommodated through the notch opening 295b on the lower side of the handle cover 295 in the handle cover unit 290 obliquely forward. Thereby, when the player inserts a finger inside the handle cover 295 (front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291) and rotates the handle 195 (a device for driving the game ball B), the main body frame speaker 622 can be vibrated to send wind into the front cylinder portion 291a, surprising the player and performing an unprecedented effect.

[0068] Further, since the port member 47 is opened forward, a part of the sound pressure discharged from the port member 47 through the plurality of blade portions 46b of the grill member 46 is discharged forward. Therefore, the effect sound discharged from the port member 47 can also be heard by the player sitting in front of the pachinko machine 1 and other players wandering in the game hall where the pachinko machine 1 is installed, and the player's interest can be attracted by the effect sound, and a pachinko machine 1 with high appeal to the player can be provided.

[0069] Further, since the port member 47 is provided on the outer frame lower assembly 40 of the outer frame 2 with respect to the enclosure 624 of the main body frame speaker 622 provided on the main body frame 4, the volume of the enclosure 624 can be increased, so that a more bassy effect sound can be output, entertaining the player and suppressing the decline in interest.

[0070] [2-4. Outer Frame Upper Hinge Assembly] The upper hinge assembly 50 on the outer frame 2 of the outer frame will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIG. 21. FIG. 21(a) is an exploded perspective view of the upper hinge assembly on the outer frame of the outer frame, seen from the front upper part after disassembly, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of (a) seen from the front lower part. The upper hinge assembly 50 on the outer frame is attached to the upper end of the left outer frame assembly 10 and the left end of the upper outer frame member 30, and is for rotatably attaching the main body frame 4 to the outer frame 2 by a hinge. The upper hinge assembly 50 on the outer frame includes an upper hinge member 51 attached to the upper end of the concave portion 11a of the left outer frame member 11 and the mounting step portion 30b of the upper outer frame member 30, a lock member 52 attached to the upper hinge member 51, and a mounting screw 53 attaching the lock member 52 to the upper hinge member 51.

[0071] The upper hinge member 51 has a flat plate shape extending horizontally and is attached to the upper surface of the mounting step portion 30b of the upper outer frame member 30, a flat plate-shaped front extension portion 51b extending forward from the front side of the upper fixing portion 51a, a bearing groove 51c extending from the middle of the right side of the front extension portion 51b toward the left and right center of the front extension portion 51b and penetrating vertically, a flat plate-shaped horizontal fixing portion 51d extending downward from the left side of the upper fixing portion 51a, and a flat plate-shaped edge wall portion 51e extending downward from the edge of the front extension portion 51b from the left side around the front side to the part where the bearing groove 51c opens and continuous with the horizontal fixing portion 51d. The upper hinge member 51 is formed by punching and bending a metal plate by press molding. The upper hinge member 51 can rotatably support the main body frame upper hinge pin 512, which will be described later, of the main body frame upper hinge member 510 in the bearing groove 51c.

[0072] The locking member 52 includes a strip-shaped locking body 52a extending in the front-rear direction, an operating piece 52b protruding rightward from the rear end of the locking body 52a, an elastically deformable rod-shaped elastic portion 52c extending leftward from the rear end of the locking body 52a and then obliquely forward-leftward, and a mounting hole 52d penetrating vertically near the rear end of the locking body 52a. The locking member 52 is formed of synthetic resin. The locking member 52 is rotatably mounted by a mounting screw 53 on the lower surface of the front extending portion 51b of the outer frame upper hinge member 51 at a position behind the bearing groove 51c.

[0073] When the locking member 52 is mounted on the outer frame upper hinge member 51, the locking body 52a can block the bearing groove 51c in plan view, and the right side surface near the front end extends forward so as to be able to contact a portion extending to the opening of the bearing groove 51c in the edge wall portion 51e of the outer frame upper hinge member 51. Also, the tip of the elastic portion 52c extending leftward from the rear end of the locking body 52a is in contact with the inner peripheral surface of the edge wall portion 51e of the outer frame upper hinge member 51. This locking member 52 is biased in the direction in which the front end rotates leftward about the mounting hole 52d by the biasing force of the elastic portion 52c. Therefore, in the normal state, the right side surface near the front end of the locking body 52a of the locking member 52 is in contact with the edge wall portion 51e. In this state, a space capable of accommodating the main body frame upper hinge pin 512 of the main body frame upper hinge member 510 is formed in the portion of the bearing groove 51c in front of the locking body 52a.

[0074] By operating the operating piece 52b, this locking member 52 can rotate the locking body 52a against the biasing force of the elastic portion 52c. Then, by operating the operating piece 52b to rotate the locking body 52a in the direction in which the front end moves leftward, the locking body 52a can be retracted from the bearing groove 51c in plan view, and the bearing groove 51c can be made to be in a fully-passing state. Thereby, the main body frame upper hinge pin 512 can be inserted into the bearing groove 51c or removed from the bearing groove 51c.

[0075] [2-5. Lower hinge member of the outer frame] The lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame 2 of the outer frame will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIG. 18. The lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame includes a horizontally extending flat plate-shaped horizontal portion 60a, a flat plate-shaped upright portion 60b that rises upward from a portion on the left side of the horizontal portion 60a that is rearward of the center in the front-rear direction, an outer frame lower hinge pin 60c that protrudes upward from near the front end of the horizontal portion 60a, and a discharge hole 60d that penetrates the horizontal portion 60a vertically and is sized such that only one game ball B can pass through. This lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame is formed by punching and bending a metal plate by press molding.

[0076] The horizontal portion 60a of the lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame is formed in a trapezoid shape with the left side as the base in a plan view. The outer frame lower hinge pin 60c is cylindrical, and the upper part above the center in the vertical direction is formed in a frustum of a cone shape with the upper end tapered. This outer frame lower hinge pin 60c is attached at a position near the front end of the horizontal portion 60a and to the left. The discharge hole 60d is formed in the horizontal portion 60a so as to be in contact with the central portion in the front-rear direction of the upright portion 60b and to extend in an inverted U shape from the left side to the right side of the horizontal portion 60a. This discharge hole 60d is formed to be approximately the same size as the first discharge port 44b of the ball biting prevention mechanism 44 in the outer frame lower assembly 40.

[0077] In a state where the lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame is assembled to the outer frame 2, the rear part of the horizontal portion 60a is placed on the placement portion 44a of the curtain plate rear member 43 in the outer frame lower assembly 40 and is fixed to the curtain plate rear member 43 with screws (not shown). Further, the upright portion 60b is attached to a portion in front of the bulging portion 11b on the right side surface of the outer frame left member 11 with screws (not shown). This lower hinge member 60 of the outer frame can be attached to the main body frame 4 so as to be openable and closable in cooperation with the upper hinge member 51 of the outer frame by inserting the outer frame lower hinge pin 60c into the outer frame lower hinge hole 521a in the main body frame lower hinge assembly 520 of the main body frame 4.

[0078] Also, in the state where the outer frame 2 is assembled, the discharge hole 60d coincides with the first discharge port 44b of the ball engagement prevention mechanism 44 in the lower outer frame assembly 40. As a result, the game ball B on the horizontal portion 60a can be dropped (discharged) backward of the outer frame 2 through the discharge hole 60d and the first discharge port 44b. More specifically, when closing the main body frame 4 with respect to the outer frame 2, as the main body frame 4 is closed, the game ball B that has fallen between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4 gradually narrows the space between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4, so it will roll toward the rear side with a wider interval and can be discharged from the discharge hole 60d. At this time, since the discharge hole 60d is formed at a position substantially the same as the rear end of the main body frame 4 when the main body frame 4 is closed with respect to the outer frame 2 in the state of being assembled to the pachinko machine 1, it is easier to prevent the game ball B that has fallen between the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4 from rolling to the rear side by discharging it from the discharge hole 60d, and it is possible to make it difficult for the game ball B to stay at the portion of the lower outer hinge member 60.

[0079] [3. Overall Structure of the Door Frame] The door frame 3 of the pachinko machine 1 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 22 to 30. FIG. 22 is a front view of the door frame in the pachinko machine, FIG. 23 is a rear view of the door frame, FIG. 24 is a left side view of the door frame, and FIG. 25 is a right side view of the door frame. FIG. 26 is a perspective view of the door frame seen from the right front, FIG. 27 is a perspective view of the door frame seen from the left front, and FIG. 28 is a perspective view of the door frame seen from the rear. FIG. 29 is an exploded perspective view of the door frame disassembled by main members and seen from the front, and FIG. 30 is an exploded perspective view of the door frame disassembled by main members and seen from the rear.

[0080] The door frame 3 is formed in a rectangular shape that is substantially the same size as the inside of the outer frame 2 and extends vertically in a front view, and is attached to be openable and closable from the front side inside the frame of the outer frame 2 via the main body frame 4. The door frame 3 closes the game area 5a of the game board 5 into which the game ball B is driven so that it can be visually recognized from the front side, stores the game ball B for driving into the game area 5a, and is provided with a handle 195 that the player operates to drive the stored game ball B into the game area 5a. Also, the door frame 3 decorates the entire front surface of the pachinko machine 1.

[0081] The door frame 3 comprises a door frame base unit 100 having a rectangular frame-like shape with an outer shape extending vertically when viewed from the front, a glass unit 160 that is removably attached to the door frame base unit 100 and closes a playing area 5a of a playing board 5 attached to the main frame 4 so as to be visible from the front, a security cover 170 that is attached to the door frame base unit 100 so as to cover the lower part of the glass unit 160 from the rear, a handle unit 180 that is attached to the front right corner of the door frame base unit 100, and a handle that covers the outer periphery of the handle unit 180. The door frame comprises a cover unit 290, a tray unit 200 attached to the lower front part of the door frame base unit 100, a left side unit 420 attached to the left front part of the door frame base unit 100 above the tray unit 200, a right side unit 430 attached to the right front part of the door frame base unit 100 above the tray unit, and a door frame top unit 450 attached to the upper front part of the door frame base unit 100 above the left side unit 420 and the right side unit 430.

[0082] The door frame base unit 100 comprises a door frame base 101 having an outer shape in a vertically extending quadrangle (rectangle) when viewed from the front and having a door window 101a that penetrates from front to back, a speaker duct 103 attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 in the lower right corner when viewed from behind, a door frame main relay board 104 attached to the lower rear side of the door frame base 101 near the right end when viewed from behind, a door frame sub-relay board 105 attached to the left side of the door frame main relay board 104 when viewed from behind, a rear-handle relay board 106 attached to the left side of the rear-handle relay board 105 when viewed from behind, a door frame relay board cover 107 that covers the rear side of the door frame main relay board 104 and part of the door frame sub-relay board 105, a rear-handle relay board cover 108 that covers the rear-handle relay board 106, and a cable cover 109 that covers the wiring cable.

[0083] In addition, the door frame base unit 100 includes a frame-shaped door frame reinforcement unit 110 attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101, a door frame upper hinge assembly 120 and a door frame lower hinge member 125 attached to the door frame reinforcement unit 110, an opening / closing cylinder lock 130 attached to the door frame reinforcement unit 110, a ball feeding unit 140 attached above the handle rear relay substrate 106 on the rear side of the door frame base 101, and a fairing cover unit 150 attached to the right side in the rear view at the lower part of the rear side of the door frame base 101.

[0084] The door frame reinforcement unit 110 reinforces the door frame base 101 and imparts rigidity by being attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101. The door frame upper hinge assembly 120 and the door frame lower hinge member 125 are for attachably mounting the door frame 3 to the main body frame 4 so as to be openable and closable. The cylinder lock 130 is used for opening and closing the door frame 3 and the main body frame 4, and for locking and unlocking the opening and closing of the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4 in cooperation with the locking unit 650 of the main body frame 4.

[0085] In addition, the ball feeding unit 140 is for supplying the game balls B in the upper tray 201 one by one to the ball launching device 540 of the main body frame 4. The fairing cover unit 150 guides the game balls B (fairing balls) that have been launched by the ball launching device 540 and have not reached the game area 5a of the game board 5 to the lower tray 202, and also guides the game balls B paid out from the payout device 580 to the upper tray 201 or the lower tray 202.

[0086] The glass unit 160 has a transparent glass plate 162 and closes the door window 101a of the door frame base 101. The anti-theft cover 170 is attached to the door frame base 101 so as to cover the lower part of the glass unit 160 from the rear. The handle unit 180 includes a handle 195 that can be rotated by a player, and the handle unit 180 is for performing a game of driving the game balls B in the upper tray 201 into the game area 5a of the game board 5 by the ball launching device 540 by operating a handle cover unit 290 that covers the outer periphery.

[0087] [3-1. Overall Structure of the Door Frame Base Unit] The door frame base unit 100 of the door frame 3 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 31 to 33. FIG. 31(a) is a perspective view of the door frame base unit of the door frame seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the door frame base unit seen from the back. FIG. 32 is an exploded perspective view of the door frame base unit disassembled by main members and seen from the front, and FIG. 33 is an exploded perspective view of the door frame base unit disassembled by main members and seen from the back.

[0088] The door frame base unit 100 is attached to the left side of the front view so as to be hinge-rotatable with respect to the main body frame 4, closes the front surface of the main body frame 4 so as to be openable and closable, and enables the game area 5a of the game board 5 attached to the main body frame 4 to be visually recognized from the front. The door frame base unit 100 includes a door frame base 101 having a rectangular and flat plate shape whose outer shape extends vertically, and a speaker duct 103 attached to the lower right corner of the rear side of the door frame base 101 when viewed from the back.

[0089] In addition, the door frame base unit 100 includes a main door frame relay board 104 attached near the right end of the lower part of the rear side of the door frame base 101 when viewed from the back, a sub door frame relay board 105 attached to the left of the main door frame relay board 104 when viewed from the back at the lower part of the rear side of the door frame base 101, a handle rear relay board 106 attached to the left of the sub door frame relay board 105 when viewed from the back at the lower part of the rear side of the door frame base 101, a door frame relay board cover 107 attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 and covering a part of the main door frame relay board 104 and the sub door frame relay board 105 from the rear side, a handle rear relay board cover 108 attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 and covering the handle rear relay board 106 from the rear side, and a cable cover 109 attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 and covering the wiring cable.

[0090] Furthermore, the door frame base unit 100 includes a frame-shaped door frame reinforcement unit 110 attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101, a door frame upper hinge assembly 120 and a door frame lower hinge member 125 attached to the door frame reinforcement unit 110, an opening / closing cylinder lock 130 attached to the door frame reinforcement unit 110, a ball feed unit 140 attached above the handle rear relay board 106 on the rear side of the door frame base 101, and a far cover unit 150 attached to the right side in the rear view at the lower part of the rear side of the door frame base 101.

[0091] On this door frame base unit 100, a handle unit 180 and a handle cover unit 290 are attached to the lower front corner, a dish unit 200 is attached to the lower front side of the door window 101a, a door frame left side unit 420 is attached to the left outer front side of the door window 101a, a door frame right side unit 430 is attached to the right outer front side of the door window 101a, and a door frame top unit 450 is attached to the upper outer front side of the door window 101a, respectively.

[0092] Also, a glass unit 160 is attached to the door frame base unit 100 so as to close the door window 101a from the rear, and a transparent security cover 170 is attached so as to cover the lower part of the glass unit 160 from the rear.

[0093] [3-1a. Door Frame Base] Regarding the door frame base 101 of the door frame base unit 100 in the door frame 3, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 31 to 33. The door frame base 101 is formed in a quadrangle (rectangle) whose outer shape in the front view extends vertically. The door frame base 101 penetrates through in the front and rear directions and includes a door window 101a whose inner peripheral shape in the front view is formed in a substantially quadrangle extending vertically. In the door window 101a, the upper side and the left and right sides forming the inner periphery are respectively close to the outer peripheral sides of the door frame base 101, and the lower side forming the inner periphery is located at a height of about 1 / 3 in the vertical direction from the lower end of the door frame base 101. Thus, the door frame base 101 is entirely formed in a frame shape by the door window 101a penetrating through in the front and rear directions. This door frame base 101 is integrally molded from a synthetic resin.

[0094] The door frame base 101 includes a handle mounting seat surface 101b (see Fig. 42 etc.) formed at the lower right corner in the front view on the front surface and inclined such that the left end side protrudes slightly forward from the right end side, a cylinder insertion hole 101d through which the cylinder mounting frame 115 of the door frame reinforcement unit 110 is inserted and penetrates back and forth between the handle mounting seat surface 101b and the door window 101a, and a ball feeding opening 101e through which the inlet 141a and the ball discharge opening 141b of the ball feeding unit 140 face forward and penetrate back and forth on the left side in the front view of the cylinder insertion hole 101d and the handle mounting seat surface 101b.

[0095] Further, the door frame base 101 includes a lower plate ball passage hole 101f through which the ball discharge port 150d of the far cover unit 150 faces forward and penetrates back and forth to the left of the center in the left-right direction and at substantially the same height as the handle mounting seat surface 101b, an upper plate ball passage hole 101g through which the through ball passage 150a of the far cover unit 150 faces forward and penetrates back and forth adjacent to the lower side of the door window 101a near the left end in the front view, and a glass unit mounting portion 101h that is recessed from the rear surface forward along the inner circumference of the door window 101a and into which the glass frame 161 of the glass unit 160 is inserted.

[0096] Further, the door frame base 101 includes a plurality of vertically long slits 101i formed at the lower left corner in the front view (below the upper plate ball passage hole 101g) and penetrating back and forth. A speaker duct 103 is attached to the rear side of the plurality of slits 101i. Also, in the state where the pachinko machine 1 is assembled, the speaker opening 211b of the tray unit base 211 in the tray unit 200 is located in front of the plurality of slits 101i, and the main body frame speaker 622 in the speaker unit 620a of the main body frame 4 is located behind the plurality of slits 101i, and the sound from the main body frame speaker 622 can be radiated forward.

[0097] Furthermore, the door frame base 101 is provided with a through hole 101j that penetrates front to back below the door window 101a and above the handle mounting seat surface 101b. This through hole 101j is for inserting a wiring cable (not shown) that connects the door frame base unit 100 side and the dish unit 200 side, and is formed to coincide with the through portion 114b of the intermediate reinforcement frame 114 in the door frame reinforcement unit 110 described later.

[0098] [3-1b. Speaker Duct] The speaker duct 103 of the door frame base unit 100 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 31 to 33. This speaker duct 103 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is attached to a portion where a plurality of slits 101i are formed on the rear side of the door frame base 101. In the state where the pachinko machine 1 is assembled, the rear end of the cylindrical portion of the speaker duct 103 is positioned in front of the main body frame speaker 622 of the main body frame 4. Thereby, the sound (sound) radiated (output) from the main body frame speaker 622 of the main body frame 4 can be guided forward without being diffused, and can be well guided to the front (player side) of the pachinko machine 1 through the plurality of slits 101i of the door frame base 101 and the speaker opening 211b in the dish unit base 211 of the dish unit 200.

[0099] Also, the speaker duct 103 is provided with a cable holder 103a for holding the connection cable 503 on the rear surface below the cylindrical portion. The cable holder 103a is arranged to the left of the door frame relay board cover 107 when viewed from the front, and holds the connection cable 503 connected to the main door frame relay board 104 and the sub door frame relay board 105 so as to extend to the left end side of the door frame 3.

[0100] [3-1c. Main Door Frame Relay Board, Sub Door Frame Relay Board, Rear Handle Relay Board] Regarding the door frame main relay board 104, the door frame sub-relay board 105, and the handle rear relay board 106 of the door frame base unit 100, mainly refer to FIGS. 32 and 33 and the like for description. The door frame main relay board 104 is formed in a rectangular shape with its outer shape extending vertically, and is attached to the lower right corner of the rear side of the door frame base 101 when viewed from the back. The door frame main relay board 104 is for relaying the connection between the handle rear relay board 106 and the interface board 635 in the board unit 620 of the main body frame 4, and a part of the connection cable 503 (refer to FIGS. 82 and 83) extending from the main body frame 4 is connected thereto.

[0101] The door frame sub-relay board 105 is formed in an inverted L shape in which a rectangle extending horizontally is combined with the upper right side of a rectangle extending vertically when viewed from the front. The part extending vertically is attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 so as to be adjacent to the left side of the door frame main relay board 104 when viewed from the back. The door frame sub-relay board 105 is for relaying the connection between the handle decorative board 184 of the handle unit 180, the dish unit relay board 214 of the dish unit 200, the upper decorative board 422 and the lower decorative board 423 of the left side of the door frame of the left side unit 420 of the door frame, the upper decorative board 432 and the lower decorative board 433 of the right side of the door frame of the right side unit 430 of the door frame, the door frame top relay board of the door frame top unit 450, etc., and the interface board 635 of the main body frame 4, and the remaining part of the connection cable 503 extending from the main body frame 4 is connected thereto.

[0102] The door frame main relay board 104 and the door frame sub-relay board 105 are attached to the door frame base 101 such that the connection terminals protrude rearward. In the state where the door frame base unit 100 is assembled, the parts of the door frame main relay board 104 and the door frame sub-relay board 105 that extend vertically are covered at the rear by the door frame relay board cover 107, and the remaining part of the door frame sub-relay board 105 is covered at the rear by the far cover unit 150.

[0103] The handle rear relay board 106 is formed in a rectangular shape with an outer shape extending horizontally, and is attached to the rear side of the handle mounting seat surface 101b below the ball feeding opening 101e on the rear side of the door frame base 101. The handle rear relay board 106 relays the connection between the door frame main relay board 104 and the handle rotation detection sensor 189, handle touch sensor 192, single-shot button operation sensor 194 of the handle unit 180, and the ball feeding solenoid 145 of the ball feeding unit 140. When the door frame base unit 100 is assembled, the rear side of the handle rear relay board 106 is covered by the handle rear relay board cover 108.

[0104] [3-1d. Door Frame Relay Board Cover · Handle Rear Relay Board Cover · Cable Cover] Regarding the door frame relay board cover 107, handle rear relay board cover 108, and cable cover 109 of the door frame base unit 100, mainly refer to FIGS. 31 to 33 for description. The door frame relay board cover 107 is attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 to cover the rear sides of the door frame main relay board 104 and a part of the door frame sub-relay board 105 (the vertically extending inverted L-shaped part). The door frame relay board cover 107 is formed in a box shape with the front and the left side when viewed from the front open. When assembled to the door frame base unit 100, the connection terminals of the door frame main relay board 104 and the door frame sub-relay board 105 that cover the rear side are exposed inside the door frame relay board cover 107, and the connection cable 503 can be inserted inside from the open left side and connected to those terminals.

[0105] The handle rear relay board cover 108 is attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 so as to cover the rear side of the handle rear relay board 106. The cable cover 109 is attached to the rear side of the intermediate reinforcement frame 114 in the door frame reinforcement unit 110, and is for covering a wiring cable (not shown) that connects the door frame main relay board 104 and the ball lending operation unit 220 of the dish unit 200. The cable cover 109 is formed in a box shape extending horizontally, and openings for passing the wiring cable are formed near the left end of the front surface and at the center in the horizontal direction of the lower surface.

[0106] [3-1e. Door Frame Reinforcement Unit] The door frame reinforcement unit 110 of the door frame base unit 100 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 31 to 33. The door frame reinforcement unit 110 is attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 to reinforce the flat plate-shaped door frame base 101 and impart rigidity to the door frame base unit 100. The door frame reinforcement unit 110 includes left and right vertically extending left reinforcement frames 111 and right reinforcement frames 112 that are spaced apart from each other, an upper reinforcement frame 113 that extends horizontally and connects the upper ends of the left reinforcement frame 111 and the right reinforcement frame 112, an intermediate reinforcement frame 114 that has its left end attached to a position closer to the upper side from the lower end of the left reinforcement frame 111 and extends rightward to near the right reinforcement frame 112, a cylinder attachment frame 115 that connects the right end of the intermediate reinforcement frame 114 and the right reinforcement frame 112, and a plurality of hook members 116 that are vertically spaced apart and attached to the rear side of the right reinforcement frame 112 and to which the door frame hooks 652 of the locking unit 650 of the main body frame 4 are hooked.

[0107] The left reinforcement frame 111 and the right reinforcement frame 112 have a constant width in the left-right direction and extend vertically with a length substantially the same as the vertical height of the door frame base 101. A plurality of insertion holes that are vertically spaced apart and penetrate in the front-rear direction are formed in the right reinforcement frame 112. When the door frame 3 is closed with respect to the main body frame 4, the tips of the door frame hooks 652 of the locking unit 650 are inserted through these insertion holes. The upper reinforcement frame 113 has a constant width in the vertical direction and extends horizontally with a length substantially the same as the left-right width of the door frame base 101.

[0108] The intermediate reinforcement frame 114 extends horizontally with a width that is wider in the vertical direction than the vertical width of the upper reinforcement frame 113. The intermediate reinforcement frame 114 has a notch 114a that is square-cut downward from the upper end near the left end and a through-hole 114b that penetrates in the front-rear direction near the right end. The notch 114a is formed at a position that coincides with the upper plate ball passage hole 101g of the door frame base 101, and the through-hole 114b is formed at a position that coincides with the through-hole 101j of the door frame base 101.

[0109] The cylinder mounting frame 115 includes a pair of rear piece parts that are spaced apart left and right and formed in a rectangular flat plate shape extending vertically in a front view, a pair of side piece parts that extend flatly forward from the respective facing sides of the pair of rear piece parts, and a flat front piece part that connects the front edges of the pair of front extending parts. The cylinder mounting frame 115 is formed in a convex shape protruding forward in a plan view. The left rear piece part of the cylinder mounting frame 115 is attached to the right end of the intermediate reinforcing frame 114, and the right rear piece part is attached to the right reinforcing frame 112. The cylinder lock 130 is attached to the front piece part of this cylinder mounting frame 115.

[0110] The hooking member 116 is attached to a portion of the insertion hole that penetrates front and rear on the rear side of the right reinforcing frame 112. The door frame hook 652 of the locking unit 650 is hooked on these hooking members 116.

[0111] The left reinforcing frame 111, the right reinforcing frame 112, the upper reinforcing frame 113, the intermediate reinforcing frame 114, the cylinder mounting frame 115, and the hooking member 116 that constitute the door frame reinforcing unit 110 are formed by punching and bending a metal plate by press molding. These are assembled with rivets.

[0112] In the door frame reinforcing unit 110, the left reinforcing frame 111, the right reinforcing frame 112, and the upper reinforcing frame 113 are assembled along the left side, the right side, and the upper side of the door frame base 101, and the intermediate reinforcing frame 114 is assembled so as to be located below the door window 101a of the door frame base 101.

[0113] The door frame reinforcement unit 110 is attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 by a plurality of screws (not shown). In a state where the door frame reinforcement unit 110 is attached to the door frame base 101, the notch portion 114a and the through portion 114b of the intermediate reinforcement frame 114 are aligned with the upper dish ball passage port 101g and the through hole 101j of the door frame base 101, and the cylinder attachment frame 115 is inserted into the cylinder insertion hole 101d of the door frame base 101.

[0114] [3-1f. Upper Door Frame Hinge Assembly] The upper door frame hinge assembly 120 of the door frame base unit 100 will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 31 to 33. The upper door frame hinge assembly 120 is attached to the upper left corner in the front view of the door frame reinforcement unit 110. The upper door frame hinge assembly 120 is for attaching the door frame 3 to the main body frame 4 so as to be hinge-rotatable in cooperation with the lower door frame hinge member 125. The upper door frame hinge assembly 120 includes a hinge bracket 121 attached to the door frame reinforcement unit 110, an upper door frame hinge pin 122 attached to the hinge bracket 121 so as to be movable in the vertical direction, a flange member 123 attached to the upper door frame hinge pin 122, and a lock spring 124 that biases the upper door frame hinge pin 122 to move upward.

[0115] The hinge bracket 121 includes a flat mounting piece 121a having a quadrangular shape in the front view, and flat protruding pieces 121b extending forward from the upper side and the lower side of the mounting piece 121a. The hinge bracket 121 has the mounting piece 121a attached to the door frame reinforcement unit 110. The hinge bracket 121 is formed by bending a metal plate.

[0116] The hinge pin 122 on the door frame is a cylindrical metal bar bent into an L shape. In the state where the hinge pin 122 on the door frame is assembled to the hinge assembly 120 on the door frame, the portion extending vertically penetrates from below near the front ends of the pair of protruding pieces 121b in the hinge bracket 121, and the upper end extends upward beyond the upper protruding piece 121b, and the portion extending horizontally abuts against the lower surface of the lower protruding piece 121b. The upper end of the hinge pin 122 on the door frame is rotatably inserted into the hinge hole 511a for the door frame of the upper hinge body 511 in the hinge member 510 on the main body frame of the main body frame 4.

[0117] The flange member 123 is an E-ring and is attached to the portion between the pair of protruding pieces 121b of the hinge pin 122 on the door frame. The lock spring 124 is formed in a coil shape and is put around the portion of the hinge pin 122 on the door frame extending vertically between the flange member 123 and the lower protruding piece 121b of the hinge bracket 121. By this lock spring 124, the hinge pin 122 on the door frame is biased upward via the flange member 123.

[0118] The hinge assembly 120 on the door frame is in a state where the hinge pin 122 on the door frame is biased upward by the lock spring 124. The horizontal portion at the lower end of the hinge pin 122 on the door frame abuts against the lower surface of the lower protruding piece 121b, thereby restricting further upward movement. In this state, the upper end of the hinge pin 122 on the door frame protrudes upward by a predetermined amount from the upper surface of the upper protruding piece 121b.

[0119] The upper hinge assembly 120 on the door frame can move the horizontally extending part at the lower end of the upper hinge pin 122 on the door frame downward against the biasing force of the locking spring 124, which can move the upper hinge pin 122 on the door frame downward as a whole, and the upper end of the upper hinge pin 122 on the door frame can be immersed below the upper surface of the upper protruding piece 121b. Therefore, the upper hinge assembly 120 on the door frame can insert or remove the upper end of the upper hinge pin 122 on the door frame into or from the upper hinge hole 511a for the door frame of the upper hinge member 510 on the main body frame from below. By inserting the upper end of the upper hinge pin 122 on the door frame into the upper hinge hole 511a for the door frame of the upper hinge member 510 on the main body frame, the upper left end of the door frame 3 in the front view can be supported by the main body frame 4 so as to be hinge-rotatable.

[0120] Also, in the upper hinge assembly 120 on the door frame, the vertically extending part of the upper hinge pin 122 on the door frame is coaxially located with the lower hinge pin 126 of the lower hinge member 125 on the door frame described later. Thereby, the door frame 3 can be hinge-rotated with respect to the main body frame 4 in a good state by the upper hinge pin 122 on the door frame and the lower hinge pin 126 on the door frame.

[0121] [3-1g. Lower hinge member on door frame] The lower hinge member 125 on the door frame of the door frame base unit 100 will be mainly described with reference to FIGS. 31 to 33. The lower hinge member 125 on the door frame is attached to the lower left corner of the door frame reinforcement unit 110 in the front view. The lower hinge member 125 on the door frame is for attaching the door frame 3 to the main body frame 4 so as to be hinge-rotatable in cooperation with the upper hinge assembly 120 on the door frame.

[0122] The lower hinge member 125 on the door frame includes a mounting piece 125a that is attached to the door frame reinforcement unit 110 and is rectangular in the front view and flat plate-shaped, a flat plate-shaped protruding piece 125b that extends forward from the lower side of the mounting piece 125a, and a lower hinge pin 126 (see FIG. 22 etc.) that protrudes downward from the lower surface near the front end of the protruding piece 125b.

[0123] The mounting piece 125a and the protruding piece 125b of the lower hinge member 125 of the door frame are formed by bending a metal plate. The lower hinge pin 126 of the door frame is a cylindrical metal rod, and a tapered chamfer is provided on the outer periphery of the lower end portion. This lower hinge pin 126 of the door frame is attached to a portion that is coaxial with the portion extending above and below the upper hinge pin 122 of the upper hinge assembly 120 of the door frame in the protruding piece 125b in a state of being assembled to the door frame base unit 100.

[0124] By inserting this lower hinge pin 126 of the door frame into the lower hinge hole 522a for the door frame of the main body frame lower hinge assembly 520, the door frame 3 can be supported so as to be hinge-rotatable with respect to the main body frame 4.

[0125] [3-1h. Cylinder lock] Regarding the cylinder lock 130 in the door frame base unit 100 of the door frame 3, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 34 to 36. FIG. 34(a) is a perspective view of the cylinder lock of the door frame seen from the front, (b) is a perspective view of the cylinder lock of (a) seen from the back to the front, (c) is a perspective view of the cylinder lock in a conventional pachinko machine seen from the front, and (d) is a perspective view of the cylinder lock of (a) seen from the back. FIG. 35(a) is an exploded perspective view of the cylinder lock of FIG. 34(a) seen from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the cylinder lock of FIG. 34(a) seen from the back. FIG. 36(a) is an explanatory view showing the movable mechanism of the cylinder lock of FIG. 34(a) from the front, (b) is an explanatory view of the cylinder lock shown in a state rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the state of (a), and (c) is an explanatory view of the cylinder lock shown in a state rotated 90 degrees clockwise from the state of (a).

[0126] The cylinder lock 130 is attached to the cylinder mounting frame 115 of the door frame reinforcement unit 110 and is used in cooperation with the locking unit 650 of the main body frame 4 to open and close the door frame 3 and the main body frame 4, and to lock and unlock the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4. The cylinder lock 130 includes a columnar cylinder body 131 extending in the front-rear direction, a keyhole 132 formed on the front end face of the cylinder body 131, and a rotation transmission member 133 provided behind the cylinder body 131 and rotating together when a regular key inserted into the keyhole 132 is rotated.

[0127] The cylinder body 131 of the cylinder lock 130 penetrates the front part of the cylinder mounting frame 115 from the rear, and the rear end is attached to the front part. The rotation transmission member 133 is formed in a cylindrical shape with an open rear (specifically, a conical cylindrical shape with a diameter increasing toward the rear), and has a pair of notches cut from the rear end toward the front at positions facing each other across the central axis. The rotation transmission member 133 is formed such that the transmission cylinder 654 of the locking unit 650 in the main body frame 4 is inserted from the rear, and when a pair of protrusions of the transmission cylinder 654 are inserted into the pair of notches, the rotation of the rotation transmission member 133 (the key inserted into the keyhole 132) can be transmitted to the transmission cylinder 654 to cause it to rotate.

[0128] More specifically, the cylinder lock 130 includes a first cam member 134 provided on the rear end side of the cylinder body 131 and rotating together when a regular key inserted into the keyhole 132 is rotated, a second cam member 135 rotatably attached around an axis in the front-rear direction at a position below the cylinder body 131 in the cylinder mounting frame 115, a strip-shaped first arm 136 with its upper end rotatably attached at a position to the right of the rotation center of the first cam member 134 and its lower end rotatably attached at a position to the right of the rotation center of the second cam member 135, and a strip-shaped second arm 137 with its upper end rotatably attached at a position below the rotation center of the first cam member 134 and its lower end rotatably attached at a position below the rotation center of the second cam member 135.

[0129] In addition, the cylinder tablet 130 is attached to the cylinder mounting frame 115 with a rear cover 138 that covers the cylinder body 131, the first cam member 134, the first arm 136, and the second arm 137 from the rear, excluding the second cam member 135 (rotation transmission member 133), and rivets 139 that rotatably attach the upper and lower ends of the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 to the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135, respectively.

[0130] The upper end side of the first arm 136 is attached to the rear surface side of the first cam member 134, and the upper end side of the second arm 137 is attached to the front surface side. The second cam member 135 is rotatably attached to the cylinder mounting frame 115 from the rear side, and a rotation transmission member 133 is integrally rotatably attached to the rear side with the front surface of the cylinder mounting frame 115 interposed therebetween. The lower end side of the first arm 136 is attached to the front surface side of the second cam member 135, and the lower end side of the second arm 137 is attached to the front surface side in front of the first arm 136.

[0131] In each of the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135, the portion where the first arm 136 is attached and the portion where the second arm 137 is attached are separated by an angle of 90 degrees around their respective rotation axes. Also, in each of the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135, the portion where the first arm 136 is attached is provided at a position farther from the rotation center than the portion where the second arm 137 is attached.

[0132] The rear cover 138 is detachably attached to the cylinder mounting frame 115 by a screw (not shown) at the upper end side in a state where shaft portions 138a protruding cylindrically outward from the lower ends of both left and right side surfaces are locked to the L-shaped locking slits 115b of the cylinder mounting frame 115.

[0133] This cylinder lock 130 is formed of metal, including a cylinder mounting frame 115, a cylinder body 131, a rotation transmission member 133, a first cam member 134, a second cam member 135, a first arm 136, and a second arm 137.

[0134] When the cylinder lock 130 is assembled to the door frame 3, the front end of the cylinder body 131 substantially coincides with the front end of the cylinder insertion port 440b of the door frame right side unit 430.

[0135] Here, the conventional cylinder lock 130A will be described. As shown in FIGS. 34(c) and (d), in the conventional cylinder lock 130A, the cylinder body 131 penetrates the front piece part of the cylinder mounting frame 115A from the rear, and the rear end is attached to the front piece part. A rotation transmission member 133 is provided on the axis of the cylinder body 131 of this cylinder lock 130A.

[0136] Subsequently, the operation of the cylinder lock 130 of the present embodiment will be described. In the conventional cylinder lock 130, as shown in FIGS. 34(c) and (d), a rotation transmission member 133 is provided on the axis of the cylinder body 131, whereas in the cylinder lock 130 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 34(a) and (b) etc., a rotation transmission member 133 is provided at a position separated downward from the axis of the cylinder body 131.

[0137] In the normal state of this cylinder lock 130, as shown in FIG. 36(a), both the upper and lower ends of the first arm 136 are attached to the right side of the respective rotation centers of the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135, and both the upper and lower ends of the second arm 137 are attached to the lower side of the respective rotation centers of the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135. In the cylinder body 131, it can be rotated 90 degrees in the clockwise direction and the counterclockwise direction respectively from the normal state by a regular key.

[0138] In this state, when the key inserted into the keyhole 132 rotates the first cam member 134 counterclockwise through the cylinder of the cylinder body 131, the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 will move upward. At this time, in the first arm 136, since the upper end side is attached to the right of the rotation center of the first cam member 134, a large force acts on the first arm 136 to rotate the second cam member 135 counterclockwise. On the other hand, in the second arm 137, since the upper end side is attached below the rotation center of the first cam member 134, almost no force acts on the second arm 137 to rotate the second cam member 135 counterclockwise.

[0139] In this way, when the first cam member 134 rotates counterclockwise from the normal state, the force is mainly transmitted through the first arm 136, the second cam member 135 rotates counterclockwise, and the rotation transmission member 133 rotates together with the second cam member 135. The upward force generated by the counterclockwise rotation of the first cam member 134 is proportional to the horizontal distance between the parts where the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 are attached to the first cam member 134 and the rotation center of the first cam member 134. Therefore, as the first cam member 134 rotates counterclockwise from the normal state, the upward force acting on the first arm 136 decreases, while the upward force acting on the second arm 137 increases.

[0140] Therefore, when the rotation angle of the first cam member 134 from the normal state exceeds 45 degrees counterclockwise, the upward force acting on the second arm 137 is greater than that acting on the first arm 136, and mainly through the second arm 137, the second cam member 135 rotates counterclockwise. And the key inserted into the keyhole 132 can be rotated counterclockwise from the normal state up to an angle of 90 degrees (see Fig. 36(b)).

[0141] Note that when returning to the normal state by rotating 90 degrees in the clockwise direction from the state where it is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise from the normal state by the key, it will operate by the reverse action of the above.

[0142] On the other hand, when the first cam member 134 is rotated in the clockwise direction through the cylinder of the cylinder body 131 by the key inserted into the keyhole 132 from the normal state, the first arm 136 with the upper end side attached to the right of the rotation center of the first cam member 134 moves downward, and the second arm 137 with the upper end side attached below the rotation center of the first cam member 134 moves upward. At this time, in the first arm 136, since the upper end side is attached to the right of the rotation center of the first cam member 134, a large force acts to rotate the second cam member 135 in the clockwise direction by the first arm 136. In contrast, in the second arm 137, since the upper end side is attached below the rotation center of the first cam member 134, almost no force acts to rotate the second cam member 135 in the clockwise direction from the second arm 137.

[0143] In this way, when the first cam member 134 rotates in the clockwise direction from the normal state, the force is mainly transmitted through the first arm 136, the second cam member 135 rotates in the clockwise direction, and the rotation transmission member 133 rotates together with the second cam member 135. The force transmitted from the first cam member 134 to the second cam member 135 by the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 is proportional to the horizontal distance between the parts where the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 are attached to the first cam member 134 and the rotation center of the first cam member 134. Therefore, as the first cam member 134 rotates in the clockwise direction from the normal state, the force to rotate the second cam member 135 becomes smaller in the first arm 136, while the force to rotate the second cam member 135 becomes larger in the second arm 137.

[0144] Therefore, when the rotation angle of the first cam member 134 from the normal state in the clockwise direction exceeds 45 degrees, the second arm 137 has a greater force than the first arm 136 to rotate the second cam member 135, and mainly through the second arm 137, the second cam member 135 rotates in the clockwise direction. And the key inserted into the keyhole 132 can be rotated from the normal state up to an angle of 90 degrees in the clockwise direction (see Fig. 36(c)).

[0145] Note that when returning from the state where the key is rotated 90 degrees in the clockwise direction from the normal state to the normal state by rotating 90 degrees in the clockwise direction, it will operate by the reverse action of the above.

[0146] As described above, according to the cylinder lock 130 of the present embodiment, the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135 are connected by the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 attached with a phase difference of 90 degrees from each other to transmit rotation. Therefore, no matter what rotational position the first cam member 134 (the key inserted into the keyhole 132) is in, rotation can be transmitted by at least one of the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 to rotate the second cam member 135 (the rotation transmission member 133), and the locking and unlocking of the door frame 3 and the main body frame 4 can be made good.

[0147] Also, according to the cylinder lock 130 of the present embodiment, by transmitting rotation by the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 as the rotation transmission mechanism, the axis of the rotation transmission member 133 (the transmission cylinder 654 of the locking unit 650 in the main body frame 4) can be provided at different positions with respect to the axis of the cylinder main body 131. Therefore, without changing the locking unit 650, the position of the cylinder main body 131 in the door frame 3 can be changed to an arbitrary position, and the cylinder main body 131 (the keyhole 132) can be provided at a position that does not interfere with the decoration of the door frame 3, and a pachinko machine 1 with high decorativeness of the door frame 3 can be provided.

[0148] Also, as described above, even if the position of the cylinder main body 131 is changed in the door frame 3, it is not necessary to change the locking unit 650 in the main body frame 4. Therefore, the locking unit 650 can be diverted, and an increase in the cost of the pachinko machine 1 can be suppressed.

[0149] By the way, in the conventional cylinder lock 130A, since the rotation transmission member 133 is provided behind the cylinder main body 131, a person who knows about this configuration may insert a tool from the front to the rear of the cylinder main body 131 and rotate the rotation transmission member 133 illegally with the tool, thereby opening the door frame 3 and committing an illegal act. On the other hand, in the cylinder lock 130 of the present embodiment, since the rotation transmission member 133 is provided at a position away from the axis (rear) of the cylinder main body 131, even if an attempt is made to insert a tool behind the cylinder main body 131 and rotate the rotation transmission member 133, since the rotation transmission member 133 does not exist at that part, the rotation transmission member 133 cannot be rotated, and it is possible to prevent an illegal act of opening the door frame 3, the main body frame 4, etc.

[0150] Furthermore, in the cylinder lock 130, since the second arm 137 connects portions spaced apart by a rotation angle of 90 degrees in the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135 with respect to the first arm 136, even if the portion of one of the first arm 136 or the second arm 137 attached to the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135 is located on the straight line connecting the center of the first cam member 134 and the center of the second cam member 135, the other of the first arm 136 or the second arm 137 is in a state of connecting the portions farthest from the straight line connecting the center of the first cam member 134 and the center of the second cam member 135. Therefore, even if one of the first arm 136 or the second arm 137 is located at the dead center of the first cam member 134 and the second cam member 135 and cannot transmit the rotation from the first cam member 134 to the second cam member 135, the other of the first arm 136 or the second arm 137 can transmit the rotation from the first cam member 134 to the second cam member 135. Thus, no large resistance is applied to the rotation of the first cam member 134, the key inserted into the keyhole 132 can be smoothly rotated, the locking and unlocking can be easily performed, the key inserted into the keyhole can be prevented from being forcibly rotated, and the breakage of the key can be prevented.

[0151] Also, since the rotation of the key inserted into the keyhole 132 is transmitted to the rotation transmission member 133 provided at an eccentric position by the two arms of the first arm 136 and the second arm 137, even if one arm is damaged for some reason, the rotation can be transmitted by the remaining arm, and the pachinko machine 1 having a highly reliable cylinder lock 130 can be provided.

[0152] In addition, the smooth rod-shaped (strip-shaped) first arm 136 and second arm 137 are configured to transmit the rotation of the key inserted into the keyhole 132 to the rotation transmission member 133 provided at an eccentric position. Therefore, when the rotation is transmitted by gears, there is a risk that the gear will rotate by hooking the tip of the tool on the teeth of the gear, and the rotation transmission member 133 will be rotated. However, since the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 are rod-shaped with smooth surfaces, it is difficult for the tip of the tool to catch on the first arm 136 or the second arm 137. By preventing the first arm 136 or the second arm 137 from being moved, it is possible to avoid the rotation transmission member 133 from being rotated, and it is possible to surely prevent the locking unit 650 from being illegally operated and the door frame 3 and the main body frame 4 from being unlocked.

[0153] In the cylinder lock 130 of the present embodiment, the first arm 136 and the second arm 137 are used as the rotation transmission mechanism for transmitting the rotation of the first cam member 134 to the second cam member 135. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a rotation transmission mechanism using a plurality of gears, a rotation transmission mechanism using a gear and a rack gear, a rotation transmission mechanism using a sprocket and a chain, a rotation transmission mechanism using a pulley and a belt, etc. may be used.

[0154] [3-1i. Ball Feeding Unit] The ball feeding unit 140 of the door frame base unit 100 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 37 and 38. FIG. 37(a) is a perspective view of the ball feeding unit of the door frame base unit seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the ball feeding unit seen from the rear. FIG. 38(a) is an exploded perspective view of the ball feeding unit seen from the front, and (b) is an exploded perspective view of the ball feeding unit with the rear case and the anti-tampering member removed, seen from the rear. The ball feeding unit 140 can supply the game balls B supplied one by one from the upper tray 201 of the tray unit 200 to the ball launching device 540 of the main body frame 4, and can also remove the game balls B stored in the upper tray 201 to the lower tray 202 by operating the upper tray ball removal button 222.

[0155] The ball feeding unit 140 has a front cover 141 in a box shape with an inlet 141a through which the game ball B is supplied from the upper plate 201 of the dish unit 200 and penetrates in the front-rear direction, and a ball outlet 141b that opens below the inlet 141a and is open at the rear; a rear cover 142 in a box shape that closes the rear end of the front cover 141 and is open at the front, and has a hitting ball supply port 142a for supplying the game ball B that has entered from the inlet 141a of the front cover 141, which penetrates in the front-rear direction, to the ball launching device 540; a ball discharging member 143 pivotally supported around an axis extending in the front-rear direction between the rear cover 142 and the front cover 141, and having a partition portion 143a that partitions between the inlet 141a and the ball outlet 141b on the rear side of the front cover 141; a ball feeding member 144 that feeds the game balls B on the partition portion 143a of the ball discharging member 143 one by one to the hitting ball supply port 142a of the rear cover 142 and is rotatably supported around an axis extending in the vertical direction between the front cover 141 and the rear cover 142; and a ball feeding solenoid 145 that rotates the ball feeding member 144.

[0156] As shown in the figure, in the front view of this ball feeding unit 140, the ball feeding member 144 is arranged on the right side of the inlet 141a, the ball discharging member 143 is arranged on the left side of the ball feeding member 144, and the ball feeding solenoid 145 is arranged on the right side of the ball feeding member 144.

[0157] The front cover 141 of the ball feeding unit 140 is provided with an arc-shaped slit 141c formed concentrically with respect to the rotation center of the ball discharging member 143 on the left side of the ball outlet 141b in the front view, and the operating rod 143c of the ball discharging member 143 described later extends forward from this slit 141c. Further, the upper edge of the front cover 141 extends upward from the upper edge of the inlet 141a, and when the door frame 3 is assembled, it is formed to close the rearward-opening part at the upstream end side of the ball feeding guide path 241b and the ball discharging guide path 241c of the rear base 241 in the upper plate ball discharging rear unit 240 from the rear side.

[0158] The ball removal member 143 includes a partition portion 143a that partitions the space between the inlet 141a and the ball removal port 141b below the inlet 141a and has a partition upper surface that slopes downward toward the ball feeding member 144; a rotating paddle portion 143b that extends downward from the end of the partition portion 143a opposite to the ball feeding member 144, bends in a U-shape from near the middle in the vertical direction toward the lower center of the ball removal port 141b, and has a lower end that extends in the front-rear direction and is rotatably supported around an axis; a rod-shaped operating paddle 143c that protrudes forward from the upper end of the rotating paddle portion 143b; and a weight portion 143d that protrudes from the side surface of the rotating paddle portion 143b below the operating paddle 143c and on the side opposite to the partition portion 143a. The operating paddle 143c of the ball removal member 143 is formed to protrude forward through an arc-shaped slit 141c formed in the front cover 141 (see Fig. 37(a)). The operating paddle 143c abuts against the upper end (upper surface) of the operation transmission portion 242b of the upper dish ball removal slider 242 that moves downward by pressing the upper dish ball removal button 222 of the dish unit 200 through the ball feeding opening 101e of the door frame base 101.

[0159] The ball feeding member 144 includes a blocking portion 144a that faces the inlet 141a and the partition portion 143a of the ball removal member 143, extends in the vertical direction, and has a fan-shaped plan view centered on a rotation axis; a ball holding portion 144b that is recessed in an arc shape from the rear end of the blocking portion 144a toward the rotation axis side; and a rod-shaped paddle portion 144c that extends downward from the rear end of the ball holding portion 144b. The blocking portion 144a and the ball holding portion 144b of the ball feeding member 144 are formed adjacent to each other within an angular range of approximately 180° centered on the rotation axis. Also, the ball holding portion 144b of the ball feeding member 144 is sized to hold one game ball B. The ball feeding member 144 rotates around the rotation axis by moving the paddle portion 144c, which is disposed at a position eccentric from the rotation axis, in the left-right direction by driving the ball feeding solenoid 145.

[0160] This ball feeding member 144 is configured to rotate between a supply position where the blocking portion 144a faces the partition portion 143a and at the same time the ball holding portion 144b faces the direction communicating with the hitting ball supply port 142a, and a holding position where the ball holding portion 144b faces the partition portion 143a. When the ball feeding member 144 is at the supply position, the game ball B held by the ball holding portion 144b is supplied from the hitting ball supply port 142a to the ball launching device 540, and the game ball B that has entered onto the partition portion 143a from the entrance 141a is blocked from moving to the ball holding portion 144b (hitting ball supply port 142a) side by the blocking portion 144a and remains on the partition portion 143a. On the other hand, when the ball feeding member 144 rotates to the holding position, the ball holding portion 144b faces the partition portion 143a, and the end portion on the paddle portion 144c side of the ball holding portion 144b closes the hitting ball supply port 142a, and only one game ball B on the partition portion 143a is held within the ball holding portion 144b.

[0161] In addition, the ball feeding unit 140 includes a ball feeding operating paddle 146 whose tip swings in the vertical direction by driving (energizing) a ball feeding solenoid 145, and a ball feeding crank 147 that rotates around an axis extending in the front-rear direction by the movement of the tip of the ball feeding operating paddle 146 that swings in the vertical direction, and rotates the ball feeding member 144 around an axis extending in the vertical direction.

[0162] The ball feeding actuating lever 146 is provided with an iron plate 146a at a position below the ball feeding solenoid 145. The ball feeding actuating lever 146 extends horizontally, and the end portion (right end portion) on the side opposite to the ball feeding crank 147 is rotatably attached to the front cover 141 and the rear cover 142 around an axis extending in the front-rear direction. When the ball feeding solenoid 145 is driven, the iron plate 146a is attracted upward toward the ball feeding solenoid 145 by the generated magnetic force, and the ball feeding actuating lever 146 rotates so that the left end portion side closer to the ball feeding crank 147 moves upward with the right end portion as the center. Then, when the drive of the ball feeding solenoid 145 is released, the magnetic force disappears, and the weight of the iron plate 146a acts, causing the ball feeding actuating lever 146 to rotate so that the left end portion side closer to the ball feeding crank 147 moves downward and returns to the initial state. As a result, the ball feeding actuating lever 146 causes the left end portion (tip) closer to the ball feeding crank 147 to swing in the vertical direction by the ball feeding solenoid 145.

[0163] The ball feeding crank 147 includes an engaging portion 147a that can engage with the tip of the ball feeding actuating lever 146 that moves up and down and extends in the left-right direction, a shaft portion 147b that is disposed on the side opposite to the side where the engaging portion 147a engages with the ball feeding actuating lever 146 and is pivotally supported around an axis extending in the front-rear direction between the front cover 141 and the rear cover 142, and a transmission portion 147c that extends upward from the shaft portion 147b and engages with a rod-shaped lever portion 144c (see Fig. 38(b)) that protrudes downward from a position eccentric with respect to the rotation center of the ball feeding member 144.

[0164] This ball feeding unit 140 can rotate the ball feeding crank 147 around an axis extending in the front-rear direction via the ball feeding actuating lever 146 by moving the tip (left end) of the ball feeding actuating lever 146 upward by driving the ball feeding solenoid 145.

[0165] When the ball feeding unit 140 is not driven by the ball feeding solenoid 145 (in the normal state), the ball feeding operating rod 146 is separated from the lower end of the ball feeding solenoid 145 and the tip is positioned downward. In this state, the ball feeding member 144 is in the supply position. Also, when the ball feeding solenoid 145 is driven, the ball feeding operating rod 146 is attracted to the lower end of the ball feeding solenoid 145 and the tip (left end) is positioned upward, and the ball feeding member 144 rotates to the holding position. That is, when the ball feeding solenoid 145 is driven (ON state), the ball feeding member 144 receives one game ball B, and when the drive of the ball feeding solenoid 145 is released (OFF state), the game ball B received by the ball feeding member 144 can be sent (supplied) to the ball launching device 540 side. The drive of the ball feeding solenoid 145 in this ball feeding unit 140 is controlled in synchronization with the drive control of the launching solenoid 542 by the launching control unit 633b (see FIG. 160) of the payout control board 633.

[0166] Also, the ball feeding unit 140 is pivotally supported so that a moment is applied to the ball removing member 143 or the weight portion 143d to rotate in the counterclockwise direction when viewed from the front. However, since the operating rod 143c protruding forward of the ball removing member 143 abuts on the upper end of the operating transmission portion 242b of the upper plate ball removing slider 242 that operates by pressing the upper plate ball removing button 222 of the dish unit 200, its rotation is restricted. Therefore, in the normal state, the partition portion 143a of the ball removing member 143 is positioned between the inlet 141a and the ball removal port 141b to partition, and the game ball B does not enter the ball removal port 141b side.

[0167] When the player presses the upper plate ball extraction button 222 of the plate unit 200 downward, the upper plate ball extraction slider 242 slides downward together with the operation transmission part 242b, and as the operation transmission part 242b moves downward, the operation lever 143c also relatively moves downward. When the operation lever 143c moves downward together with the operation transmission part 242b, the ball extraction member 143 rotates counterclockwise in the front view, and the partition part 143a moves from between the entrance 141a and the ball extraction port 141b, and the partition is released. As a result, the game ball B that has entered from the entrance 141a falls toward the ball extraction port 141b side, is discharged from the ball extraction port 141b to the ball extraction guide path 241c of the upper plate ball extraction rear unit 240 in the plate unit 200, and can be discharged (supplied) to the lower plate 202 through the lower plate ball supply port 211c.

[0168] Note that the upper plate ball extraction slider 242 in which the operation transmission part 242b with which the operation lever 143c of the ball extraction member 143 abuts is formed is biased upward by a spring. Therefore, even if the game ball B is vigorously supplied onto the partition part 143a, the impact can be absorbed by the spring via the operation lever 143c, the ball extraction member 143 and the like can be prevented from being damaged, and the game ball B can be prevented from rebounding at the partition part 143a.

[0169] In addition, the ball feeding unit 140 is formed with a rectangular mounting recess 142b (see FIG. 38(b) etc.) that is recessed forward and upward to the upper right in the rear view of the hitting ball supply port 142a in the rear cover 142, and an anti-tampering member 148 is mounted in the mounting recess 142b. The anti-tampering member 148 of the ball feeding unit 140 is formed of a hard metal plate such as tool steel or stainless steel, and is detachably mounted from the rear side in the mounting recess 142b of the rear cover 142.

[0170] The anti-cheating member 148 is formed in a rectangular shape with an outer shape extending horizontally in a front view, and has an upper piece portion 148a and a lower piece portion 148b that are separated vertically at approximately the center in the vertical direction within a predetermined distance from the right side to the left side, and inclined portions 148c that are each formed in a chamfered C shape on the tip sides (right end sides in a front view) of the sides of the upper piece portion 148a and the lower piece portion 148b facing each other. The upper piece portion 148a of the anti-cheating member 148 is bent so that the right end in a front view protrudes rearward with respect to the general surface of the anti-cheating member 148. The lower piece portion 148b extends on the same surface as the general surface of the anti-cheating member 148. Thereby, in a plan view, the upper piece portion 148a and the lower piece portion 148b form a V-shaped groove that widens toward the right.

[0171] The anti-cheating member 148 is attached to the attachment recess 142b of the rear cover 142, so that the V-shaped groove formed by the upper piece portion 148a and the lower piece portion 148b communicates with the inside of the ball supply port 142a.

[0172] According to this anti-cheating member 148, when an illegal game ball B with a string attached is driven into the game area 5a from the upper tray through the ball feeding unit 140 by the ball launching device 540, and an illegal act is performed such that the string attached to the illegal game ball B is operated to insert and remove the illegal game ball B from the first starting port 2004 or the like, the momentum of the illegal game ball B launched (hit) by the ball launching device 540 causes the string attached to the illegal game ball B to be inserted between the upper piece portion 148a and the lower piece portion 148b, and then can be cut by the narrowed portion of the V shape formed by the upper piece portion 148a and the lower piece portion 148b, thereby preventing the occurrence of an illegal act using the illegal game ball B with a string attached.

[0173] [3-1j. Far Cover Unit] The fur cover unit 150 of the door frame base unit 100 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 39 and 40. FIG. 39(a) is a perspective view of the fur cover unit of the door frame base unit as seen from the front, and (b) is a perspective view of the fur cover unit as seen from the rear. FIG. 40 is a front view of the fur cover unit with the lid member removed. The fur cover unit 150 is attached to the right side in the rear view at the lower part on the rear side of the door frame base 101. The fur cover unit 150 guides the game ball B (fur ball) that has not reached the game area 5a of the game board 5 by the ball launching device 540 to the lower tray 202, and also guides the game ball B paid out from the payout device 580 to the upper tray 201 or the lower tray 202. As shown in the figure, the fur cover unit 150 includes a shallow box-shaped unit body 151 attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 with the front side open, and a flat lid member 152 attached to the front surface of the unit body 151.

[0174] The fur cover unit 150 has a through ball passage 150a that penetrates in the front-rear direction at the upper left corner in the front view and communicates the lower normal payout passage 610a of the lower full ball path unit 610 of the main body frame 4 with the upper tray ball supply port 211a of the tray unit 200, and a full ball receiving port 150b that opens rearward on the lower right side in the front view of the through ball passage 150a and can communicate with the lower full payout passage 610b of the lower full ball path unit 610 of the main body frame 4.

[0175] In addition, the fur cover unit 150 has a fur ball receiving port 150c that opens upward on the right side in the front view of the full ball receiving port 150b and receives the game ball B (fur ball) that has not reached the game area 5a despite being launched by the ball launching device 540 of the main body frame 4, and a ball discharge port 150d that opens forward near the lower right corner in the front view, discharges the game ball B received by the full ball receiving port 150b and the fur ball receiving port 150c forward, and communicates with the lower tray ball supply port 211c of the tray unit 200.

[0176] Furthermore, the fur cover unit 150 includes a storage passage 150e formed between the full-ball receiving port 150b, the fur-ball receiving port 150c, and the ball discharge port 150d by the unit main body 151 and the lid member 152, and having a size capable of storing a predetermined amount of game balls B.

[0177] The through-ball passage 150a is formed across both the unit main body 151 and the lid member 152. The full-ball receiving port 150b and the fur-ball receiving port 150c are formed in the unit main body 151. The ball discharge port 150d is formed in the lid member 152. The storage passage 150e is formed by the unit main body 151 and the lid member 152.

[0178] Also, the fur cover unit 150 includes a flat movable piece 153 that forms a part of the inner wall of the storage passage 150e and has a lower end rotatably attached to the unit main body 151 and the lid member 152, a full-ball detection sensor 154 that detects the rotation of the movable piece 153 in a direction away from the storage passage 150e, and a spring 155 that biases the movable piece 153 toward the storage passage 150e.

[0179] When the lower plate 202 of the dish unit 200 is filled with game balls B and the game balls B are no longer discharged from the ball discharge port 150d to the lower plate 202 side, the fur cover unit 150 can store a certain number of game balls B in the storage passage 150e. When a certain number of game balls B are stored in the storage passage 150e, the upper end of the movable piece 153 moves in a direction away from the storage passage 150e against the biasing force of the spring 155 due to the weight of the game balls B, and the movable piece 153 rotates. The rotation is detected by the full-ball detection sensor 154. As a result, it can be determined that the lower plate 202 is full of game balls B. Therefore, when the full-ball detection sensor 154 detects a full ball, the payout of further game balls B can be stopped, and the fact can be notified to the player, the staff of the game hall, etc., to prompt the elimination of the fullness of the lower plate 202.

[0180] Further, the fur cover unit 150 is attached below the through ball passage 150a on the rear side of the unit main body 151, and is provided with a door opening / closing contact portion 150f capable of contacting the operating projection 613a of the discharge passage opening / closing door 613 of the lower full ball path unit 610 in the discharge unit 560 (described later) of the main body frame 4 (see FIG. 90). The door opening / closing contact portion 150f is inclined so as to move forward as the rear surface goes downward. When the operating projection 613a of the discharge passage opening / closing door 613 contacts the door opening / closing contact portion 150f, the discharge passage opening / closing door 613 can be rotated to open the downstream ends (front openings) of the lower normal discharge passage 610a and the lower full ball discharge passage 610b.

[0181] [3-2. Glass Unit] The glass unit 160 in the door frame 3 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 29 and 30 and the like. The glass unit 160 is detachably attached by being inserted into the glass unit attachment portion 101h from the rear so as to close the door window 101a of the door frame base 101 in the door frame base unit 100. When the door frame 3 is closed with respect to the main body frame 4, the glass unit 160 allows the game area 5a of the game board 5 attached to the main body frame 4 to be visible from the player side (front), and closes the front of the game area 5a.

[0182] The glass unit 160 includes a frame-shaped glass frame 161 that can be attached to the glass unit attachment portion 101h and is larger than the inner peripheral shape of the door window 101a of the door frame base 101, two transparent glass plates 162 that close the inside of the glass frame 161 and whose outer peripheries are attached to the glass frame 161, and a pair of glass unit attachment members 163 that are rotatably attached to the rear side of the door frame base 101 in the door frame base unit 100 and attach the glass frame 161 to the door frame base 101.

[0183] The glass frame 161 has a pair of mounting pieces 161a that extend outward in a flat plate shape from positions below the upper corners on the left and right when viewed from the front, and a strip-shaped locking piece 161b that protrudes downward from the lower end and extends along the lower side. The mounting piece 161a of the glass frame 161 is capable of abutting against the protruding portion 163b of the glass unit mounting member 163. The locking piece 161b is insertable into the space between the door frame base 101 and the intermediate reinforcing frame 114 of the door frame reinforcing unit 110 (see Fig. 96). The two glass plates 162 are respectively attached to the front end side and the rear end side of the glass frame 161, and are spaced apart front and rear so that a space is formed between them (see Fig. 96).

[0184] The glass unit mounting member 163 has a disk-shaped base 163a that is rotatably mounted around an axis extending back and forth on the rear side of the door frame base 101, and a protruding portion 163b that protrudes in a rod shape in a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation from the base 163a. The glass unit mounting member 163 is rotatably mounted respectively on the outer sides of the upper two corners among the four corners of the door window 101a on the rear surface of the door frame base 101.

[0185] To attach the glass unit 160 to the door frame base 101, first, the glass unit mounting member 163 attached to the door frame base 101 is rotated so that the protruding portion 163b is positioned above the base 163a. Then, from the rear side of the door frame base 101, the locking piece 161b of the glass frame 161 of the glass unit 160 is inserted upward into the gap between the door frame base 101 and the intermediate reinforcing frame 114 of the door frame reinforcing unit 110, and then the front end of the glass frame 161 is abutted against the rear surface of the glass unit mounting portion 101h of the door frame base 101. After that, the glass unit mounting member 163 is rotated so that the protruding portion 163b is positioned below the base 163a, and the protruding portion 163b is abutted against the rear surface of the mounting piece 161a of the glass frame 161. Thereby, the glass unit 160 is attached to the door frame base 101.

[0186] When removing the glass unit 160 from the door frame base 101, it can be removed by the reverse procedure of the above. Thus, the glass unit 160 is detachable from the door frame base 101 (door frame base unit 100).

[0187] Note that in the glass unit 160, when the protruding portion 163b of the glass unit mounting member 163 is in the rotational position where it is located below the base portion 163a, the protruding portion 163b restricts the backward movement of the glass frame 161. Therefore, even if vibration or the like acts on the glass unit mounting member 163, the protruding portion 163b does not rotate to a position above the base portion 163a. Accordingly, the restriction on the backward movement of the glass frame 161 is not naturally released, and the glass unit 160 does not naturally come off from the door frame base 101.

[0188] [3-3. Anti-theft cover] The anti-theft cover 170 on the door frame 3 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 29 and 30 and the like. The anti-theft cover 170 is attached to the rear side of the door frame base unit 100 so as to cover the lower rear surface of the glass unit 160 and is formed of a transparent synthetic resin. The anti-theft cover 170 includes a flat main body portion 171 whose outer periphery is formed in a predetermined shape, a flat rear protruding piece 172 that protrudes backward along the outer peripheral edge of the main body portion 171, and a pair of locking pieces 173 that are spaced apart left and right and protrude forward from the main body portion 171 and can be locked to the rear side of the door frame base 101.

[0189] The main body portion 171 of the anti-theft cover 170 is formed such that its lower end protrudes below the lower end of the glass unit 160 when attached to the door frame base unit 100. Further, the upper end of the main body portion 171 is formed in a shape along the lower end of the game area 5a in the game board 5 when assembled to the pachinko machine 1. More specifically, the upper end of the main body portion 171 is formed in a shape along a part of the inner rail 1002 of the front constituent member 1000 described later, the out guide portion 1003, a part of the lower right rail 1004, and the right rail 1005, and is formed so as not to protrude into the game area 5a when assembled to the pachinko machine 1.

[0190] The rear projection 172 is formed along substantially the entire outer peripheral edge of the main body 171. Therefore, the security cover 170 is formed in a shallow box shape that is open to the rear by the main body 171 and the rear projection 172, and has high strength and rigidity. Further, the rear projection 172 also projects rearward from a part of the rear surface of the main body 171 that is different from the outer peripheral edge of the main body 171. The rear projection 172 that projects rearward from a part of the rear surface of the main body 171 is formed so as to be along a part of the outer rail 1001 in the front constituent member 1000 of the game board 5 in a state of being assembled to the pachinko machine 1.

[0191] Note that the rear projection 172 is not formed at a portion located between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 in the game board 5 in a state of being assembled to the pachinko machine 1. Thereby, the game ball B (the game ball B launched by the ball launcher 540) passing between the outer rail 1001 and the inner rail 1002 does not contact the rear projection 172 of the security cover 170, and does not hinder the entry of the game ball B into the game area 5a.

[0192] The pair of locking pieces 173 are elastically locked to the rear side of the door frame base unit 100 (the speaker duct 103 and the cable cover 109). Thereby, the security cover 170 can be easily attached to and detached from the door frame base unit 100.

[0193] When the anti-theft cover 170 is assembled to the pachinko machine 1, the front surface of the main body portion 171 abuts against the rear surface of the glass unit 160 (the rear end of the glass frame 161), and the rear protruding piece 172 excluding the portion protruding rearward from the lower side of the main body portion 171 is inserted into the anti-theft recess 1009 of the front constituent member 1000. Further, the anti-theft cover 170 is in a state where the rear protruding piece 172 protruding rearward from the lower side of the main body portion 171 protrudes rearward from the front surface of the front constituent member 1000 so as to contact the lower surface of the front constituent member 1000. As a result, the space between the anti-theft cover 170 and the game board 5 (front constituent member 1000) is in a complex bent state due to the rear protruding piece 172 of the anti-theft cover 170 and the anti-theft recess 1009 of the front constituent member 1000. Therefore, even if an illegal tool such as a piano wire tries to enter the game area 5a through the space between the anti-theft cover 170 and the front constituent member 1000 from below the front surface of the game board 5, it will be blocked by the rear protruding piece 172 and the anti-theft recess 1009, and the entry of illegal tools into the game area 5a can be prevented.

[0194] [3-4. Handle Unit and Handle Cover Unit] The handle unit 180 and the handle cover unit 290 in the door frame 3 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 41 to 47 and the like. FIG. 41(a) is an enlarged front view showing the parts of the handle unit and the handle cover unit in the door frame, and (b) is an enlarged perspective view showing the parts of the handle unit and the handle cover unit in the door frame. FIG. 42 is an exploded perspective view of the handle cover unit as seen from the front after being disassembled, and FIG. 43 is an exploded perspective view of the handle cover unit as seen from the rear after being disassembled. FIG. 44 is an exploded perspective view of the handle unit as seen from the front after being disassembled, and FIG. 45 is an exploded perspective view of the handle unit as seen from the rear after being disassembled. FIG. 46 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A in FIG. 41(a). FIG. 47 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B in FIG. 1. Note that in FIG. 46, it is a cross-sectional view of only the door frame 3 with the outer frame 2 and the main body frame 4 omitted.

[0195] The handle unit 180 of this embodiment, together with the handle cover unit 290 that covers the outer periphery, is attached to the door frame base unit 100 and the dish unit 200. By being operated by a player, the game ball B in the upper dish 201 can be driven into the game area 5a of the game board 5.

[0196] First, the handle unit 180 will be described. The handle unit 180 includes a handle base 181 whose rear end is attached to the handle mounting seat surface 101b of the door frame base 101 via a handle cover base 291 of the handle cover unit 290 to be described later, a handle 195 rotatably attached to the front end of the handle base 181, a plurality of handle guides 196 attached to the rear side of the handle 195 and guided by the handle cover base 291 to be described later, a disk-shaped cover base 183 attached to the handle base 181 so as to cover the center of the front end side of the handle 195, a handle decorative substrate 184 attached to the front side of the cover base 183 and having a plurality of LEDs 184a mounted on the front surface, and a handle front lens 185 attached to the cover base 183 so as to cover the front side of the handle decorative substrate 184.

[0197] Further, the handle unit 180 includes an inner base 186 attached to the front surface of the handle base 181 on the rear side of the handle 195, a shaft member 187 having a drive gear portion 187a on the outer periphery and rotatably attached with the handle 195 at the front end and rotatably attached by the inner base 186 and the handle base 181, a transmission gear 188 meshing with the drive gear portion 187a of the shaft member 187, and a handle rotation detection sensor 189 having a detection shaft 189a that rotates integrally with the transmission gear 188 and is sandwiched between the handle base 181 and the inner base 186.

[0198] Furthermore, the handle unit 180 includes a handle return spring 190 having one end attached to the handle base 181 and the other end attached to the handle 195, which biases the handle 195 to return to the initial rotation position (the rotation end in the counterclockwise direction in a front view), and an auxiliary spring 191 having one end attached to the inner base 186 and the other end attached to the transmission gear 188, which biases the detection shaft 189a of the handle rotation detection sensor 189 in the clockwise direction in a front view via the transmission gear 188.

[0199] The handle unit 180 also includes a handle touch sensor 192 attached to the handle base 181 behind the inner base 186, a single-shot button 193 having a tip protruding outward from the left side in a front view of the outer peripheral surface of the front end of the handle base 181 and a base end rotatably attached to the handle base 181 around an axis extending back and forth behind the inner base 186, and a single-shot button operation sensor 194 attached to the handle base 181 for detecting a pressing operation of the single-shot button 193.

[0200] The handle base 181 of the handle unit 180 includes a cylindrical base portion 181a extending back and forth, a disk-shaped front end portion 181b protruding radially from the front end of the base portion 181a, and groove portions 181c recessed from the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical base portion 181a, extending in the axial direction, and formed at three positions at unequal intervals in the circumferential direction. The outer diameter of the base portion 181a of the handle base 181 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the rear cylindrical portion 291c of the handle cover base 291 in the handle cover unit 290. The three groove portions 181c are formed at positions corresponding to the three protrusions 291d of the handle cover base 291 described later. Therefore, with the three groove portions 181c aligned with the three protrusions 291d, the base portion 181a can be inserted into the rear cylindrical portion 291c of the handle cover base 291, and when the protrusions 291d are inserted into the three groove portions 181c respectively, the handle base 181 becomes non-rotatable relative to the handle cover base 291.

[0201] The handle 195 includes a disk-shaped central hub portion 195a, a plurality (here, three) of spoke portions 195b that radially extend outward in a circumferential direction at intervals from the central hub portion 195a, an annular outer peripheral ring portion 195c that connects the tips of the plurality of spoke portions 195b, two slits 195d that extend in an arc shape centered on the rotation axis (shaft member 187) and penetrate the central hub portion 195a in the front-rear direction, and a locking projection 195e that protrudes rearward from a position inside the rotation center relative to the slit 195d and to which the other end side of the handle return spring 190 is locked. The outer diameter of the central hub portion 195a is substantially the same as the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface of a handle of a conventional pachinko machine.

[0202] The three spoke portions 195b of the handle 195 extend from positions at an angle of 120 degrees in the clockwise and counterclockwise directions around one spoke portion 195b that horizontally extends leftward from the central hub portion 195a when the handle 195 is in a free state (a state where it is not being rotated). The three spoke portions 195b extend to a length such that a gap through which a player's finger can be inserted is formed between the central hub portion 195a and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c.

[0203] The outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195 is provided coaxially with the center of the central hub portion 195a. The outer peripheral ring portion 195c is formed in an annular shape with a constant cross-sectional shape having a U-shaped rounded side facing forward.

[0204] This handle 195 is formed so as to have translucency as a whole, and a plating portion that is electrically continuous from the central hub portion 195a to the outer peripheral ring portion 195c is partially provided. As a result, even when only the outer peripheral ring portion 195c is touched, the touch of the handle 195 can be detected by the handle touch sensor 192. Therefore, even when the outer peripheral ring portion 195c is rotated, the game ball B can be driven in.

[0205] The handle guide 196 has a U-shaped guide portion 196a that opens toward the center side of the handle 195, and a flat mounting stay 196b that extends from the front end of the guide portion 196a toward the center side. The three handle guides 196 are attached to the rear side of the spoke portion 195b of the handle 195 such that the guide portion 196a is positioned behind the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195. The handle guide 196 is restricted from moving in the front-rear direction by inserting a guide piece 291g of a handle cover base 291, which will be described later, into the inside of the guide portion 196a.

[0206] The cover pedestal 183 is formed in a disk shape with a diameter smaller than the outer diameter of the central hub portion 195a of the handle 195, and includes three mounting bosses 183a that project rearward from the rear surface. The three mounting bosses 183a penetrate the slit 195d of the handle 195 from the front and are attached to the front surface of the handle base 181. Since the mounting bosses 183a of the cover pedestal 183 penetrate the slit 195d of the handle 195, the mounting bosses 183a come into contact with the circumferential end portions of the slit 195d, restricting the rotation angle of the handle 195. In this example, the handle 195 can be rotated within a range of a rotation angle of about 120 degrees.

[0207] A total of 10 LEDs 184a (full-color LEDs), including one at the center, three at regular intervals in the circumferential direction on the intermediate circumference, and six at regular intervals in the circumferential direction along the outer periphery, are mounted on the handle decorative substrate 184 in a triple concentric circle pattern. These LEDs 184a are divided into five groups: one at the center, three in the middle, two at the upper left on the outer periphery, two at the upper right on the outer periphery, and two at the lower side on the outer periphery (see FIG. 72). A 24-bit LED driver 184b having a unique address for causing each LED 184a to emit light is mounted on this handle decorative substrate 184. This LED driver 184b can control up to 24 channels, and controls a total of 15 channels in three channels per group so that the 10 LEDs 184a divided into five groups can emit light in full color respectively.

[0208] Although not shown, a wiring cable composed of four electric wires, namely, two power lines (one of which is a ground line) for supplying power to drive the LED 184a and the LED driver 184b, one control signal line for receiving signals such as commands and addresses from the peripheral control board 1510, and one clock line for synchronizing the LED driver 184b with the peripheral control board 1510, is connected to this handle decorative board 184. Then, in the LED driver 184b of this handle decorative board 184, when receiving the command addressed to the relevant address via the control signal line from the peripheral control board 1510 (the effect control board), it can cause the ten LEDs 184a divided into five groups to emit light in appropriate colors and intensities for each group according to the command.

[0209] Thus, since this handle decorative board 184 has the LED driver 184b, it is possible to control the light emission of a larger number of LEDs 184a than the number of electric wires constituting the connected wiring cable individually (here, for each group). Therefore, the number of electric wires can be reduced, and the configuration related to the electrical wiring can be simplified.

[0210] The front handle lens 185 has a front surface that bulges roundly forward and has light transmissivity. The front handle lens 185 is provided inside with a lens member three-dimensionally formed of a transparent member. This front handle lens 185 can be decorated with light emission by appropriately causing the LEDs on the front surface of the handle decorative board 184 to emit light.

[0211] The handle rotation detection sensor 189 is a variable resistor. When the handle 195 is rotated, the detection shaft 189a of the handle rotation detection sensor 189 rotates via the shaft member 187 and the transmission gear 188. The internal resistance of the handle rotation detection sensor 189 changes according to the rotation angle of this detection shaft 189a. Therefore, when the handle 195 is rotated to change the internal resistance of the handle rotation detection sensor 189, the driving force of the firing solenoid 542 in the ball firing device 540 described later changes according to the internal resistance, and the game ball B can be driven into the game area 5a with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 195.

[0212] The handle touch sensor 192 detects static electricity acting on the handle unit 180. When the player touches the handle 195, it detects the static electricity acting from the player and detects the contact of the player with the handle 195. Then, when the handle 195 is rotated while the handle touch sensor 192 is detecting the player's contact, the detection of the handle rotation detection sensor 189 is received, and the driving of the firing solenoid 542 is controlled with a strength corresponding to the rotation angle of the handle 195, so that the game ball B can be driven in.

[0213] Therefore, even if the player tries to rotate the handle 195 by some means without touching the handle 195 and drive the game ball B into the game area 5a, since the handle touch sensor 192 does not detect the player's contact, the firing solenoid 542 is not driven and the game ball B cannot be driven in. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the game from being played by rotating the handle 195 in a way different from the original, and it is possible to reduce the load (burden) on the game hall where the pachinko machine 1 is installed.

[0214] The single-shot button operation sensor 194 detects the pressing operation of the single-shot button 193 by the player. When this single-shot button operation sensor 194 detects the operation of the single-shot button 193, the driving of the firing solenoid 542 is stopped by the firing control unit 633b of the payout control board 633. Therefore, when the player presses the single-shot button 193 during the rotation operation of the handle 195, the firing of the game ball B can be temporarily stopped without returning the rotation operation of the handle 195. By releasing the pressing operation of the single-shot button 193, the game ball B can be driven into the game area 5a again with the driving strength before operating the single-shot button 193.

[0215] Next, the handle cover unit 290 will be described. The handle cover unit 290 includes a handle cover base 291 that covers the outer periphery on the rear side of the handle 195 in the handle unit 180 and has its rear end attached to the handle mounting seat surface 101b of the door frame base 101, an inner 292 that covers the outer periphery of the handle cover base 291 and has its rear end attached to the dish unit main body 252 of the dish unit 200, an annular handle cover decorative substrate 293 that is provided on the front side of the inner 292 and has a plurality of LEDs 293a mounted on its front surface, an annular substrate cover 294 that covers the handle cover decorative substrate 293 from the front, and a handle cover 295 that covers the outer periphery of the inner 292 and has its rear end attached to the dish unit main body 252 of the dish unit 200.

[0216] The handle cover base 291 includes a cylindrical front cylinder portion 291a that extends back and forth with an inner diameter substantially the same as the inner diameter of the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195, a middle wall portion 291b that extends such that the inner diameter decreases as it goes forward from the rear end of the front cylinder portion 291a, a cylindrical rear cylinder portion 291c that extends back and forth with an inner diameter through which the base portion 181a of the handle base 181 can be inserted and that penetrates the middle wall portion 291b, and a plurality (here, three) of protrusions 291d that protrude inward from the inner periphery of the rear cylinder portion 291c, extend back and forth, and are provided at positions corresponding to the groove portion 181c of the handle base 181 in the circumferential direction.

[0217] Further, the handle cover base 291 includes a flange portion 291e extending outward from a portion on the rear side of the front end of the outer periphery of the front cylinder portion 291a, a cylindrical outer cylinder portion 291f protruding forward from a position in the middle of the flange portion 291e to the same position as the front end of the front cylinder portion 291a, a guide piece 291g protruding outward from the front cylinder portion 291a at a portion between the front end of the front cylinder portion 291a and the flange portion 291e, and an opening 291h penetrating through the lower portion of the front cylinder portion 291a.

[0218] The middle wall portion 291b of the handle cover base 291 extends in an arc shape with a cross section bulging outward from the rear end of the front cylinder portion 291a to near the center in the front-rear direction. The rear cylinder portion 291c has its rear end attached to the handle mounting seat surface 101b of the door frame base 101. The rear cylinder portion 291c is formed to have the same length as the base portion 181a of the handle base 181, and the base portion 181a of the handle base 181 is inserted therein. The three ridges 291d correspond to the three groove portions 181c of the handle base 181, and by being inserted into the groove portions 181c, the handle base 181 can be made non-rotatable relative to the handle cover base 291. The outer cylinder portion 291f extends forward from a position outside the radial center of the flange portion 291e. In this handle cover base 291, a plurality of triangular ribs are provided in the circumferential direction so as to connect the front surface of the flange portion 291e and the outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder portion 291f.

[0219] The guide piece 291g protrudes from the outer periphery of the front cylinder portion 291a from the center between the outer periphery of the front cylinder portion 291a and the inner periphery of the outer cylinder portion 291f to a position closer to the front cylinder portion 291a. The guide piece 291g extends in the circumferential direction with a length in a range of about 110 degrees, and three guide pieces 291g are provided in the circumferential direction at intervals of 10 degrees. By inserting the rear end side of the guide portion 196a of the handle guide 196 in the handle unit 180 through between the guide pieces 291g and rotating the handle 195, the guide piece 291g can be positioned within the U-shaped guide portion 196a, and the movement of the guide portion 196a (handle 195) in the front-rear direction can be restricted.

[0220] The opening 291h has a length in the front-rear direction from the rear end of the front cylinder portion 291a to the vicinity of the flange portion 291e, and a size in the circumferential direction within an angular range of approximately 90 degrees, and penetrates the front cylinder portion 291a.

[0221] The inner 292 has an annular base portion 292a with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 and an outer diameter larger than the flange portion 291e, a leg portion 292b extending rearward from the outer peripheral edge of the base portion 292a, and a plurality (here, four) of notches 292c that are cut out from the rear end of the leg portion 292b to the vicinity of the base portion 292a and are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. The base portion 292a has the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 inserted therein from the front and is located behind the flange portion 291e. The leg portion 292b extends in a curved shape that bulges outward, and the rear end is attached to the dish unit main body 252 of the dish unit 200. The notches 292c are provided at the upper and lower parts and the left and right parts of the leg portion 292b, respectively.

[0222] The handle cover decorative substrate 293 is formed in an annular shape with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 and the same outer diameter as the flange portion 291e. The handle cover decorative substrate 293 has 12 LEDs 293a and an LED driver 293b having a unique address for causing each LED 293a to emit light mounted thereon. The 12 LEDs 293a (full-color LEDs) are provided in a row at intervals in the circumferential direction. These 12 LEDs 293a are divided into six groups: two in the lower left from the center, two on the left side, two in the upper left, two in the upper right, two on the right side, and two in the lower right (see FIG. 72). The LED driver 293b can control up to 24 channels and controls a total of 18 channels, three channels for each group, so that the 10 LEDs 293a divided into six groups can emit light in full color respectively.

[0223] Although not shown, a wiring cable consisting of four electric wires is connected to this handle cover decorative substrate 293. The four electric wires include two power lines (one being a ground line) for supplying power to drive the LED 293a and the LED driver 293b, one control signal line for receiving signals such as commands and addresses from the peripheral control substrate 1510, and one clock line for synchronizing the LED driver 293b with the peripheral control substrate 1510. In the LED driver 293b of this handle cover decorative substrate 293, when it receives a command addressed to the relevant address via the control signal line from the peripheral control substrate 1510 (the effect control substrate), it can cause the 12 LEDs 293a divided into 6 groups to emit light in appropriate colors and intensities for each group according to the command.

[0224] The substrate cover 294 has an annular front plate portion 294a with an inner diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 and substantially the same outer diameter as the outer diameter of the base portion 292a of the inner 292, and a cylindrical side plate portion 294b whose outer peripheral edge of the front plate portion 294a extends rearward slightly. This substrate cover 294 is positioned such that the front plate portion 294a is between the flange portion 291e of the handle cover base 291 and the handle cover decorative substrate 293, and the side plate portion 294b extends to the base portion 292a of the inner 292.

[0225] The handle cover 295 has a front hole 295a with an inner shape the same as the outer diameter of the outer cylinder portion 291f of the handle cover base 291 at the front end, and is formed in a cylindrical shape like a spindle (kamakura type, or bowl type, etc.) that bulges rearward. A plurality (here, four) of notch openings 295b cut from the rear end toward the front are provided in the circumferential direction. The handle cover 295 is formed to cover the outer circumference of the inner 292, and the plurality of notch openings 295b are formed to coincide with the notch portion 292c. The rear end of the handle cover 295 is attached to the dish unit body 252 of the dish unit 200 via the inner 292.

[0226] The handle cover 295 is two-color molded from synthetic resins with different colors and translucencies (light transmittance). Specifically, the handle cover 295 is two-color molded from two types of resins, an inner layer 3a and an outer layer 3b. A part of the inner layer 3a penetrates the outer layer 3b and appears on the outer surface, forming circular or radial patterns. That is, the circular or radial patterns appearing on the surface of the handle cover 295 are the inner layer 3a, and the circular or radial patterns are connected on the back side of the outer layer 3b (see Fig. 71(a)). When molding the handle cover 295, the inner layer 3a may be injection molded first, or the outer layer 3b may be injection molded first.

[0227] As shown in Fig. 46 etc., in the handle unit 180 and the handle cover unit 290 of this embodiment, in the state assembled to the pachinko machine 1, a part of the handle unit 180 behind the handle 195 is inserted into the front cylinder part 291a of the handle cover base 291, and the handle 195, the handle front lens 185, etc. are located on the front side of the handle cover unit 290. The rear end of the handle base 181 of the handle unit 180 is attached to the handle mounting seat surface 101b of the door frame base 101 in a state sandwiching the part closing the rear end of the rear cylinder part 291c of the handle cover base 291 in the handle cover unit 290.

[0228] For the handle 195 of this handle unit 180, the central hub part 195a in the center is rotatably supported by the handle base 181. Also, for the handle 195, the outer peripheral ring part 195c outside the central hub part 195a is rotatably supported by the handle cover unit 290 by a handle guide 196 attached to the rear side thereof. The rear end side of the guide part 196a of this handle guide 196 is inserted (locked) between the front cylinder part 291a and the outer cylinder part 291f of the handle cover base 291 and between the flange part 291e and the guide piece 291g, and is rotatably supported in a state where movement in the front-rear direction (axial direction) is restricted.

[0229] The handle 195, and the handle cover base 291, inner 292, substrate cover 294, and handle cover 295 in the handle cover unit 290 are formed to have translucency. By making the LED 293a of the handle cover decorative substrate 293 emit light, not only can the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195 be decoratively illuminated, but also the inside of the handle cover base 291 (front cylinder portion 291a), the handle cover 295, etc. can be decoratively illuminated.

[0230] The handle cover unit 290 has notch openings 295b and notches 292c that match each other in the handle cover 295 and the inner 292. Therefore, when viewed from the outside, holes communicating with the inside of the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 can be made to appear to be open on both the left and right sides and the lower side. This can relieve the mental unease of the player from sticking a hand (finger) through the space between the central hub portion 195a and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195 into the inside of the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291.

[0231] Note that the upper notch opening 295b of the handle cover 295 (the upper notch 292c of the inner 292) is closed by the dish right decorative unit 275 and the door frame right side unit 430.

[0232] In the handle cover unit 290 of the present embodiment, the inside of the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 into which the rear side of the handle unit 180 is inserted communicates with the lower notches 292c and notch openings 295b of the inner 292 and the handle cover 295 respectively through the opening 291h (see FIG. 47). Thereby, even if liquids such as drinks or game balls B enter the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 through the gap between the central hub portion 195a and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195, they can be discharged downward of the handle cover unit 290 through the lower opening 291h, notch 292c, and notch opening 295b.

[0233] Also, when liquid or game balls B enter the notch openings 295b on both the left and right sides of the handle cover 295, they can be discharged downward from the lower notch opening 295b through the gap between the front cylinder portion 291a and the leg portion 292b of the inner 292.

[0234] Also, the opening 291h of the handle cover base 291, the lower notch 292c of the inner 292, and the lower notch opening 295b of the handle cover 295 are provided on the extension line in the inclination direction of the blade portion 46b of the grill member 46 in the outer frame lower assembly 40 of the outer frame 2, as shown in FIG. 47. Thereby, the wind (wind pressure) discharged obliquely upward and forward from the grill member 46 through the blade portion 46b due to the vibration of the main body frame speaker 622 can enter the front cylinder portion 291a through the opening 291h, the notch 292c, and the notch opening 295b. Therefore, when a player inserts a finger inside the handle cover 295 (the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291) and rotates the handle 195 (the game ball B driving device), by vibrating the main body frame speaker 622 and sending wind into the front cylinder portion 291a, the player can be surprised and an unprecedented effect can be achieved.

[0235] Furthermore, since the handle cover 295 has the notch opening 295b, when opening the door frame 3 or the main body frame 4, a finger can be hooked on the right notch opening 295b and pulled, and it can be used as a handle when opening the door frame 3 or the like.

[0236] Also, in the handle 195, since the plating is applied up to the outer peripheral ring portion 195c, the handle touch sensor 192 can detect the touch of the handle 195, and the game ball B can be driven even when only the outer peripheral ring portion 195c is touched.

[0237] In addition, since the handle cover 295 has a notch opening 295b, by placing a finger on the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195 and the notch opening 295b and grasping them, the rotational position of the handle 195 can be easily fixed, and the game ball B can be continuously driven into the game area 5a with a certain strength without continuously twisting the hand. In this way, since the handle 195 can be rotated in various ways to drive the game ball B, the pachinko machine 1 that can select a driving operation suitable for the player can be provided.

[0238] This handle unit 180 is attached to the handle mounting seat surface 101b of the door frame base 101 via a handle cover unit 290 (handle cover base 291). The handle mounting seat surface 101b of this door frame base 101 is inclined in a plan view such that the right end side is located rearward of the left end side and faces the outside (open side). Therefore, the handle unit 180 attached via the handle cover base 291 is also inclined outward in a plan view (in other words, the tip portion thereof is inclined outward with respect to the line orthogonal to the front surface of the pachinko machine 1.) and is attached and fixed to the door frame 3. Thereby, it is easy for the player to grip the handle 195 of the handle unit 180, and a rotation operation can be performed without a sense of discomfort.

[0239] As described above, according to the handle unit 180 and the handle cover unit 290 of the present embodiment, a handle 195 is provided at the lower right corner of the door frame 3 that is provided to be openable and closable about the left side as an axis and closes the game area 5a of the game board 5 so as to be visible from the front. The handle 195 has a disk-shaped central hub portion 195a, a plurality of spoke portions 195b that radially protrude from the central hub portion 195a, and an annular outer peripheral ring portion 195c that connects the tips of the plurality of spoke portions 195b. In addition, since a tubular handle cover unit 290 that extends rearward from the outer peripheral ring portion 195c is provided, a handle 195 and a handle cover unit 290 in a form never seen before can be seen at the position where the handle in the conventional pachinko machine is provided. This can give a strong impact to the player, strongly attract the player's interest, enhance the player's willingness to play the game on the present pachinko machine 1, and make it easier for the player who is wandering in the game hall where the present pachinko machine 1 is installed to select the present pachinko machine 1 as the pachinko machine to play.

[0240] Further, since the player's finger can be inserted into the handle cover unit 290 (the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291) through between the central hub portion 195a and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195, when the player operates the handle 195 to drive the game ball B into the game area 5a, if the player grasps the central hub portion 195a of the handle 195, the player's finger will be in a state of being inserted into the handle cover unit 290. Therefore, a feeling different from that of the handle of the conventional pachinko machine can be given to the player with respect to the operation of the handle 195, and the player can be entertained by the novel feeling of driving the game ball B and the decline in interest can be suppressed.

[0241] When the player operates the handle 195, when the effect sound is output from the main body frame speaker 622 provided in the speaker unit 620a of the board unit 620A of the main body frame 4, the air in the enclosure 624 by the speaker box 623 vibrates due to the vibration of the main body frame speaker 622, and the vibration of the air in the enclosure 624 is released forward as sound pressure (sound wind) through the curtain plate internal space 40a of the outer frame lower assembly 40 and the port member 47 in the outer frame 2 communicating with the enclosure 624. At this time, by the plurality of blade portions 46b of the grill member 46 provided at the front end of the port member 47, the sound pressure (sound wind) from the main body frame speaker 622 can be guided into the handle cover unit 290 (inside the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291) through the notch opening 295b of the handle cover 295 and the opening 291h of the handle cover base 291, and a stimulus by sound pressure can be applied to the finger of the player operating the handle 195 with a finger inserted into the handle cover unit 290 through between the central hub portion 195a and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c. Therefore, according to the gaming state in the gaming area 5a, by supplying the sound pressure from the port member 47 to the finger of the player inserted into the handle cover unit 290 through the notch opening 295b and the opening 291h, it is possible to startle the player, make the player anticipate the arrival of a chance, change the operation amount of the handle operation, etc., and it is possible to make the player enjoy the game, make it difficult for the player to get bored, and suppress a decrease in the interest in the game.

[0242] Also, since the sound pressure (sound wind) from the main body frame speaker 622 can be supplied into the handle cover unit 290 (the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291) through the notch opening 295b and the opening 291h, the inside of the handle cover unit 290 can be cooled, and by making the environment around the finger of the player operating the handle 195 comfortable, the stress on the player can be alleviated and a decrease in the interest in the game can be suppressed.

[0243] Also, as described above, when a player is operating the handle 195 with a finger inserted into the handle cover unit 290 through the space between the central hub portion 195a and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c, the sound pressure (sound wind) emitted forward from the port member 47 provided on the outer frame lower assembly 40 of the outer frame 2 different from the door frame 3 where the handle 195 and the handle cover unit 290 are provided is guided by the plurality of blade portions 46b of the grill member 46 to apply a stimulus. Therefore, compared with the case where a vibration device is provided on the handle 195, it does not damage various sensors (handle rotation detection sensor 189, handle touch sensor 192, single-shot button operation sensor 194, etc.) and bearing mechanisms provided on the handle 195, and it is possible to make the handle unit 180 difficult to be damaged, avoid giving discomfort to the player due to the damage of the handle unit 180, and suppress the decline in the player's interest in the game.

[0244] Furthermore, since the handle 195 is configured to have a central hub portion 195a, a spoke portion 195b, and an outer peripheral ring portion 195c, the handle 195 has an appearance similar to that of a steering wheel of an automobile. Therefore, even if the appearance of the handle 195 is significantly different from that of the handle of a conventional pachinko machine, it is possible to intuitively recognize by the player that the operation of the handle 195 is the same as that of a conventional pachinko machine. Accordingly, even a player who sees the pachinko machine 1 for the first time can operate the handle 195 of the pachinko machine 1 without being confused, and it is possible to make it easier for the player to select the pachinko machine 1 as a pachinko machine that allows the player to play without hesitation.

[0245] Further, since the notch opening 295b and the opening 291h are provided at a portion facing the lower side of the outer peripheral surface of the handle cover unit 290 through which the player's finger can be inserted between the central hub portion 195a and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195, when looking inside the handle cover unit 290 (the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291) from the front, the area below the handle cover unit 290 can be seen through the opening 291h and the lower notch opening 295b, and a sense of openness can be imparted to the cylindrical handle cover unit 290. Therefore, the player's sense of uneasiness about inserting a finger into the handle cover unit 290 can be reduced, and the player can operate the handle 195 without hesitation.

[0246] Further, the penetrating notch opening 295b and the opening 291h are provided at a portion facing the lower side of the outer peripheral surface of the handle cover unit 290, and since the port member 47 of the outer frame 2 (outer frame lower assembly 40) is opened forward, even if liquid such as a drink or the game ball B enters the handle cover unit 290, it can be discharged downward from the lower notch opening 295b and the opening 291h, and it is possible to make it difficult for the liquid or the like discharged downward from the notch opening 295b and the opening 291h to enter the port member 47.

[0247] Furthermore, the handle 195 is configured to have a central hub portion 195a, a spoke portion 195b, and an outer peripheral ring portion 195c, and a plurality of notch openings 295b are provided in the handle cover 295 of the handle cover unit 290 having the same diameter at the front end as the outer peripheral ring portion 195c. Therefore, the central hub portion 195a can be grasped and operated by hand in the same way as the handle of a conventional pachinko machine, the spoke portion 195b can be operated only with fingers, the outer peripheral ring portion 195c can be operated like a steering wheel of an automobile, the fingers can be hooked on the outer peripheral ring portion 195c and the notch openings 295b to grasp, or the fingers can be used to pick the inside and outside of the handle cover unit 290 across the outer peripheral ring portion 195c. Thus, it is possible to provide a pachinko machine 1 capable of performing a variety of driving operations (handle operations) of the game ball B. Therefore, according to the game state, the state of the player, etc., the player can drive the game ball B into the game area 5a in an easy-to-operate manner, making it difficult for the player to get bored, allowing the player to enjoy the driving operation of the game ball B, and suppressing a decrease in the interest in the game.

[0248] Also, by hooking the fingers on the outer peripheral ring portion 195c and the notch openings 295b of the handle 195 or picking the inside and outside of the handle cover unit 290 across the outer peripheral ring portion 195c with the fingers, it becomes possible to fix the operation position of the handle 195. Therefore, in addition to the handle operation similar to that of the handle of a conventional pachinko machine, it is also possible to perform a handle operation that could not be achieved with a conventional pachinko machine. Thus, a variety of handle operations can be provided to the player, making the player enjoy the handle operation and making it difficult for the player to get bored.

[0249] In addition, since the diameter of the front end of the handle cover unit 290 is the same as the diameter of the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195, the handle cover unit 290 extends rearward from the outer peripheral ring portion 195c, and the appearance can be such that the handle cover unit 290 is integrated with the handle 195. Thus, the pachinko machine 1 can have an improved appearance and attract the attention of players.

[0250] Also, since the diameter of the front end of the handle cover unit 290 is the same as that of the outer peripheral ring portion 195c, it is possible to prevent the vertical dimension of the handle cover unit 290 from becoming larger than necessary. By preventing the game area 5a (door window 101a) from being compressed upward by the handle cover unit 290, it is possible to avoid narrowing of the game area 5a, relatively enlarge the game area 5a, and make the pachinko machine 1 stand out with the large game area 5a, thereby making the pachinko machine 1 highly appealing and strongly attracting the attention of players.

[0251] Furthermore, by appropriately lighting the LED 293a of the handle cover decorative substrate 293, the handle cover unit 290 (inside the front cylinder portion 291a of the handle cover base 291 or the handle cover 295) and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195 can be decorated with light emission. Therefore, even when the player operates the handle 195, the light emission decoration of the handle cover 295 and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c will not be blocked by the player's hand, the handle cover 295 and the outer peripheral ring portion 195c can be made prominent, and a pachinko machine 1 with high appeal that can strongly attract the attention of players can be provided.

[0252] In addition, a handle 195 is provided at the lower right corner of the door frame 3 on the side opposite to the hinge side, and a notch opening 295b is provided at a portion facing the right side of the outer peripheral surface of the handle cover 295 of the handle cover unit 290. Therefore, the notch opening 295b can be used as a handle when opening and closing the door frame 3. Accordingly, there is no need to provide a handle that would make the appearance of the door frame 3 look bad, and the appearance of the door frame 3 can be improved.

[0253] Further, the handle cover unit 290 (handle cover base 291) has a flange portion 291e and a guide piece 291g that rotatably support the outer peripheral ring portion 195c (handle guide 196) of the handle 195 in the circumferential direction and restrict movement in the front-rear direction. Even if the outer peripheral ring portion 195c of the handle 195 is pulled forward, the movement of the outer peripheral ring portion 195c forward can be restricted by the guide piece 291g or the like. Therefore, the outer peripheral ring portion 195c and the spoke portion 195b connecting the outer peripheral ring portion 195c and the central hub portion 195a will not be deformed, and it is possible to prevent the handle 195 from being damaged.

[0254] In addition, after the handle touch sensor 192 detects that the player is touching the handle 195, the operation of the handle 195 is accepted and the game ball B is driven in. Therefore, even if the handle 195 is operated while only touching the spoke portion 195b or the outer peripheral ring portion 195c, the game ball B can be driven in, and the pachinko machine 1 can be made to enable various driving operations (handle operations) as described above. At the same time, it is possible to prevent the driving of the game ball B when the player is not touching the handle 195, prevent the handle operation using tools from being performed, and reduce the burden on the game hall side.

[0255] [3-5. Overall Configuration of the Dish Unit] The dish unit 200 in the door frame 3 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 48 and 49. FIG. 48 is a perspective view of the dish unit of the door frame, and FIG. 49 is a perspective view of the dish unit seen from the rear. The dish unit 200 is attached to a portion below the door window 101a on the front surface of the door frame base 101 of the door frame base unit 100. The dish unit 200 includes an upper dish 201 for storing the game balls B to be driven into the game area 5a, and a lower dish 202 disposed below the upper dish 201 and capable of storing the game balls B supplied from the upper dish 201 and the far cover unit 150.

[0256] The dish unit 200 includes a dish base unit 210 having an upper dish 201 and attached to the front surface of the door frame base 101 of the door frame base unit 100, a dish decoration unit 250 having a lower dish 202 and attached to the front surface of the dish base unit 210, and an effect operation unit 300 attached to the front surfaces of the dish decoration unit 250 and the dish base unit 210 and operable by the player.

[0257] The dish base unit 210 includes a flat plate-shaped dish unit base 211 extending horizontally, an upper dish body 212 attached to the upper part of the front surface of the dish unit base 211 and having an upper dish 201, a mounting base (not shown) attached to the right side of the upper dish body 212 and protruding forward, a dish unit relay substrate (not shown) attached to the right side of the mounting base, a ball lending operation unit 220 attached to the upper surface of the mounting base, an upper dish ball extraction front unit (not shown) attached below the mounting base, and an upper dish ball extraction rear unit 240 attached to the rear of the upper dish ball extraction front unit.

[0258] The dish decoration unit 250 includes a dish body 251 that is attached to the lower front of the dish unit base 211 and has a lower dish 202, a dish unit main body 252 that is attached to the front of the dish unit base 211 so as to cover the outer periphery of the dish body 251, a lower dish ball removal unit 260 that is attached to the lower surface of the dish body 251, and a left dish decoration unit 270 and a right dish decoration unit 275 that are respectively attached to the upper front of the dish unit main body 252 with a space therebetween in the left - right direction.

[0259] The effect operation unit 300 includes an effect operation part 301 that can be operated by a player, a contact operation part 302 that can be touched and operated by the player, and a pressing operation part 303 that can be pressed and operated by the player. The effect operation unit 300 includes an effect operation part cover unit 310 whose outer surface is spherical, an operation part base 315 that is housed inside the effect operation part cover unit 310 and is attached to the front of the dish decoration unit 250, an annular effect operation part outer peripheral decoration substrate 320 that is attached to the upper surface of the operation part base 315, an outer peripheral substrate cover 325 that covers the upper part of the effect operation part outer peripheral decoration substrate 320, and an operation part relay substrate unit 330 that is attached to the rear side of the operation part base 315.

[0260] Also, the effect operation unit 300 includes an effect operation part unit 350 that can project upward from the effect operation part cover unit 310 and is provided with the effect operation part 301, an effect operation part lifting mechanism 360 that is attached to the operation part base 315 and supports the effect operation part unit 350 so as to be able to move up and down, and a protrusion force adjustment mechanism 380 that adjusts the upward protrusion force of the effect operation part unit 350 by the effect operation part lifting mechanism 360.

[0261] The dish unit 200 bulges forward as a whole, and the effect operation unit 300 is arranged such that the upper surface of the effect operation part 301 faces obliquely upward and forward at the center in the left - right direction. An upper dish 201 is arranged on the left side of the effect operation unit 300 on the upper surface, a ball - lending operation unit 220 is arranged on the right side of the effect operation unit 300, and a lower dish 202 is arranged on the left side of the effect operation unit 300 below the upper dish 201.

[0262] [3-5a. Upper plate] The upper tray 201 of the tray unit 200 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figures 48 and 49. The upper tray 201 is formed by a tray unit base 211 and an upper tray body 212, and is formed in a container shape that is open upward and bulges forward more on the left side than the center when viewed from the front. The upper tray 201 (upper tray body 212) bulges forward most at about 1 / 3 of the left end to the right side relative to the left-right width of the door frame 3. The upper tray 201 has a guide passage portion 201a (see Figure 73) whose front end recedes backward as it moves from the most bulging portion to the right when viewed from the front, and whose depth in the front-back direction is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the game ball B. The entire bottom surface of the upper tray 201, including the guide passage portion 201a, is inclined so that the right end side is lower, and the right end side of the guide passage portion 201a when viewed from the front is recessed below the ball lending operation unit 220.

[0263] When assembled to the tray unit 200, the upper tray 201 has a bottom surface that is inclined downward from a position lower than the upper tray ball supply port 211a of the tray unit base 211 to a position slightly lower than the outer diameter of the game ball B relative to the upper end of the upper tray ball delivery port (not shown). This allows the game ball B released forward from the upper tray ball supply port 211a to be received and stored within the upper tray 201, and the received game ball B can be supplied from the right end side of the guide passage portion 201a through the upper tray ball delivery port to the ball delivery unit 140 side.

[0264] In addition, the guide passage section 201a is equipped with a metal earth fitting that is electrically grounded (earthed) in the pachinko machine 1, and when the game ball B comes into contact with (rolls around) it can remove the static electricity charged to the game ball B.

[0265] [3-5b. Lower plate] The lower dish 202 of the dish unit 200 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 48 and 50 and the like. FIG. 50(a) is a cross-sectional view showing the main part cut horizontally at the position of the lower dish ball supply port in the door frame, (b) is a cross-sectional view showing the main part cut at the same position as (a) in the conventional door frame, and (c) is a table comparing the number of game balls stored in the lower dish between the product of this embodiment and the conventional product. The lower dish 202 is disposed below the upper dish 201 and to the left of the center in the left-right direction of the dish unit 200 (door frame 3) when viewed from the front. The lower dish 202 is formed by a lower dish body 251 and a dish unit base 211. The lower dish 202 is formed in a container shape capable of storing the game balls B, and is provided with a lower dish ball extraction hole 202a that penetrates vertically through the bottom wall and allows the game balls B to be discharged. The lower dish ball extraction hole 202a of the lower dish 202 is closably closed by a lower dish ball extraction lid 265 of the lower dish ball extraction unit 260.

[0266] The lower dish 202 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that extends left and right in plan view, and the front end on the left side of the center in the left-right direction protrudes forward more than the right side. The lower dish ball extraction hole 202a that penetrates vertically through the lower dish 202 is disposed near the front end near the right end. The bottom surface of this lower dish 202 is inclined so as to become lower toward the lower dish ball extraction hole 202a. The lower dish ball extraction hole 202a of the lower dish 202 is located to the left of and below the production operation unit 300 in front of the lower dish ball supply port 211c in a state assembled to the dish unit 200.

[0267] The lower dish 202 can store the game balls B discharged forward from the lower dish ball supply port 211c in a state where the lower dish ball extraction hole 202a is closed, and can discharge the stored game balls B below the dish unit 200 (for example, the dollar box) by opening the lower dish ball extraction hole 202a. Further, in a state where the lower dish ball extraction hole 202a of the lower dish 202 is open, since the lower dish ball extraction hole 202a is disposed in front of the lower dish ball supply port 211c, the game balls B discharged forward from the lower dish ball supply port 211c can be quickly discharged downward from the lower dish ball extraction hole 202a by moving the shortest distance.

[0268] Here, in a conventional pachinko machine, as shown in Fig. 50(b), a lower plate ball extraction hole 202b of a lower plate 202 is provided in front of the lower plate ball supply port 211j of a plate base unit 211 in the plate base unit 210 communicating with the ball discharge port 150d of the far cover unit 150 on its central axis. And the lower plate ball supply port 211j is formed as a cylindrical shape extending straight forward so that the game ball B discharged forward from the ball discharge port 150d directly heads for the lower plate ball extraction hole 202b. Thereby, the game ball B discharged forward from the lower plate ball supply port 211j can be quickly discharged downward from the lower plate ball extraction hole 202b by moving the shortest distance.

[0269] By the way, when the game ball B is directly guided toward the lower plate ball extraction hole 202b by the lower plate ball supply port 211j, if the lower plate ball extraction hole 202b is closed by the lower plate ball extraction lid 265, since the lower plate ball extraction hole 202b and the lower plate ball supply port 211j are provided near the right end of the lower plate 202, there is a risk that the storage of the game ball B will concentrate in the region on the right side rather than the center in the lower plate 202. And if the game ball B concentrated in the right region in the lower plate 202 blocks the front of the lower plate ball supply port 211j, the game ball B will not be discharged from the storage passage 150e of the far cover unit 150 to the lower plate 202 side, so that the full detection sensor 154 will operate, and there is a risk that the lower plate 202 will be determined to be full even though there is still room in the left region in the lower plate 202.

[0270] On the contrary, in this embodiment, although details will be described later, as shown in Fig. 50(a), the left side wall (ball guiding portion 213) of the lower plate ball supply port 211c is inclined to extend obliquely left forward. More specifically, the left side wall of the lower plate ball supply port 211c is inclined obliquely left forward so that the distance between the front surface of the plate base unit 211 at the position directly behind the lower plate ball extraction hole 202a is a distance through which at least one game ball B can flow.

[0271] Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 50, the lower plate ball discharge hole 202a is moved to the left of the central axis line (the line indicated by the one-dot chain line) of the rear end (the ball discharge port 150d) of the lower plate ball supply port 211c.

[0272] By moving the lower plate ball discharge hole 202a to the left, the lowest part of the lower plate 202 (the part of the lower plate ball discharge hole 202a) moves to the left, and it is possible to reduce the concentration and storage of the game balls B on the right side in the lower plate 202 when the lower plate ball discharge hole 202a is closed. And in the lower plate 202, even if a plurality of game balls B are stored from the part of the lower plate ball discharge hole 202a and reach the rear end of the lower plate 202 (the front surface of the plate unit base 211), since the left side wall on the left side of the lower plate ball supply port 211c extends obliquely and forms a gap through which the game balls B can flow between the left side wall and the rear end of the lower plate 202, the game balls B discharged from the far cover unit 150 (the ball discharge port 150d) and the upper plate ball discharge rear unit 240 (the ball discharge guide path 241c) to the side of the lower plate ball supply port 211c can be guided and discharged to the left side in the lower plate 202 along the obliquely extending left side wall, and the game balls B can be properly stored throughout the lower plate 202.

[0273] Therefore, even though there is still a sufficient area in the lower plate 202 where the game balls B can be stored, it is possible to prevent the full detection sensor 154 from operating and reporting that the lower plate 202 is full, and more game balls B can be stored in the lower plate 202.

[0274] [3-5c. Dish base unit] The dish base unit 210 in the dish unit 200 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 48 and 49. The dish base unit 210 includes a flat plate-shaped dish unit base 211 attached to the lower front part of the door frame base unit 100 and extending left and right, an upper dish main body 212 having an upper dish 201 attached to the upper front part of the dish unit base 211, and a dish unit relay board 214 attached near the lower right corner on the rear surface of the dish unit base 211.

[0275] In addition, the dish base unit 210 includes a ball lending operation unit 220 attached to the upper part of the front surface of the dish unit base 211, an upper dish ball extraction front unit (not shown) attached to the front surface of the dish unit base 211 below the ball lending operation unit 220, and an upper dish ball extraction rear unit 240 attached to the rear side of the dish unit base 211 behind the upper dish ball extraction front unit.

[0276] [3-5c-1. Dish Unit Base] The dish unit base 211 of the dish base unit 210 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 48 and 49. The dish unit base 211 is attached below the door window 101a on the front surface of the door frame base 101 of the door frame base unit 100, and is formed in a flat plate shape (a shallow box shape with an open rear) extending left and right across the entire width of the door frame base 101.

[0277] The dish unit base 211 includes an upper dish ball supply port 211a that penetrates front and rear near the upper left corner in a front view and extends cylindrically rearward, a speaker port 211b that penetrates front and rear below the upper dish ball supply port 211a and has a punching metal attached to the front side, a lower dish ball supply port 211c that penetrates front and rear in the lower part to the left of the center in a front view and extends cylindrically rearward, a notch 211d that is notched to a size through which the game ball B can pass on the right side wall of the part extending cylindrically rearward from the lower dish ball supply port 211c, and an upper dish ball feeding port (not shown) that penetrates front and rear in the upper right side in a front view of the lower dish ball supply port 211c and extends vertically, with the upper part located at the right end of the upper dish body 212.

[0278] The upper dish ball supply port 211a of the dish unit base 211, in a state assembled to the door frame 3, has its front end opening to the rear wall of the upper dish 201, and the cylindrical rear end penetrating the upper dish ball passage port 101g of the door frame base 101 from the front side and connecting to the front end of the through ball passage 150a of the far cover unit 150. Thereby, the game ball B paid out from the payout device 580 of the payout unit 560 is supplied (paid out) into the upper dish 201 through the upper dish ball supply port 211a.

[0279] The lower dish ball supply port 211c, in a state assembled to the door frame 3, has its front end opening to the rear wall of the lower dish 202, and the cylindrical rear end penetrating through the lower dish ball passage port 101f of the door frame base 101 from the front side and connecting to the front end of the ball discharge port 150d of the far cover unit 150. Thereby, the game balls B flowing through the storage passage 150e of the far cover unit 150 are supplied into the lower dish 202 through the lower dish ball supply port 211c. Also, connected to the notch 211d formed in the portion of the lower dish ball supply port 211c extending in a cylindrical shape is the downstream end of the ball discharge guiding path 241c in the rear base 241 of the upper dish ball discharge rear unit 240. Thereby, the game balls B stored in the upper dish 201 are discharged into the lower dish 202 from the lower dish ball supply port 211c via the upper dish ball feeding port, the inlet 141a and the ball discharge port 141b of the ball feeding unit 140, the ball feeding guiding path 241b and the ball discharge guiding path 241c of the upper dish ball discharge rear unit 240, and the notch 211d by the operation of the upper dish ball discharge button 222.

[0280] The upper dish ball feeding port 211a, in a state assembled to the dish base unit 210, is positioned in front of the ball receiving port (not shown) of the rear base 241 in the upper dish ball discharge rear unit 240, and the game balls B in the upper dish 201 are supplied from the ball receiving port of the upper dish ball discharge rear unit 240 to the ball feeding guiding path 241b.

[0281] In addition, the dish unit base 211 of the present embodiment has a ball guiding portion 213 that guides the game ball B supplied into the lower dish 202 to a position far from the lower dish ball discharge hole 202a. The ball guiding portion 213 guides the game ball B guided from the upper dish 201 through the ball discharge guiding path 241c to a position far from the lower dish ball discharge hole 202a (the left portion of the lower dish 202). As shown in Fig. 50(a), this ball guiding portion 213 forms a part of the inner wall of the lower dish ball supply port 211c. Specifically, the ball guiding portion 213 forms the left inner wall that faces the right inner wall where the ball discharge guiding path 241c opens on the inner wall of the lower dish ball supply port 211c formed in a cylindrical shape, and is inclined so as to move leftward from the rear end side to the front end side. Due to the inclination of this left inner wall (ball guiding portion 213), at least one distance (gap) through which the game ball B can flow is formed between the front surface of the dish unit base 211 (the rear end of the lower dish 202) and the position directly behind the lower dish ball discharge hole 202a. As a result, when the game ball B that has flowed through the ball discharge guiding portion 241c from the upper dish 201 abuts against the ball guiding portion 213 from the right, it is guided to the left front by the inclination of the ball guiding portion 213, and the game ball B can be guided to the left end side in the lower dish 202 away from the lower dish ball discharge hole 202a. That is, the ball guiding portion 213 can guide the game ball B to a position far from the lowest portion (lower dish ball discharge hole 202a) in the lower dish 202.

[0282] Incidentally, as shown in FIG. 50(b), the lower dish ball supply port 211j in a conventional pachinko machine (also referred to as a conventional product) extends straight in the front-rear direction. Therefore, when the game ball B guided by the ball discharge guide path 241c contacts the inner wall on the left side of the lower dish ball supply port 211j, it will roll forward while bouncing to the right and will not be sent to a position far from the lower dish ball discharge hole 202b in the lower dish 202, but will be stored in the right region in the lower dish 202 where the lower dish ball discharge hole 202b is provided. Therefore, in the conventional product, the storage of the game balls B (indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 50(b)) concentrates in the region on the right side rather than the center in the lower dish 202. If the game balls B concentrated in the right region in the lower dish 202 block the front of the lower dish ball supply port 211j, the game balls B will not be discharged from the storage passage 150e of the far cover unit 150 to the lower dish 202 side, and the full detection sensor 154 will be activated. As a result, there is a risk that although there is still room in the left region in the lower dish 202, the lower dish 202 will be determined to be full.

[0283] On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as described above, since it has the ball guide portion 213, the game balls B that have passed through the ball discharge guide portion 241c can be guided to the left region in the lower dish 202. Also, in the lower dish 202, even if a plurality of game balls B are stored at the site of the lower dish ball discharge hole 202a and reach the rear end of the lower dish 202 (the front surface of the dish unit base 211), the game balls B discharged from the far cover unit 150 (ball discharge port 150d) and the upper dish ball discharge rear unit 240 (ball discharge guide path 241c) to the lower dish ball supply port 211c side can be guided to the left in the lower dish 202 through the space between the left side wall (ball guide portion 213) of the lower dish ball supply port 211c and the rear end of the lower dish 202, and the game balls B can be stored throughout the lower dish 202. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the situation where the full detection sensor 154 is activated and a full state is notified even though there is still a sufficient area in the lower dish 202 where the game balls B can be stored, and more game balls B can be stored in the lower dish 202.

[0284] And, in order to verify the above-described effects, the inventors of the present application counted the number of game balls B stored in each of the lower plates 202 when the full detection sensor 154 was activated, for the product of the present embodiment and a conventional product. The counting of the game balls B was performed 10 times for each. As shown in the table of Fig. 50(c), in any of the trials, the lower plate 202 (product of the present embodiment) of the present example had a significantly larger number of stored game balls B than the conventional product, and it was confirmed that on average, about 40% more game balls B could be stored than the conventional product.

[0285] [3-5c-2. Upper plate body] The upper plate body 212 of the dish base unit 210 will be described in detail mainly with reference to Figs. 48 and 49 and the like. The upper plate body 212 is attached to the front surface of the dish unit base 211 and forms the upper plate 201 in cooperation with the dish unit base 211. The upper plate body 212 is formed in a container shape (dish shape) with the upper and rear sides open. The upper plate body 212 extends horizontally, and when viewed from the front, the left side is larger and bulges forward more than the center on the left and right. From the most forward-bulging part of the upper plate body 212, as it goes rightward when viewed from the front, the front end retreats rearward, and the depth in the front-rear direction is formed to have a width slightly larger than the outer diameter of the game ball B. The bottom surface of the upper plate body 212 is inclined so that the right end is the lowest. The upper part near the right end of the upper plate body 212 is closed.

[0286] In a state where the upper plate body 212 is assembled to the dish unit 200, the part where the upper part near the right end is closed is attached so as to be below the ball lending operation unit 220. Further, the upper plate body 212 is formed with an effect operation unit attachment part 212a at the intermediate part in the horizontal direction in the upper part, and a part of the effect operation unit 300 is attached to this effect operation unit attachment part 212a.

[0287] [3-5c-3. Dish unit relay board] The plate unit relay board 214 of the plate base unit 210 relays the connection between the door frame sub-relay board 105 in the door frame base unit 100, the left plate decorative board 273, the right plate decorative board 278, and the operation unit relay board 332. The plate unit relay board 214 is attached near the lower right corner on the rear surface of the plate unit base 211. When the plate unit relay board 214 is attached to the plate unit base 211, its rear surface faces the rear side of the plate unit base 211.

[0288] [3-5c-4. Ball lending operation unit] The ball lending operation unit 220 of the plate base unit 210 will be mainly described with reference to FIG. 51. FIG. 51 is a plan view showing an enlarged view of the part of the ball lending operation unit in the plate unit of the door frame. This ball lending operation unit 220 discharges the game balls B stored in the upper plate 201 to the lower plate 202, or after inserting cash or a prepaid card into a ball lending machine (not shown) provided adjacent to the pachinko machine 1, it lends a predetermined number of game balls B into the upper plate 201 of the plate unit 200, displays the remaining amount of cash or prepaid card inserted into the ball lending machine, returns the cash or prepaid card inserted into the ball lending machine after deducting the amount corresponding to the lent game balls B, adjusts the volume, and adjusts the light amount.

[0289] The ball lending operation unit 220 includes a base part 221 attached to the upper part of the front surface of the plate unit base 211, an upper plate ball extraction button 222 arranged near the left end of the upper surface of the base part 221, a disk-shaped ball lending operation base 223 arranged to the right of the upper plate ball extraction button 222 on the upper surface of the base part 221 and having translucency, a ball lending button 224 arranged on the left front side of the front part of the ball lending operation base 223, a return button 225 arranged on the right front side of the front part of the ball lending operation base 223, a ball lending display part 226 arranged below the rear part of the ball lending operation base 223, a volume adjustment button 227 arranged in front of the ball lending button 224 outside the base part 221, and a light amount adjustment button 228 arranged on the left side of the volume adjustment button 227.

[0290] The upper plate ball removal button 222 protrudes upward in a columnar shape from the upper surface of the base portion 221 and can move downward when pressed by the player. The ball lending button 224 is formed in a circular shape, and the character "ball" is marked on the upper surface. The return button 225 is formed in a triangular shape. The ball lending display unit 226 is composed of three 7-segment LEDs and one bullet-shaped LED, and can be clearly visible from the player side through the transparent ball lending operation base 223 in the lit state.

[0291] By pressing the upper plate ball removal button 222 of the ball lending operation unit 220, the game balls B stored in the upper plate 201 can be discharged to the lower plate. Also, when a prepaid card with cash or remaining balance is inserted into the ball lending machine and the ball lending button 224 is pressed, a predetermined number of game balls B are supplied to the upper plate 201. When the return button 225 is pressed, the cash or prepaid card inserted into the ball lending machine is returned after deducting the lent game balls B. The remaining amount of the cash or prepaid card inserted into the ball lending machine is displayed on the ball lending display unit 226. Also, an error code is displayed on the ball lending display unit 226 when the ball lending machine malfunctions.

[0292] The volume adjustment button 227 is for adjusting the volume of music, voice, sound effects, etc. for performance output from the top center speaker and top side speakers of the door frame 3 and the main body frame speaker 622 for bass of the main body frame 4. This volume adjustment button 227 is formed in a double circular gourd shape combining two circles. The volume adjustment button 227 has the character "+" at the center of one (upper) circle and the character "-" at the center of the other (lower) circle, and a pattern showing sound coming out of the speaker is marked on the part between the two circles. The diameter of the circle on the "+" side of the volume adjustment button 227 is formed larger than the diameter of the circle on the "-" side. When the "+" side of this volume adjustment button 227 is pressed, the volume increases, and when the "-" side is pressed, the volume decreases.

[0293] The light intensity adjustment button 228 is for adjusting the light intensity of the LEDs on various decorative substrates provided on the door frame 3 and the game board 5, and the brightness of the display screen of the effect display device 1600. This light intensity adjustment button 228 is formed in a double circular gourd shape combining two circles. The light intensity adjustment button 228 has the character "+" at the center of one (upper) circle and the character "-" at the center of the other (lower) circle, and a light bulb pattern is applied to the part between the two circles. The light intensity adjustment button 228 is formed such that the diameter of the circle on the "+" side is larger than the diameter of the circle on the "-" side. Pressing the "+" side makes it brighter, and pressing the "-" side makes it darker.

[0294] The volume adjustment button 227 and the light intensity adjustment button 228 are of different colors (for example, the volume adjustment button 227 is white and the light intensity adjustment button 228 is black,) so that it is difficult for the player to make a mistake.

[0295] By the way, when the volume or light intensity is adjusted using the contact operation part 302 or the pressing operation part 303 of the effect operation part 301, when the player participation type effect that requires the operation of the effect operation part 301 is not being executed, a setting menu for adjusting the volume, light intensity, etc. by appropriately operating the effect operation part 301 is displayed on the effect display device 1600, and after selecting the item to be adjusted, the contact operation part 302 is operated to change the volume level, light intensity, etc., which takes time (effort) to adjust the volume and light intensity. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, by operating the volume adjustment button 227 or the light intensity adjustment button 228, the volume and light intensity can be directly adjusted, and it is possible to provide a pachinko machine 1 that simplifies the effort required for adjusting the volume and light intensity and enables adjustment in a short time.

[0296] [3 - 5c - 5. Unit after the upper tray ball extraction] Regarding the upper plate ball removal pre-unit and the upper plate ball removal post-unit 240 in the dish base unit 210, a detailed description will be given mainly with reference to FIG. 49. When the upper plate ball removal button 222 of the ball lending operation unit 220 is pressed, the upper plate ball removal post-unit 240 cooperates with the ball feeding unit 140 to discharge the game balls B stored in the upper plate 201 to the lower plate 202.

[0297] The upper plate ball removal post-unit 240 includes a rear base 241 attached to the rear surface of the dish unit base 211 so as to close the upper plate ball feeding port from the rear, an upper plate ball removal slider 242 slidably attached in the vertical direction to the front surface of the rear base 241, a spring (not shown) biasing the upper plate ball removal slider 242 upward, and a rear cover 244 attached to the rear side of the rear base 241.

[0298] The rear base 241 protrudes upward from the part where the upper plate ball removal slider 242 is slidably attached and opens forward, and has a ball receiving port (not shown) through which the game ball B can pass, a ball feeding guide path 241b that guides the game ball B received in the ball receiving port downward on the rear surface of the rear base 241 and then guides it rearward, and a ball removal guide path 241c that guides the game ball B downward from a position below the ball feeding guide path 241b on the rear surface of the rear base 241 and then guides it rightward in a rear view.

[0299] The ball receiving port is formed at a position that opens forward through the upper plate ball feeding port of the dish unit base 211 at the downstream end (right end in a front view) of the guiding passage portion 201a of the upper plate 201 in a state assembled to the dish base unit 210. The ball feeding guide path 241b is formed such that the inlet 141a of the ball feeding unit 140 is located at the lower rear in a state assembled to the door frame 3. Thus, the game balls B supplied to the upper plate 201 enter the inlet 141a of the ball feeding unit 140 through the ball receiving port and the ball feeding guide path 241b.

[0300] The portion of the ball discharge guide path 241c extending left and right protrudes rightward in a rear view from the portion where the upper plate ball discharge slider 242 is slidably attached, and is inclined so that the right end side in the rear view is lowered, and is open to the right side surface in the rear view. The portion of the ball discharge guide path 241c extending left and right is closed at the rear side by the rear cover 244. The ball discharge guide path 241c, in a state assembled to the door frame 3, has the upper part of the portion extending vertically below the ball feeding guide path 241b positioned in front of the ball discharge port 141b of the ball feeding unit 140, and is formed such that the right end in the rear view of the portion extending left and right is connected to the notch 211d of the lower plate ball supply port 211c in the dish unit base 211. Thereby, the game ball B discharged from the ball discharge port 141b of the ball feeding unit 140 is discharged into the lower plate 202 from the lower plate ball supply port 211c via the ball discharge guide path 241c and the notch 211d.

[0301] The upper plate ball discharge slider 242 has a quadrangular shape in a front view, and includes an operation receiving portion (not shown in the figure) protruding forward from the upper left corner, and an operation transmission portion 242b protruding rearward from the rear surface on the rear side of the operation receiving portion. The upper surface of the operation receiving portion is formed flat. Further, the upper surface of the operation transmission portion 242b is inclined so as to be positioned downward as it goes rearward, and the lower surface extends horizontally so as to be connected to the rear end of the upper surface.

[0302] The upper plate ball discharge slider 242, in a state assembled to the door frame 3, has the operation receiving portion protruding forward through the dish unit base 211 from the rear side, and the lower end of the upper plate ball discharge button 222 is in contact with the upper surface of the operation receiving portion. Further, the upper plate ball discharge slider 242, in a state assembled to the door frame 3, has the operation transmission portion 242b protruding rearward of the rear base 241, and the operation lever 143c of the ball discharge member 143 of the ball feeding unit 140 is in contact with the upper surface.

[0303] The spring has its upper end attached to the rear base 241 and its lower end attached to the upper plate ball-removing slider 242, and biases the upper plate ball-removing slider 242 upward. Therefore, the upper plate ball-removing slider 242 is positioned at the upward moving end by the biasing force of the spring and can move downward by resisting the biasing force of the spring.

[0304] The upper plate ball-removing rear unit 240 positions the upper plate ball-removing slider 242 at the upward moving end by the biasing force of the spring and positions the upper plate ball-removing button 222 at the upward moving end through the operation receiving part of the upper plate ball-removing slider 242. Further, since the upper plate ball-removing slider 242 is positioned at the upward moving end by the biasing force of the spring, it prevents the downward movement of the operation lever 143c that abuts on the upper surface of the operation transmission part 242b, and positions the partition part 143a of the ball-removing member 143 between the inlet 141a and the ball-removing port 141b, partitioning the space between them.

[0305] Therefore, in a state where the upper plate ball-removing button 222 is not pressed, the space between the inlet 141a and the ball-removing port 141b in the ball feeding unit 140 is partitioned, and the game ball B sent from the upper plate 201 to the ball receiving port can be sent from the inlet 141a and the ball feeding member 144 to the ball launching device 540 side through the ball hitting supply port 142a.

[0306] On one hand, when the upper plate ball-removing button 222 is pressed downward against the biasing force of the spring, the upper plate ball-removing slider 242 moves downward, and the operating lever 143c of the ball-removing member 143 that is in contact with the upper surface of the operation transmission portion 242b of the upper plate ball-removing slider 242 can move downward. Due to the load of the weight portion 143d of the ball-removing member 143, the ball-removing member 143 rotates, and the partition portion 143a retreats from between the inlet 141a and the ball-removing port 141b. As a result, the game ball B that has entered the inlet 141a from the upper plate 201 through the ball receiving port and the ball feeding guide path 241b is discharged forward from the ball-removing port 141b that is open below the inlet 141a. Then, the game ball B discharged forward from the ball-removing port 141b is guided into the lower plate ball supply port 211c from the notch portion 211d through the ball-removing guide path 241c, and then is released from the lower plate ball supply port 211c into the lower plate 202, and the game ball B in the upper plate 201 is discharged into the lower plate 202.

[0307] When the downward pressing of the upper plate ball-removing button 222 is released, the upper plate ball-removing slider 242 moves upward due to the biasing force of the spring, the upper plate ball-removing button 222 rises, and the ball-removing member 143 rotates by the operating lever 143c that is in contact with the operation transmission portion 242b, and the partition portion 143a is positioned between the inlet 141a and the ball-removing port 141b and returns to the original state.

[0308] In this way, the upper plate ball-removing unit 240 can feed the game ball B in the upper plate 201 to the ball launching device 540 side through the ball feeding unit 140 or discharge it to the lower plate 202 side.

[0309] [3-5d. Dish decoration unit] Regarding the dish decoration unit 250 in the dish unit 200, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 22 to 48 and the like. The dish decoration unit 250 has a lower plate 202 and is attached to the front surface of the dish base unit 210, and the effect operation unit 300 is attached to the center in the left-right direction from the front. The dish decoration unit 250 decorates substantially the entire dish unit 200.

[0310] The dish decoration unit 250 includes a lower dish main body 251 that is attached to the lower front portion of the dish unit base 211 and cooperates with the dish unit base 211 to form the lower dish 202, a dish unit main body 252 that is attached to the front surface of the dish unit base 211 so as to cover the outer periphery of the lower dish main body 251, a lower dish ball discharge unit 260 that is attached to the lower surface of the lower dish main body 251, and a left dish decoration unit 270 and a right dish decoration unit 275 that are respectively attached to the upper front portion of the front surface of the dish unit main body 252 and are spaced apart from each other left and right.

[0311] [3-5d-1. Lower dish main body] Regarding the lower dish main body 251 in the dish decoration unit 250, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 48 and 50 and the like. The lower dish main body 251 cooperates with the dish unit base 211 of the dish base unit 210 to form the lower dish 202. The lower dish main body 251 is formed in a container shape (dish shape) that extends left and right and is open at the upper and rear sides. This lower dish main body 251 is attached to a portion on the left side of the center in the left-right direction at the lower front portion of the dish unit base 211 so that the open rear side is closed.

[0312] The lower dish main body 251 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that extends left and right in plan view, and the front end on the left side of the center in the left-right direction protrudes forward more than the right side. In the lower dish main body 251, a lower dish ball discharge hole 202a that penetrates vertically is formed near the front end of the right end in plan view. The bottom surface of the lower dish main body 251 is inclined so as to become lower toward the lower dish ball discharge hole 202a. The lower dish ball discharge hole 202a is closable in an openable manner by a lower dish ball discharge lid 265 of the lower dish ball discharge unit 260.

[0313] In a state where the lower dish main body 251 is assembled to the dish decoration unit 250, a part of the outer periphery and the lower surface are covered by the dish unit main body 252. Further, in a state where the lower dish main body is assembled to the dish unit 200, the bottom surface is located below the lower dish ball supply port 211c of the dish unit base 211, and the lower dish ball discharge hole 202a is located in front of the lower dish ball supply port 211c. Thereby, the game ball B discharged forward from the lower dish ball supply port 211c can be stored.

[0314] [3-5d-2. Dish Unit Main Body] Regarding the dish unit main body 252 in the dish decoration unit 250, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 48 and 49 and the like. The dish unit main body 252 is attached to the front surface of the dish unit base 211 in the dish base unit 210 and decorates the front surface of the dish unit 200. The dish unit main body 252 bulges so that the center in the left-right direction protrudes forward on the upper side, and bulges so that the left side in the left-right direction protrudes forward on the lower side. Also, the upper surface of the dish unit main body 252 is curved so that the center in the left-right direction is the lowest. The dish unit main body 252 is formed in a box shape that is open to the rear.

[0315] The dish unit main body 252 includes upper side bulging portions 252a that bulge forward and extend downward and are spaced apart left and right as they go from both left and right ends to the center in the left-right direction at the upper part, and a lower front decorative portion 252b that bulges forward so as to cover the outer periphery of the lower dish main body 251 on the left side of the center in the left-right direction at the lower part.

[0316] The left and right upper side bulging portions 252a have a dish left decoration unit 270 and a dish right decoration unit 275 attached to their respective front surfaces.

[0317] A lower dish opening 252d that penetrates front to back is formed between the left upper side bulging portion 252a and the lower front decorative portion 252b of the dish unit main body 252. The lower dish opening 252d is sized so that a player's finger can be inserted and is formed so that it widens vertically as it goes leftward. The lower dish opening 252d is formed in a cylindrical shape that extends front to back by the lower dish main body 251 and the lower surface of the left upper side bulging portion 252a.

[0318] Furthermore, although illustration is omitted, the dish unit main body 252 is formed between a pair of upper side bulging portions 252a at the center in the left - right direction and includes an effect operation unit mounting portion to which the effect operation unit 300 is mounted. The effect operation unit mounting portion is formed to have a width of about 1 / 3 of the width of the dish unit main body 252 in the left - right direction.

[0319] The dish unit main body 252 is formed so as to entirely cover the front surface of the dish base unit 210 in a state of being assembled to the dish unit 200, and the speaker opening 211b faces forward through the lower dish opening 252d.

[0320] [3 - 5d - 3. Lower dish ball - removing unit] The lower dish ball - removing unit 260 in the dish decoration unit 250 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 27 and 50 etc. The lower dish ball - removing unit 260 is attached to the lower surface of the lower dish main body 251 and is for storing the game balls B in the lower dish 202 or discharging the game balls B from the lower dish 202 by opening and closing the lower dish ball - removing hole 202a.

[0321] The lower dish ball - removing unit 260 includes a lower dish ball - removing button 263 and a lower dish ball - removing lid 265 that opens and closes a through - hole by operating the lower dish ball - removing button 263.

[0322] In a state where the lower dish ball - removing unit 260 is assembled to the dish decoration unit 250, the lower dish ball - removing button 263 coincides with the front surface of the lower front decoration portion 252b of the dish unit main body 252, and the lower dish ball - removing lid 265 closes the lower dish ball - removing hole 202a. In this normal state, the lower dish ball - removing hole 202a is closed by the lower dish ball - removing lid 265, and the game balls B can be stored in the lower dish 202.

[0323] In the normal state, when the lower dish ball - removing button 263 is pressed backward, the lower dish ball - removing lid 265 moves and the lower dish ball - removing hole 202a opens, and the game balls B in the lower dish 202 can be discharged downward from the dish unit 200 through the lower dish ball - removing hole 202a.

[0324] When the lower plate ball removal cover 265 is moved by pressing the lower plate ball removal button 263, the lower plate ball removal cover 265 remains in the moved state, the lower plate ball removal hole 202a remains open, and the game balls B in the lower plate 202 can be continuously discharged downward.

[0325] To close the lower plate ball removal hole 202a from this state, when the lower plate ball removal button 263, which is retracted from the front surface of the lower front decorative portion 252b, is pressed backward and then the pressing is released, the lower plate ball removal cover 265 returns to the normal position, and the lower plate ball removal hole 202a is closed. Thereby, the game balls B can be stored in the lower plate 202.

[0326] [3-5d-4. Left Plate Decoration Unit and Right Plate Decoration Unit] Regarding the left plate decoration unit 270 and the right plate decoration unit 275 in the plate decoration unit 250, they will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIG. 48 and the like. The left plate decoration unit 270 and the right plate decoration unit 275 are attached to the upper part of the front surface of the upper side bulging portion 252a of the plate unit main body 252. The left plate decoration unit 270 and the right plate decoration unit 275 decorate the left and right sides of the effect operation unit 300 at the upper part of the plate unit 200.

[0327] The left plate decoration unit 270 includes a left plate decoration body 271 that is semi-cylindrical and extends horizontally with translucency, a left plate decoration lens 272 that has translucency and penetrates the left plate decoration body 271, and a left plate decoration substrate 273 that is provided on the rear side of the left plate decoration lens 272 and has a plurality of LEDs mounted on the front surface.

[0328] The left plate decoration body 271 extends in a curved shape so as to move forward and downward as it extends from the left end to the right end, and is attached to the upper part of the upper side bulging portion 252a on the left side. The left plate decoration body 271 is formed in a shape where the semi-circular arc bulging forward has a central axis extending obliquely upward to the left at the left end and a central axis extending horizontally at the right end, and the semi-cylinder is twisted. This left plate decoration body 271 is formed in a milky white color.

[0329] The left dish decorative lens 272 extends in the longitudinal direction in a state where it coincides with the front surface of the left dish decorative body 271. The plurality of LEDs mounted on the left dish decorative substrate 273 are full-color LEDs, and by emitting light, the left dish decorative body 271 can be decorated with light emission.

[0330] The left dish decorative unit 270, in a state assembled to the door frame 3, has its left end continuous with the lower end of the left side unit 420 of the door frame. Since the left dish decorative unit 270 does not have ribs in the middle of the longitudinal direction in the left dish decorative body 271, when the plurality of LEDs on the left dish decorative substrate 273 emit light, the entire front surface of the left dish decorative body 271 can be decorated with light emission substantially uniformly, and it can be made to look as if a fluorescent lamp is embedded.

[0331] The right dish decorative unit 275 includes a right dish decorative body 276 that is semi-cylindrical and extends left and right and has translucency, a right dish decorative lens 277 that has translucency and penetrates the right dish decorative body 276, and a right dish decorative substrate 278 that is provided on the rear side of the right dish decorative lens 277 and has a plurality of LEDs mounted on its front surface.

[0332] The right dish decorative body 276 extends in a curved shape so as to move forward and downward as it goes from the right end to the left end, and is attached to the upper part of the upper side bulging part 252a on the right side. The right dish decorative body 276 is formed in a shape where a semi-circular arc bulging forward has a central axis extending obliquely upward to the right at the right end and a central axis extending left and right at the left end, and the semi-cylinder is twisted. This right dish decorative body 276 is formed in a milky white color.

[0333] The right dish decorative lens 277 extends in the longitudinal direction in a state where it coincides with the front surface of the right dish decorative body 276. The plurality of LEDs mounted on the right dish decorative substrate 278 are full-color LEDs, and by emitting light, the right dish decorative body 276 can be decorated with light emission.

[0334] The right plate decoration unit 275 is continuous with the lower end of the right side unit 430 of the door frame 3 when assembled to the door frame 3. Since the right plate decoration unit 275 does not have ribs in the middle of the longitudinal direction in the right plate decoration body 276, when a plurality of LEDs on the right plate decoration substrate 278 emit light, the entire front surface of the right plate decoration body 276 can be uniformly light-decorated, making it appear as if a fluorescent lamp is embedded.

[0335] The left plate decoration unit 270 and the right plate decoration unit 275, when assembled to the door frame 3, partially protrude upward from the front end of the upper side bulging portion 252a in the plate unit main body 252 of the plate decoration unit 250, and can form a step where the sides of the left plate decoration unit 270 and the right plate decoration unit 275 are higher than that of the upper side bulging portion 252a. Thereby, by utilizing the step between the left plate decoration unit 270 and the right plate decoration unit 275 and the upper side bulging portion 252a, a player can hook a finger, which can be used as a fingerhold when leveling the game balls B in the upper plate 201 or operating the effect operation unit 301 described later. Also, due to the step between the left plate decoration unit 270 and the right plate decoration unit 275 and the upper side bulging portion 252a, the game balls B on the upper side bulging portion 252a can be prevented from flowing forward.

[0336] [3-5e. Overall Structure of the Effect Operation Unit] The overall configuration of the effect operation unit 300 in the dish unit 200 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 52 to 56 and the like. FIG. 52(a) is a perspective view of the effect operation unit seen from the front with the effect operation buttons facing upward, and (b) is a perspective view of the effect operation unit in (a) seen from the rear. FIG. 53 is an exploded perspective view of the effect operation unit disassembled by main members and seen from the front upper side, and FIG. 54 is an exploded perspective view of the effect operation unit disassembled by main members and seen from the front lower side. FIG. 55(a) is a cross-sectional view of the effect operation unit in a state where the effect operation unit is in the lowered position and the lifting spring lower holding member is at the upward movement end position, and (b) is a cross-sectional view of the effect operation unit in a state where the effect operation unit has moved to the raised position from the state in (a). FIG. 56 is a cross-sectional view of the effect operation unit in a state where the effect operation unit is in the lowered position and the lifting spring lower holding member is at the downward movement end position.

[0337] The effect operation unit 300 is provided at the center in the left-right direction in the dish unit 200, decorates the dish unit 200, and enables a player to participate in an effect by operating it when a player participation type effect is executed. The effect operation unit 300 is attached to the dish base unit 210 and the dish decoration unit 250.

[0338] The effect operation unit 300 includes an effect operation part 301 that can be operated by a player. The effect operation part 301 is composed of a contact operation part 302 that can be touched and operated by the player and a pressing operation part 303 that can be pressed and operated by the player, and can receive the operation of the player or move (vibrate) the effect operation part 301, enabling the player not only to perform an operation of hitting the game ball B but also to participate in the effects during the game. In the effect operation part 301, the contact operation part 302 is provided above the pressing operation part 303. The effect operation part 301 is formed in a circular shape with a diameter approximately 5 / 8 the size of the outer diameter of the effect operation unit 300 for the contact operation part 302 and the pressing operation part 303.

[0339] The performance operation unit 300 includes an effect operation unit cover unit 310 which is provided on the front surface at the center in the left-right direction of the plate unit 200 and has a spherical outer shape, an operation unit base 315 to which the effect operation unit cover unit 310 is attached on the outside and which is attached to the front surface of the plate decoration unit 250, an effect operation unit outer peripheral decoration substrate 320 which is provided on the upper surface of the operation unit base 315 and on which a plurality of LEDs 320a for illuminating and decorating the upper part (unit upper cover 312) of the effect operation unit cover unit 310 are mounted, an outer peripheral substrate cover 325 which is attached to the operation unit base 315 so as to cover the effect operation unit outer peripheral decoration substrate 320 from above, and an operation unit relay substrate unit 330 which is attached to the rear surface of the operation unit base 315.

[0340] In addition, the performance operation unit 300 includes an effect operation unit 301 having an effect operation unit unit 350, an effect operation unit lifting mechanism 360 for lifting the effect operation unit unit 350, and a protrusion force adjustment mechanism 380 for adjusting the protrusion force of the effect operation unit unit 350. The effect operation unit unit 350 is provided so as to be able to advance and retreat upward from the upper surface of the effect operation unit cover unit 310 by the effect operation unit lifting mechanism 360.

[0341] [3-5e-1. Effect Operation Unit Cover Unit] Regarding the effect operation unit cover unit 310 of the performance operation unit 300, it will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 53 to 56 and the like. The effect operation unit cover unit 310 is attached to the effect operation unit attachment portion of the plate unit main body 252 of the plate decoration unit 250 via the operation unit base 315. The effect operation unit cover unit 310 decorates the outer periphery of the performance operation unit 300 (around the effect operation unit unit 350) at the center in the left-right direction of the plate unit 200.

[0342] The performance operation unit cover unit 310 includes a hemispherical unit lower cover 311 that is open upward and rearward, and an annular unit upper cover 312 that is provided above the unit lower cover 311 and has an insertion port 312a through which the performance operation unit 301 is inserted. The unit lower cover 311 is formed in a hemispherical shape so as to cover the front and lower portions of the operation unit base 315. The unit upper cover 312 is formed so as to be continuous with the outer surface of the unit lower cover 311. That is, the outer surface of the performance operation unit cover unit 310 is formed in a substantially spherical shape. Incidentally, the performance operation unit cover unit 310 of the present embodiment is spherical with a diameter of 216 mm.

[0343] The performance operation unit cover unit 310 is attached in an inclined state such that the axis of the annular unit upper cover 312 is positioned forward as it goes upward. In the present embodiment, it is inclined at an angle of about 18 degrees (18.65 degrees) with respect to the vertical line.

[0344] When the performance operation unit cover unit 310 is assembled to the door frame 3, its front end is the front end of the door frame 3, and the distance from the front surface of the door frame base 101 to the front end of the unit lower cover 311 is about 1 / 2 of the total width of the door frame base 101 in the left - right direction.

[0345] At least the unit upper cover 312 of the performance operation unit cover unit 310 has translucency, and can be decorated with light emission by the light emission of a plurality of LEDs of the performance operation unit outer peripheral decoration substrate 320 described later.

[0346] When the performance operation unit cover unit 310 is assembled to the dish unit 200, the front end protrudes significantly forward more than the upper dish 201 and the lower dish 202. Also, the performance operation unit cover unit 310 is connected such that the dish left decoration body 271 and the dish right decoration body 276 extend outward from both the left and right sides of the unit lower cover 311. Thereby, the performance operation unit 300 is made prominent and the appearance is improved by the integrated decoration.

[0347] [3 - 5e - 2. Operation unit base] The operation unit base 315 of the performance operation unit 300 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 53 to 56 and the like. The operation unit base 315 is attached to the performance operation unit attachment portion 212a of the upper dish main body 212 in the dish base unit 210 at the rear side. The front and lower sides of the operation unit base 315 are covered by the unit lower cover 311, and the upper side is covered by the unit upper cover 312 and the performance operation unit 301. The operation unit base 315 is formed in a container shape with an open upper side.

[0348] The operation unit base 315 includes a substantially cubic box-shaped main body portion 315a with an open upper side, and a flange portion 315b that extends outward from the upper end of the main body portion and has a circular outer periphery. The main body portion 315a houses the performance operation unit unit 350 inside. Also, the main body portion 315a has the lower ends of a pair of guide shafts 362 and a central shaft 366 of the performance operation unit lifting mechanism 360 in the performance operation unit 350 described later attached to the bottom wall. Further, the main body portion 315a rotatably supports the lower end side of the adjustment screw 384 of the protrusion force adjustment mechanism 380 on the upper surface of the bottom wall. Furthermore, the substrate base 331 of the operation unit relay substrate unit 330 is attached to the rear surface of the rear wall of the main body portion 315a.

[0349] The flange portion 315b has the outer peripheral decorative substrate 320 of the performance operation unit placed on the upper surface. Also, an annular outer peripheral substrate cover 325 is attached to the flange portion 315b so as to sandwich the outer peripheral decorative substrate 320 of the performance operation unit. The unit upper cover 312 is attached to the outer peripheral substrate cover 325.

[0350] In the state where the operation unit base 315 is assembled to the performance operation unit 300, the upper surface of the flange portion 315b is located substantially on the same plane as the upper surface of the unit lower cover 311.

[0351] [3-5e-3. Operation Unit Relay Substrate Unit] The operation unit relay board unit 330 of the performance operation unit 300 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 53 to 56 and the like. The operation unit relay board unit 330 is attached to the rear surface of the operation unit base 315. The operation unit relay board unit 330 includes a board base 331 attached to the rear surface of the main body portion 315a in the operation unit base 315, an operation unit relay board 332 attached to the rear surface of the board base 331, and a board cover 333 attached to the board base 331 so as to cover the operation unit relay board 332 from the rear.

[0352] The operation unit relay board 332 relays the connection between the performance operation unit outer peripheral decoration board 320 (front decoration board 321 and rear decoration board 322), the button outer decoration board 355, the vibration motor 356, the contact detection sensor main body 358, the button middle decoration board 364, the operation button lifting drive motor 367, the pressing detection sensor 373, the lifting detection sensor 374, the protrusion force detection sensor 375, and the protrusion force adjustment drive motor 381, and the plate unit relay board 214 of the plate base unit 210.

[0353] [3-5e-4. Performance operation unit] The performance operation unit 350 in the performance operation unit 300 will be described in detail mainly with reference to FIGS. 53 to 56 and the like. The performance operation unit 350 is provided so as to face outward from the insertion port 312a of the unit upper cover 312 in the performance operation unit cover unit 310, and can function as a contact operation unit 302 or a pressing operation unit 303.

[0354] The performance operation unit 350 includes a bottomed cylindrical button body 351 with its upper end side closed, a disk-shaped contact detector 352 attached to the upper part inside the button body 351, a cylindrical button sleeve 353 inserted into the button body 351 from below, a disk-shaped button base 354 attached to the lower end of the button sleeve 353 and supported so as to be liftable by the performance operation unit lifting mechanism 360, and an annular button outer decoration board 355 arranged above the button base 354 and having a plurality of LEDs 355a mounted on its upper surface.

[0355] In addition, the effect operation unit 350 includes a vibration motor 356 disposed between the button main body 351 and the button sleeve 353, a motor cover 357 that attaches the vibration motor 356 to the button sleeve 353, and a contact detection sensor main body 358 that is connected to the contact detector 352 and attached to the outer periphery of the button sleeve 353.

[0356] The button main body 351 is entirely formed transparently. The button main body 351 has a disk-shaped upper surface portion 351a that curves upward to bulge, a cylindrical portion 351b that extends downward from the outer periphery of the upper surface portion 351a, and a locking portion 351c that protrudes downward from the lower end of the cylindrical portion 351b. The upper surface portion 351a is formed in a shape that constitutes a part of a spherical surface having the same diameter as the spherical surface of the effect operation unit cover unit 310. A circular decoration having a diameter of about 1 / 2 of the outer diameter is provided on the upper surface portion 351a. The outer diameter (diameter) of the upper surface portion 351a (cylindrical portion 351b) is about 5 / 8 of the diameter of the effect operation unit cover unit 310. The length (height) of the cylindrical portion 351b is about 5 / 8 of the diameter of the upper surface portion 351a. Four locking portions 351c are provided at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion 351b. The locking portion 351c is locked to the button base 354. Incidentally, the button main body 351 of the present embodiment has a diameter of about 127 mm.

[0357] The contact detector 352 is formed in a dish shape with a circular outer periphery and an inner side with a certain width bulging upward from the outer periphery. The contact detector 352 is located at a position below the circular decoration on the upper surface portion 351a of the button body 351, bulging obliquely upward and having a flat inner side. As a result, the contact detector 352 appears to be part of the decoration of the button body 351. The contact detector 352 has flat lower extension pieces 352a extending downward from the left and right ends and the rear end of the outer peripheral edge. The contact detector 352 is attached to the lower surface of the upper surface portion 351a of the button body 351. The contact detector 352 is formed of punching metal. The contact detector 352 has its capacitance with respect to the total area suppressed by a plurality of holes in the punching metal, preventing false detection. Also, since the contact detector 352 is made of punching metal, the light from the LED 364a of the button inner decoration substrate 364 provided below can be transmitted upward, enabling the central portion of the upper surface portion 351a of the button body 351 to be decorated with light in a good state.

[0358] The contact detector 352 is connected to the external electrode terminals of the connection connector in the contact detection sensor body 358. As a result, the contact detector 352 can function as a sensor electrode for detecting capacitance, and can detect contact or approach of a detection target (the player's hand) to the upper surface or side surface of the button body 351. That is, the contact detector 352 and the contact detection sensor body 358 can make the button body 351 function as a contact operation portion 302.

[0359] The button sleeve 353 has a cylindrical sleeve body 353a extending vertically and an annular flange portion 353b extending outward from the lower end of the sleeve body 353a. The button sleeve 353 is entirely formed transparently. The outer diameter of the sleeve body 353a is about 4 / 7 of the inner diameter of the button body 351, and the length is substantially the same as the length of the cylindrical portion 351b of the button body 351. The button sleeve 353 can transmit the light from the plurality of LEDs 355a of the button outer decoration substrate 355 upward through the flange portion 353b.

[0360] The button base 354 is in the shape of a disk with a diameter approximately the same as the outer diameter of the button body 351, and is attached to the lower end of the button body 351 so as to close the open lower end side of the button body 351. The button base 354 includes a pair of guide holes 354a that penetrate vertically at symmetrically positioned parts with respect to the center, a central hole 354b that penetrates vertically at the center, and a pair of guide pins 354c that protrude from the inner surface of the central hole toward the center. The pair of guide holes 354a are each slidably inserted with a guide shaft 362 of the effect operation unit lifting mechanism 360. The central hole 354b is formed with an inner diameter of a size through which the lifting cam member 371 can pass. The pair of guide pins 354c face each other on the same axis and are rotatably attached around the axis.

[0361] The button base 354 further has a flat detection piece 354d that extends downward and is detected by a pressure detection sensor 373 of the effect operation unit lifting mechanism 360. The button base 354 has a locking portion 351c of the button body 351 locked to the outer peripheral surface. The button base 354 is guided to be movable up and down by inserting a pair of guide shafts 362 into the pair of guide holes 354a. Further, the button base 354 is moved up and down by guiding the pair of guide pins 354c to the cam portion 371a of the lifting cam member 371. The upper ends of a pair of lifting springs 365 of the effect operation unit lifting mechanism 360 abut against the lower surface of the button base 354, and the button base 354 is biased upward by the pair of lifting springs 365.

[0362] A plurality of LEDs 355a are mounted on the upper surface of the button exterior decoration substrate 355. The plurality of LEDs 355a are arranged in rows on the concentric double circumferences. More specifically, the plurality of LEDs 355a are provided at a part slightly outside the sleeve body 353a of the button sleeve 353 and at a part near the center of the width of the flange portion 353b. By appropriately lighting the LEDs 355a of the button exterior decoration substrate 355, it is possible to perform light-emitting decoration on the part outside the contact detector 352 on the upper surface of the button body 351 and the side surface (circumferential surface) of the button body 351.

[0363] The vibration motor 356 has an eccentric weight attached to the rotating shaft, and can generate vibration by rotating the weight. The vibration motor 356 is arranged such that the rotating shaft extends in the left - right direction. In other words, the vibration motor 356 is arranged such that the rotating shaft extends in a direction orthogonal to the advancing - retreating direction of the effect operation unit 301. Also, the vibration motor 356 is provided at a position on a straight line passing through a pair of guide shafts 362 that guide the effect operation unit 301 in the vertical direction. Thereby, the vibration from the vibration motor 356 can be favorably transmitted to the effect operation unit 301. Also, the influence on the pair of guide holes 354a (the pair of guide shafts 362) due to the vibration by the vibration motor 356 can be reduced.

[0364] The contact detection sensor body 358 is a capacitance sensor. Although detailed illustration is omitted, the contact detection sensor body 358 has a sensor IC having a surge protection circuit, a transmission circuit, a detection and smoothing circuit, a comparison circuit, etc., an output circuit, a constant - voltage circuit that supplies power to the sensor IC and the output circuit, a sensor electrode, and a connection connector. The contact detection sensor body 358 can detect the capacitance of the sensor electrode inside it. Also, the connection connector of the contact detection sensor body 358 has an external electrode terminal connected to the sensor electrode, and the external electrode terminal is connected to the contact detection body 352. That is, the contact detection sensor body 358 can make the contact detection body 352 function as an external sensor electrode. The contact detection sensor body 358 detects the capacitance with the sensor electrode and outputs an ON signal when the capacitance exceeds a predetermined capacitance set by an external resistor. In this embodiment, an ON signal is output when the predetermined capacitance is exceeded, but it may output signals in multiple stages according to the magnitude of the capacitance.

[0365] In the effect operation unit 350 of this embodiment, a contact detection body 352 that functions as a sensor electrode for detecting capacitance by the contact detection sensor body 358 is provided on the lower surface of the upper surface portion 351a of the button body 351. Therefore, it is possible to detect contact or approach of a detection target (the player's hand) to the upper surface of the button body 351 via the contact detection body 352. Further, since the contact detection body 352 of the effect operation unit 350 has a plurality of downward extending pieces 352a that extend downward, it is possible to detect contact or approach of a detection target (the player's hand) to the side surface of the button body 351 with the effect operation unit 350 protruding upward. For these reasons, the effect operation unit 350 can cause the button body 351 to function as a contact operation unit 302 with the contact detection body 352 and the contact detection sensor body 358.

[0366] This effect operation unit 350 is supported by an effect operation unit elevating mechanism 360 so as to be movable up and down in the vertical direction. In the state where the effect operation unit 350 has moved to the lowest position (normal state), the upper surface portion 351a of the button body 351 coincides with the upper surface of the unit upper cover 312 of the effect operation unit cover unit 310, and the effect operation unit 300 looks like a single sphere. Then, in the state where the effect operation unit 350 is moved upward from the normal state by the effect operation unit elevating mechanism 360, the upper surface portion 351a of the button body 351 protrudes upward from the upper surface of the unit upper cover 312, and by pressing downward against the biasing force of the elevating spring 365, it can function as a pressing operation unit 303.

[0367] Specifically, in the state where the effect operation unit 350 has moved to the lowest position (normal state), even if it is pressed, it will not move further downward and is in a state where a pressing operation cannot be performed. In this normal state, the detection piece 354d of the button base 354 is detected by the pressing detection sensor 373 of the effect operation unit lifting mechanism 360. When the effect operation unit lifting mechanism 360 moves the effect operation unit 350 to a state above the normal state, the detection piece 354d of the button base 354 separates from the pressing detection sensor 373 and becomes a non-detection state. Then, when the upper surface of the effect operation unit 350 is pressed downward and the effect operation unit 350 is lowered to the lower movement end against the biasing force of the lifting spring 365, the detection piece 354d of the button base 354 is detected by the pressing detection sensor 373. Thereby, the pressing operation of the effect operation unit 350 (pressing operation unit 303) is detected.

[0368] Also, since the effect operation unit 350 covers the upper part of the contact detection body 352 made of punching metal with the button body 351, when operating the contact operation unit 302, the player touches the upper surface of the smooth spherical button body 351, and the player does not directly touch the surface of the punching metal having unevenness due to a plurality of holes. Thus, the player can smoothly operate the contact operation unit 302. Further, since the contact detection body 352 is covered with the button body 351, by forming fine unevenness, a plurality of streaks, etc. on the surface (upper surface) of the button body 351, it is possible to impart an arbitrary tactile sensation to the contact operation unit 302, increase the design freedom with respect to the contact operation unit 302, and provide the pachinko machine 1 that can make the player more entertained.

[0369] Note that in the above description, the button body 351 is made transparent, but it is not limited to this. The button body 351 may be opaque or semi-transparent so that the lower side is difficult to visually recognize through it. As a result, since the contact detector 352 made of punching metal is difficult to see through the button body 351, the appearance of the effect operation unit 350 can be improved. Further, when the button body 351 is made opaque, it is desirable to make it have translucency. Thereby, the button body 351 can be decorated with light emission by the light from the LED 355a of the button exterior decoration substrate 355 provided below or the LED 364a of the button interior decoration substrate 364, etc., and the player can be entertained by the light emission effect of the button body 351.

[0370] [3-5e-5. Effect operation un...

Claims

Claim 1 A gaming machine capable of executing a predetermined symbol variation based on the establishment of a predetermined start condition, a light-emitting unit provided at a predetermined position, a separate light-emitting unit that is a separate member from the light-emitting unit and is provided at a predetermined position within the game board, and specific rainbow light-emitting control means for causing the light-emitting unit and the separate light-emitting unit to emit light in a specific rainbow mode, wherein a plurality of light-emitting bodies are provided in the separate light-emitting unit, and the specific rainbow mode can be exhibited by the light emission of the plurality of light-emitting bodies, the separate light-emitting unit is not determined to have any abnormality even when not electrically connected to the gaming machine, when the separate light-emitting unit is electrically connected to the gaming machine during a specific period which is a period in which the predetermined symbol variation is not being executed and the light-emitting unit emits light in the specific rainbow mode, the separate light-emitting unit electrically connected to the gaming machine can emit light in the specific rainbow mode during the specific period, the specific rainbow light-emitting control means causes the light-emitting unit and the separate light-emitting unit to emit light in the specific rainbow mode respectively during the specific period, and can cause the separate light-emitting unit to emit light in the specific rainbow mode regardless of whether the light-emitting unit can emit light in the specific rainbow mode, furthermore, it further includes a special light-emitting unit different from the light-emitting unit and the separate light-emitting unit, and the special light-emitting unit can emit light in a special rainbow mode different from the specific rainbow mode, the special light-emitting unit can execute light emission in the special rainbow mode, while light emission in the specific rainbow mode during the specific period is not executed A gaming machine characterized by the above.

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