Pachinko machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine in which a group to which a manufacturing company that has manufactured the game machine belongs and display that can identify the manufacturing company of the game machine can be easily recognized.SOLUTION: A game machine has a first display in which a manufacturing company of the game machine can be identified and a second display different from the first display in which a group to which the manufacturing company belongs can be identified. Regarding the second display, at least a part of the second display is not visible in a specified state, and the entire second display is visible in at least a part not in the specified state. The entire first display is visible both in the specified state and not in the specified state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 16

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to gaming machines such as pachinko machines and slot machines.

Background Art

[0002] Some gaming machines typified by pachinko machines and slot machines have an image display device such as a liquid crystal display type display device, and execute game effects by an image displayed on the image display.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] By the way, these days, in order to smoothly apply to the Security Telecommunications Association to test the performance of gaming machines to see if they can be installed in halls, etc., one gaming machine manufacturer has multiple manufacturing companies that manufacture gaming machines, and these manufacturing companies are generally treated as one group. Then, for example, when a trial play video or a practice video is viewed through a telecommunications circuit, it becomes difficult to tell which gaming machine manufacturer (group) the gaming machines appearing in the viewed video belong to, or when a problem occurs in a gaming machine installed in a hall, it becomes difficult to tell which manufacturing company the hall staff should inquire with, etc. problems occur.

[0005] Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of these problems, and provides a gaming machine in which a display capable of specifying the group to which the manufacturing company that manufactured the gaming machine belongs or the manufacturing company of the gaming machine is clearly visible and easily recognizable.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] According to the present invention, There is a first region above the upper end of a predetermined operation means when viewed in the vertical direction, and a second region below the predetermined operation means when viewed in the vertical direction. The first region and the second region are configured to be controllable by a predetermined control means. it has a first display that can identify the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display that is different from the first display and can identify the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. Regarding the second display, including a state in which the progress of the game is restricted when it is in a specific state, in the first region at least a part of the second display is unviewable, and in at least a part of the case where it is not in the specific state, in the first region the entire second display is viewable, and when it is in the specific state Regardless of whether or not, in the first region or the second region the entire first display is viewable. A gaming machine is provided, which is characterized by this. Further, according to the present invention, there is a first region above the upper end of a predetermined operation means when viewed in the vertical direction, and a second region below the predetermined operation means when viewed in the vertical direction. The first region and the second region are configured to be controllable by a predetermined control means, and have a first display capable of specifying the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display different from the first display and capable of specifying the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. Regarding the second display, when it is in a specific state including a state in which the progress of the game is permitted, at least a part of the second display is not visible in the first region, and at least a part of the case where it is not in the specific state, the entire second display is visible in the first region, and regardless of whether or not it is in the specific state, the entire first display is visible in the first region or the second region. A gaming machine is provided, characterized by this.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, a gaming machine is provided in which a display capable of identifying the group to which the manufacturing company that manufactured the gaming machine belongs and the manufacturing company of the gaming machine is easily visible and recognizable.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

Figure 1

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MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted as appropriate. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, "front", "rear", "left", "right", "upper", and "lower" refer to the states as viewed from the front side (player side) of the gaming machine 10 as shown in FIG. 1.

[0010] <Features of the Present Invention> Before explaining the details of the gaming machine 10 in the present embodiment, the features of the invention (the present invention) described in the present embodiment will be explained. In explaining the features, the configurations in parentheses are examples of the configurations of the present embodiment corresponding to the immediately preceding configurations, and the configurations may be described in parentheses for the same purpose in the description of the gaming machine 10 after the explanation.

[0011] The present invention has a first display (display of the manufacturing company name) that enables identification of the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and enables identification of the group to which the manufacturing company belongs, and regarding the second display, when in a specific state, at least a part of the second display is unrecognizable, in at least a part of the case where it is not in the specific state, the entire second display is recognizable, and in both the case where it is in the specific state and the case where it is not in the specific state, the entire first display is recognizable. The gaming machine is characterized by this.

[0012] According to the present invention, in the specific state, it is possible to make it easier for hall-related personnel to identify the manufacturing company to which inquiries should be made.

[0013] As described later, although the first display in this embodiment is composed of characters, symbols or logos may be used instead of or in addition to the characters in the first display. The same applies to the second display. In the present invention, it is allowed that one manufacturing company (for example, the one with the largest scale) among a plurality of manufacturing companies included in one group coincides with the group related to the one group. In that case, the typeface of the characters constituting these names or the color of the characters may be changed, one may be abbreviated and the other may be the official name, or one may have a logo and the other may not have a logo, etc., so that these displays may be made different from each other. Also, "the entire second display is visible" and "the entire first display is visible" mean that the entire display is visible when visually observing the gaming machine directly.

[0014] Also, the gaming machine according to this embodiment described later is a slot machine (so-called smart slot) that pays out all medals as electronic data, but the present invention can also be a conventional slot machine that pays out some medals as physical medals. Furthermore, the present invention may be adopted for a conventional pachinko machine that pays out physical game balls as prize balls or a pachinko machine (so-called smart pachinko) that gives prize balls as electronic data.

[0015] The gaming machine 10 having the above characteristics will be specifically described based on the following embodiments.

[0016] <Structure of Gaming Machine 10> First, the structure of the gaming machine 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7. Note that FIG. 1 is a front view of the gaming machine 10, FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the hand area II shown surrounded by a broken line in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a view showing the back surface of the front door 20, FIG. 4 is a view showing the front of the gaming machine 10 excluding the front door 20, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the lower space III shown by hatching in FIG. 4, FIG. 6 is a view showing the arrangement of the symbols provided on the reel 65 developed in a plane, and FIG. 7 is a view showing the types of symbols provided on the reel 65.

[0017] The gaming machine 10 includes a rectangular parallelepiped outer frame 90 with an open front surface, a front door 20 pivotally supported on the left edge side (around the axis Za) of the outer frame 90 so as to be pivotally opened and closed, and a gaming machine main body 60. More specifically, three hinge portions 96 (96a, 96b, 96c) are provided on the left edge side of the outer frame 90. The front door 20 is pivotally supported by the upper hinge portion 96a and the lower hinge portion 96c, and the gaming machine main body 60 is pivotally supported by the upper hinge portion 96a and the middle hinge portion 96b. As shown in FIG. 4, the outer frame 90 has an opening formed by a left side wall 90a, a right side wall 90b, a top plate 90c, and a bottom plate 90d. The inner side of the opening is shielded by an inner side wall shown in another figure (FIG. 5 etc.). Also, unless otherwise specified, in the following description, for the plate members (left side wall 90a, right side wall 90b, top plate 90c, inner side wall) constituting the outer frame 90, the expression such as "provided on the plate member" is simply used when gaming components are provided on the inner surface thereof.

[0018] On the front side of the front door 20, as shown in FIG. 1 or FIG. 2, an upper panel 21, a lower panel 22, a bet button 23, a menu selection button 24, a status display LED 25, a start lever 26, a stop button 27, a medal number display LED 28, a settlement button 32, a medal counting button 33, a door lock 34, a decorative LED 36, and a speaker opening 38 are provided. In particular, the gaming machine 10 according to the present embodiment is a so-called medal-less slot machine that can progress the game without using actual medals. Therefore, the gaming machine 10 does not have a structure necessary for using actual medals such as a medal insertion port and a medal discharge port that a conventional slot machine using actual medals typically has. Also, in the following description, the medal refers to something that is treated as electronic information rather than an actual medal used in the past.

[0019] On the back side of the front door 20, as shown in FIG. 3, there are provided a decorative LED board 41, a status display LED board 42, a stop button board 43, a start lever sensor 44, a bed button board 45, a menu selection button board 46, a setting change device 48, a speaker 49, a medal number display LED board 50, and a medal counting button board 51.

[0020] Also, in order to open the front door 20, it is necessary to insert a door key (not shown) into the door lock 34 to release a lock mechanism (not shown) that locks the front door 20 and the outer frame 90. When the front door 20 is opened, as shown in FIG. 4, the lower space III below the gaming machine main body 60 can be confirmed. In this embodiment, an open door sensor (not shown) for determining whether the front door 20 is open or not is provided on the right edge side of the outer frame 90. The open door sensor is in an OFF state when the front door 20 is closed, and is in an ON state when the front door 20 is open.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5, in the lower space III (see FIG. 4) below the gaming machine main body 60, a power supply device 91 is provided on the bottom plate 90d along the left side wall 90a, and a medal number control board case 400 is provided on the back side wall 90e. In particular, the medal number control board case 400 is provided at a position lower than the upper surface of the power supply device 91 when viewed in the vertical direction (Z-axis direction). This is to effectively utilize the space that had a structure (for example, a hopper that physically pays out the medals, an auxiliary storage for storing the medals overflowed from the hopper, etc., which are unnecessary in the above-mentioned medal-less slot machine) in the conventional slot machine that used real medals. Also, a sheet metal 95 is provided in the area on the bottom plate 90d where the power supply device 91 is not installed.

[0022] The power supply device 91 is a device for supplying power to each component of the gaming machine 10, and its startup and stop are controlled by operating the power switch 92 provided in the device. Therefore, when enjoying the game, it is necessary to operate the power switch 92 to start the power supply device 91 with the front door 20 open. In this embodiment, each of the main board 100 to be described later, the sub-board 200 to be described later, and the medal number control board 300 has a function of maintaining the information held before the power supply from the power supply device 91 is turned off, even when the power supply from the power supply device 91 is in the off state. In addition, on the side surface of the right side (X-axis direction side) of the power supply device 91, there is a heat dissipation port 93 for discharging the heat generated while the power supply device 91 is operating.

[0023] The medal number control board case 400 houses the medal number control board 300 to be described later inside. In particular, since the medal number control board case 400 has permeability, the housed medal number control board 300 can be visually observed with the medal number control board 300 housed inside.

[0024] The setting change device 48 provided on the back side of the front door 20 is a device for performing a setting change process for changing a setting value and a setting confirmation process for confirming a setting value already set, and includes a setting key switch 48a, a setting change switch 48b, a setting display LED 48c, and a setting key cover 48d. Details of the setting change process and the setting confirmation process will be described later. The setting display LED 48c is an LED that displays the setting value being changed in the setting change process and the setting value already set in the setting confirmation process. In this embodiment, it is composed of a 7-segment display. The setting key cover 48d is a cover that covers the setting key switch 48a. By sliding this cover, it becomes possible to insert and operate a setting key (not shown) into the setting key switch 48a. FIG. 3 shows a state where the setting key cover 48d covers the setting key switch 48a. Here, the set value indicates a payout rate with a different expected value of the number of medals paid out relative to the number of medals used in the game. In this embodiment, there are six levels from 1 to 6. And, the higher the set value is set, the higher the above payout rate tends to be. Similarly in this embodiment, the payout rate increases as the set value goes from 1 to 6. In the following description, the set value of 1 is referred to as set value 1, and similarly, the set value of 2 is referred to as set value 2, the set value of 3 is referred to as set value 3, the set value of 4 is referred to as set value 4, the set value of 5 is referred to as set value 5, and the set value of 6 is referred to as set value 6.

[0025] Also, the front door 20 has an upper panel 21 and a lower panel 22 on the front side. Since the upper panel 21 is formed of a transparent member, a player located in front of the gaming machine 10 can visually recognize the gaming machine main body 60 (particularly, the upper effect display area 62a, the reel frame 64, and the reel 65 of the upper effect display device to be described later) disposed on the back side of the upper panel 21 through the upper panel 21. Regarding the lower panel 22 as well, since it is formed of a transparent member like the upper panel 21, a player located in front of the gaming machine 10 can visually recognize the lower effect display area 62b of the lower effect display device 63b disposed on the back side of the lower panel 22 through the lower panel 22.

[0026] Also, the gaming machine main body 60 includes the main components that control the game performed by the gaming machine 10. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, an upper effect display area 62a is formed at the upper front thereof, and a reel frame 64 is formed at the lower front thereof.

[0027] The upper effect display area 62a is the display screen of the upper effect display device 63a built in the gaming machine main body 60, and in addition to the effects and information related to the game of the gaming machine 10, it can display the group company name and the manufacturing company name to be described later. Also, the lower effect display area 62b is the display screen of the lower effect display device 63b provided on the front door 20, and it can display the model name and the manufacturing company name to be described later. Note that, as the upper effect display device 63a and the lower effect display device 63b, for example, a liquid crystal display type display device or the like can be adopted, and the effects displayed in the upper effect display area 62a are linked to the sound output from the speaker 49 and the light emission of the decorative LED 36, and can suitably arouse the interest of the player. Also, the upper effect display area 62a is located above the upper end of the stop button 27 (in the direction away from the bottom plate 90d shown in FIG. 5) when viewed in the vertical direction (the z direction shown in FIGS. 4 and 5), and the lower effect display area 62b is located below the upper end of the stop button 27 (in the direction approaching the bottom plate 90d shown in FIG. 5) when viewed in the vertical direction. Further, in the present embodiment, the upper effect display area 62a is located deeper (in the direction approaching the back side wall 90e shown in FIG. 5) than the lower effect display area 62b when viewed in the depth direction (the y direction shown in FIG. 5).

[0028] The reel frame 64 is a window frame formed on the front side of the reels 65 (65L, 65C, 65R) built in the gaming machine main body 60, and is partitioned into an internal area and an external area. The internal area of the reel frame 64 is formed by a cavity or a transparent member, and a part of each of the reels 65 is visible through the internal area. Also, the external area of the reel frame 64 is formed of an opaque member (including a translucent member or a member obtained by coloring a transparent member), and makes it difficult to view the reels 65 through the external area.

[0029] Here, the reel 65 is composed of the reels 65L, 65C, and 65R, and these reels are configured to be rotatable by a stepping motor. When the reel 65 in the present embodiment rotates, in principle, the reel 65 rotates from top to bottom, and the direction in which the reel 65 rotates from top to bottom may be referred to as the "forward direction", and the direction in which it rotates from bottom to top may be referred to as the "reverse direction". Also, each of the reels 65 is provided with a plurality of types of symbols, and the symbols provided on the reel 65 are variably displayed by rotation, and the symbols are stopped and displayed by stopping the rotating reel 65. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6, each outer circumference of the reels 65 is equally divided into 21 frames, and each frame is marked with a symbol. In the following description, each frame arranged on the reel 65L may be referred to as LZ00 to LZ20, each frame arranged on the reel 65C may be referred to as CZ00 to CZ20, and each frame arranged on the reel 65R may be referred to as RZ00 to RZ20.

[0030] Next, with reference to FIG. 7, the types of symbols drawn on each outer circumference of the reel 65 will be described. The symbol shown in FIG. 7(a) is a blue symbol imitating the number "7", and will be referred to as the "blue 7 symbol" in the following description. The blue 7 symbol is arranged at LZ18, CZ18, and RZ18, and in each of the reels 65, it can be said that it is a symbol arranged beyond the maximum number of drawn-in frames described later (it may not be possible to stop on the active line depending on the operation timing of the stop button 27). The symbol shown in FIG. 7(b) is a red symbol imitating the number "7", and will be referred to as the "red 7 symbol" in the following description. The red 7 symbol is arranged at LZ10, CZ10, and RZ10, and similar to the above "blue 7 symbol", in each of the reels 65, it can be said that it is a symbol arranged beyond the maximum number of drawn-in frames. The symbol shown in FIG. 7(c) is a symbol marked as "BAR", and will be referred to as the "BAR symbol" in the following description. The BAR symbol is arranged at LZ03, CZ03, RZ03, etc., and similar to the above "blue 7 symbol", in each of the reels 65, it can be said that it is a symbol arranged beyond the maximum number of drawn-in frames. The symbol shown in FIG. 7(d) is a symbol marked as "REPLAY" meaning a replay, and will be referred to as the "replay symbol" in the following description. The replay symbol is arranged at LZ04, CZ01, RZ02, etc., and in each of the reels 65, it can be said that it is a symbol not arranged beyond the maximum number of drawn-in frames (it is possible to stop on the active line regardless of the operation timing of the stop button 27). The symbol shown in FIG. 7(e) is a symbol imitating a bell, and is referred to as the "bell symbol" in the following description. The bell symbol is arranged in LZ00, CZ02, RZ01, etc. Similar to the above-mentioned "replay symbol", it can be said that in each of the reels 65, it is not arranged exceeding the maximum number of drawn frames. The symbol shown in FIG. 7(f) is a symbol imitating a cherry, and is referred to as the "cherry symbol" in the following description. The cherry symbol is arranged in LZ02, CZ08, RZ00, etc. Similar to the above-mentioned "blue 7 symbol", it can be said that in each of the reels 65, it is arranged exceeding the maximum number of drawn frames. The symbol shown in FIG. 7(g) is a symbol imitating a watermelon, and is referred to as the "watermelon symbol" in the following description. The watermelon symbol is arranged in LZ01, CZ00, RZ11, etc. Similar to the above-mentioned "blue 7 symbol", it can be said that in each of the reels 65, it is arranged exceeding the maximum number of drawn frames. The symbol shown in FIG. 7(h) is a symbol marked as "BLANK", and is referred to as the "blank symbol" in the following description. The blank symbol is arranged in LZ07, CZ05, RZ05, etc. Similar to the above-mentioned "blue 7 symbol", it can be said that in each of the reels 65, it is arranged exceeding the maximum number of drawn frames.

[0031] In addition, on each of the reels 65, a detection piece (not shown) that moves with the rotation of the reel is provided at a position corresponding to the reference position (in this embodiment, LZ00, CZ00, RZ00) (a position on the upstream side in the forward direction by the amount of movement in the brake control state described later), and a reel sensor 66 that does not move with the rotation of the reel and detects the detection piece is provided. Specifically, a reel sensor 66L is provided for the reel 65L, a reel sensor 66C is provided for the reel 65C, and a reel sensor 66R is provided for the reel 65R. Each of these sensors is configured to be able to detect that each of the reels 65 has reached the reference position.

[0032] Inside the reel 65, a reel lighting board 67 (67L, 67C, 67R) is provided. The lighting of the LEDs mounted on the reel lighting board 67 facilitates the visual recognition of each symbol represented on the reel 65. That is, the LEDs mounted on the reel lighting board 67 function as a backlight for the symbol display by the reel 65.

[0033] The start lever 26 can receive the player's operation as an opportunity to start the game. Here, the player's operation on the start lever 26 is to tilt the start lever 26, which is provided substantially perpendicular to the front door 20 in the initial state, in any direction. The start lever sensor 44 can detect whether the start lever 26 is in the on state or the off state. More specifically, the start lever sensor 44 detects the start lever 26, which is substantially perpendicular to the front door 20, as being in the off state, and detects the start lever 26 tilted in any direction as being in the on state.

[0034] In this embodiment, when the number of medals used in the game (hereinafter sometimes referred to as the "betting number", and this number is stored in the RAM 102 described later) is 1 or less, the game does not start even if the start lever 26 is operated. That is, in this embodiment, the game is configured to be startable only when the betting number is the maximum number (in this embodiment, 3) or 2. Therefore, in order to reach the maximum betting number, it is necessary to subtract the medals stored in the medal number control board 300 of the gaming machine 10 by pressing the bet button 23 to increase the betting number. Here, the storage of medals refers to the function of storing a numerical value (credit) corresponding to the medals owned by the player inside the gaming machine 10 (specifically, in the RAM 302 described later). Furthermore, examples of cases where medals are stored (credits are added) include, for example, when medals are lent out from the dedicated unit 1000 described later, or when winning a prize in a payout-winning combination. In the following description, when medals are lent out from the dedicated unit 1000, it includes not only the transfer (movement) of the medals after converting banknotes into medals by the dedicated unit 1000 to the medal count control board 300, but also the transfer of the stored medals stored in a membership card or the like to the medal count control board 300. Also, when winning a prize in the replay combination in the previous game, a replay game is activated in the current game, and the bet amount in the previous game is set as the bet amount in the current game, and the game can be started without setting new medals by pressing the bet button 23.

[0035] In addition, the gaming machine 10 has a maximum bet button 23a and a single bet button 23b as the above bet button 23, and operations on each button are detected by sensors provided on the bet button board 45. More specifically, a maximum bet button sensor 45a is provided for the maximum bet button 23a, and a single bet button sensor 45b is provided for the single bet button 23b, and operations on each button are individually detected by these sensors. The maximum bet button 23a is a button that subtracts the credit by the maximum number of bet amounts (in this embodiment, 3) at most in one operation and adds the subtracted amount to the bet amount to make the bet amount the maximum number. The single bet button 23b is a button that subtracts 1 from the credit and adds 1 to the bet amount in one operation. When the bet amount has reached the maximum number, no matter which of the bet buttons 23 is operated, the credit cannot be subtracted and the bet amount cannot be added.

[0036] In addition, the maximum bet button 23a is used not only as a bet button for reducing credits and increasing the number of bets according to the operation as described above, but may also be used as a trigger for executing an effect (effect button). When the maximum bet button 23a is used as a bet button, it is limited to a state where the number of bets can be added. However, when the maximum bet button 23a is used as an effect button, it is not limited to this state, and for example, any state such as during re-game activation before the start of the game or during the game may be adopted. Note that the bet button board 45 is provided with a push button sensor 45c for detecting the depression of the maximum bet button 23a when the maximum bet button 23a is used as an effect button, which is distinguished from the detection by the maximum bet button sensor 45a. Specifically, the maximum bet button sensor 45a is directly connected to the main board 100, while the push button sensor 45c is directly connected to the sub-board 200.

[0037] In addition, the settlement button 32 is operated to transfer the number of bets before being used in the game to credits, and the operation on the settlement button 32 is detected by a settlement button sensor (not shown). When the settlement button 32 is operated, regardless of the value of the current number of bets, all of the number of bets is transferred to credits by one operation of the settlement button 32.

[0038] In addition, the medal counting button 33 is operated to transfer a part or all of the credits stored in the medal number control board 300 to the dedicated unit 1000, and the operation on the medal counting button 33 is detected by a medal counting button sensor 51a provided on the medal counting button board 51. When the medal counting button 33 is pressed briefly, 1 credit is transferred to the dedicated unit 1000. When the medal counting button 33 is pressed and held, every time a certain time (500 ms in this embodiment) elapses, 50 credits (or the value if the credit value is less than 50) are transferred to the dedicated unit 1000.

[0039] In addition, the gaming machine 10 includes a menu selection button 24 on the left side of the above-mentioned bet button 23. The menu selection button 24 is composed of a cross key button 24a mounted on a menu selection button substrate 46 and a decision button 24b located at the center of the cross key button 24a.

[0040] The menu selection button 24 is a component that receives operations related to the menu screen. Here, the menu screen refers to a screen that shows operation methods of the gaming machine 10, explanation information of the game, etc. displayed in the upper effect display area 62a. The player can view the menu screen by operating the menu selection button 24. For example, when the decision button 24b is pressed in the standby state, a list of menus and a cursor are displayed in the upper effect display area 62a. When the player operates the cross key button 24a to move the cursor to a position indicating an arbitrary menu, and the cursor indicates any menu and the player presses the decision button 24b, the corresponding menu is displayed in the upper effect display area 62a.

[0041] The menu selection button substrate 46 is provided with a cross key button sensor 46a and a decision button sensor 46b. The cross key button sensor 46a can detect in which direction (any of the up, down, left, or right directions with the center of the decision button 24b as a reference) the cross key button 24a is pressed. Also, the decision button sensor 46b can detect that the decision button 24b has been pressed. The cross key button sensor 46a and the decision button sensor 46b are directly connected to the sub-board 200 in the same manner as the above-mentioned push button sensor 45c.

[0042] In addition, the gaming machine 10 includes a status display LED 25 that displays information related to the gaming machine 10, such as the number of bets, on the right side of the above-mentioned bet button 23. The status display LED 25 is composed of a plurality of LEDs or a 7-segment display mounted on a status display LED substrate 42, and is composed of the following eight types of LEDs. The first bet number display LED 25a is composed of three LEDs, and each time the bet number increases by one, the number of lit LEDs increases by one. The second acquired medal number display LED 25b is composed of two 7-segment displays, and represents the number of medals acquired by winning in digits. The third indication display LED 25c is composed of two 7-segment displays, and can light up in a manner that can specify the operation conditions related to the stop button 27 described later (hereinafter, may be simply referred to as "operation conditions"). The fourth replay display LED 25d is composed of one LED, and lights up when replay is stopped and displayed in the game. The fifth game start display LED 25e is composed of one LED, and indicates that the game start enable condition is satisfied by the lighting of the LED. The sixth insertable display LED 25f is composed of one LED, and indicates that the bet number can be set by the lighting of the LED. The seventh advantageous mode display LED 25g is composed of one LED, and lights up corresponding to the game mode.

[0043] Furthermore, the gaming machine 10 includes a medal number display LED 28 that displays the number of credits on the right side of the status display LED 25. The medal number display LED 28 is composed of five 7-segment displays mounted on the medal number display LED board 50, and thus is configured to be able to display medal numbers from 0 to 99999 in terms of display.

[0044] The stop button 27 receives an operation (stop operation) from the player that serves as an opportunity for the rotating reel 65 to stop. Note that the stop button 27 can receive (be enabled for) the stop operation when the stoppable condition that is established after the reel 65 starts rotating is satisfied. The operation of the player on the stop button 27 is to press the stop button 27. Further, the stoppable condition is a prerequisite for performing a stop display in the game. Specifically, it is a condition that is established when the rotational speeds of all of the reels 65 (65L, 65C, 65R) reach a predetermined speed and the reference positions of each of the reels 65 are detected. Also, for the following description, in one game, the operation on the first stop button may be expressed as the "first stop operation", the operation on the next stop button may be expressed as the "second stop operation", and the operation on the last stop button may be expressed as the "third stop operation".

[0045] Each of the stop buttons 27 (27L, 27C, 27R) is mounted on the stop button board 43 and is provided one by one for each of the reels 65. Specifically, the stop button 27L receives a stop operation for stopping the reel 65L, the stop button 27C receives a stop operation for stopping the reel 65C, and the stop button 27R receives a stop operation for stopping the reel 65R. Furthermore, the stop button board 43 is provided with a stop button sensor 43a that individually detects that the stop buttons 27L, 27C, and 27R have been pressed, and control is performed to stop the rotation of each of the reels 65 in response to the detection by the stop button sensor 43a. That is, the stop button 27 and the stop button sensor 43a detect a stop operation that triggers the stop of the rotation of the reel 65, which will be described later, by the reel control unit 112.

[0046] Also, the stop button 27 in the present embodiment includes a stoppable display LED 27a and is configured to cover the periphery thereof with a light-transmissive member. And the stop button 27 is designed to notify the player of the availability of the stoppable condition by the lighting color of the stoppable display LED 27a. Thus, since the player can determine the availability of the stoppable condition based on the color of the stop button 27, the player can smoothly perform the stop operations sequentially.

[0047] Also, in the present embodiment, the stop position of the reel 65 can move up to the maximum number of drawn frames (which may be referred to as the maximum draw range, and in this embodiment, it is 4) based on the position of the reel 65 when the stop button 27 is pressed. Here, the control from when the stop button 27 is pressed until the reel 65 stops is generally referred to as draw control.

[0048] The internal area corresponding to each of the reels 65 in the reel frame 64 has a dimension of three frames in the vertical direction. Also, each of the reels 65 is stop-controlled so that three symbols can fit in the vertical direction of the internal area of the reel frame 64, and the player can visually recognize the three symbols through the internal area of the reel frame 64. That is, in the reel 65, since three reels are arranged in the left-right direction, when the reel 65 is stopped, the player can visually recognize 3 symbols × 3 reels = 9 symbols.

[0049] Here, the substantially straight lines (indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1) formed by the upper, middle, and lower internal areas in each of the reels 65 are referred to as line L1, line L2, and line L3, respectively. Further, the substantially straight line (indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1) formed by the upper internal area in the reel 65L, the middle internal area in the reel 65C, and the lower internal area in the reel 65R is referred to as line L4, and the substantially straight line (indicated by the dashed-dotted line in FIG. 1) formed by the lower internal area in the reel 65L, the middle internal area in the reel 65C, and the upper internal area in the reel 65R is referred to as line L5. Note that in the present embodiment, only substantially straight lines are adopted as the lines in the internal area, but not limited to straight lines, bent lines may be adopted. Also, lines formed including non-adjacent areas (for example, the upper stage in the reel 65L and the lower stage in the reel 65C) may be adopted. That is, any line may be adopted as long as it is a line formed by arbitrarily selecting the internal area for one symbol from each of the reels 65.

[0050] In this embodiment, the effective line is only line L2. Here, the effective line is a line on which a winning determination, which will be described later, is made for the symbol combination stopped on the line. Specifically, when the symbol combination corresponding to a win stops and is displayed on the effective line, the specified number of medals for that win is awarded. When the symbol combination corresponding to a replay stops and is displayed on the effective line, the replay activates in the next game. When the symbol combination corresponding to an accessory or accessory continuous activation device stops and is displayed on the effective line, the accessory or accessory continuous activation device activates in the next game. Details of the symbol combinations corresponding to each role will be described later. Note that the effective line may be a single line as in this embodiment, or may be a plurality of lines.

[0051] During the rotation of the reel 65 (during the execution of the game), in order to attract the player's interest and arouse the game interest, various effects composed of the image displayed in the upper effect display area 62a, the sound output from the speaker 49, or the lighting and extinguishing of the decorative LED 36 are performed.

[0052] A speaker opening 38 is provided in front of each speaker 49. More specifically, a speaker opening 38a is provided in front of the speaker 49a located at the upper right (upper left in FIG. 3) when viewed from the front of the gaming machine, a speaker opening 38b is provided in front of the speaker 49b located at the upper left (upper right in FIG. 3) when viewed from the front of the gaming machine, a speaker opening 38c is provided in front of the speaker 49c located at the lower left (lower right in FIG. 3) when viewed from the front of the gaming machine, and a speaker opening 38d is provided in front of the speaker 49d located at the lower right (lower left in FIG. 3) when viewed from the front of the gaming machine. Note that a large number of holes are provided in each speaker opening 38, and the sound output from the speaker 49 can be output appropriately.

[0053] The decorative LED 36 is arranged so as to surround the upper effect display area 62a or the reel frame 64. More specifically, the decorative LEDs 36a mounted on the decorative LED substrate 41a and the decorative LEDs 36b mounted on the decorative LED substrate 41b are arranged on the upper right side of the upper effect display area 62a, and the decorative LEDs 36c mounted on the decorative LED substrate 41c are arranged on the lower right side of the upper effect display area 62a. Also, the decorative LEDs 36d mounted on the decorative LED substrate 41d are arranged on the lower right side of the reel frame 64, the decorative LEDs 36e mounted on the decorative LED substrate 41e are arranged on the lower left side of the reel frame 64, the decorative LEDs 36f mounted on the decorative LED substrate 41f are arranged on the lower left side of the upper effect display area 62a, and the decorative LEDs 36g mounted on the decorative LED substrate 41g and the decorative LEDs 36h mounted on the decorative LED substrate 41h are arranged on the upper left side of the upper effect display area 62a. Each decorative LED 36 may be lit in a single color or may be lit in multiple colors.

[0054] <Electrical Configuration and Functional Configuration of the Gaming Machine 10> Next, with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9, the electrical configuration and functional configuration of the gaming machine 10 in the present embodiment will be described. However, refer to FIGS. 1 to 4 described above as appropriate for the components illustrated therein. Note that FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the gaming machine 10, and FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of the gaming machine 10.

[0055] The gaming machine 10 incorporates, as main components, a main board 100, a sub-board 200, and a medal number control board 300. In FIG. 8, the main board 100, the sub-board 200, or the medal number control board 300 is illustrated as if it were a single electronic board, but it does not necessarily have to be a single electronic board. That is, each of the main board 100, the sub-board 200, or the medal number control board 300 may be realized by combining a plurality of electronic boards.

[0056] On the main board 100, electronic components such as a CPU 101, a RAM 102, a ROM 103, and a random number circuit 104 are mounted, and the connection status with other electronic components such as sensors and boards is as shown in FIG. 8. The main board 100 mainly realizes control related to the progress of the game by executing processing based on data and control signals exchanged among these electronic components and various sensors 40a and the like. Here, the various sensors 40a include the above-mentioned start lever sensor 44, stop button sensor 43a, maximum bet button sensor 45a, single bet button sensor 45b, reel sensor 66, and the like. In addition to the main board 100, the medal number control board 300 described later has restrictions on the capacity of the ROM and the RAM in order to enhance security against illegal acts such as illegal modification. On the other hand, no such restrictions are provided on the sub-board 200.

[0057] Also, on the sub-board 200, electronic components such as a CPU 201, a RAM 202, a ROM 203, and a random number circuit 204 are mounted, and the connection status with other electronic components such as sensors and boards is as shown in FIG. 8. The sub-board 200 is connected to the main board 100 by one-way communication, and controls a decoration LED board 41, a speaker 49, an upper effect display device 63a, a lower effect display device 63b, etc. based on a control command transmitted from the main board 100, and mainly realizes control of effects related to the game (including control related to the menu screen). Here, the various sensors 40b include a push button sensor 45c, a cross key button sensor 46a, a decision button sensor 46b, and the like.

[0058] In addition, electronic components such as a CPU 301, a RAM 302, and a ROM 303 are mounted on the medal number control board 300. The connection status with other electronic components such as sensors and boards is as shown in FIG. 8. The medal number control board 300 is connected to a dedicated unit 1000 outside the main board 100 and the gaming machine 10 through bidirectional communication. Through the communication between them, the medals are configured to be movable. In addition, the sub-board 200 is connected to the medal number control board 300 through one-way communication (not shown) from the medal number control board 300 to the sub-board 200, and various information regarding the medal number control board 300 (for example, the value of credit and the content of each process executed in the medal number control board 300) can be acquired. Here, the dedicated unit 1000 is different from the dedicated unit 1000 described later. It is configured to receive a card capable of storing information such as a membership card, and store and discharge the medals (credits counted by the medal number control board 300) transferred from the medal number control board 300 as stored medals in the membership card or the like. In addition to the above-described electronic components, the medal number control board 300 is provided with a medal number clear button and an error release button on the board, and a connector used for connection with the above-described other boards (both are not shown).

[0059] Next, the functional configurations of the main board 100 and the sub-board 200 will be described with reference to FIG. 9. Note that the following functional configurations and the functions of each functional configuration are examples, and the gaming machine may have a functional configuration not described below, or each functional configuration may have a function not described below. In the same figure, for convenience of explanation, electronic components outside the main board 100 and the sub-board 200 such as the sensors and boards shown in FIG. 8 are also shown.

[0060] First, the functional configurations of the main board 100 are roughly classified into a game progress management unit 110 that manages the progress of the game, a state management unit 120 that manages the state related to the game, and a main communication unit 130. Furthermore, the game progress management unit 110 is composed of an internal lottery unit 111, a reel control unit 112, a winning determination unit 113, a medal management unit 114, and a status display LED control unit 115. The status management unit 120 is composed of a setting change management unit 121, a game status management unit 122, a game mode management unit 124, and a main error management unit 125. The main communication unit 130 is composed of a control command transmission / reception unit 131 and an external signal transmission unit 132.

[0061] When the game starts, the internal lottery unit 111 determines, by lottery, a winning combination (hereinafter, may be referred to as "internal winning combination") from among a plurality of types of combinations. More specifically, when the game starts, the internal lottery unit 111 acquires a random number updated by the random number circuit 104 (in this embodiment, 2-byte random number is used, and the range is 0 to 65535), and sequentially adds the lottery values of the internal lottery table (details will be described later) stored in the ROM 103 to the acquired random number, and determines the combination corresponding to the lottery value at which a carry occurs as the internal winning combination. In the internal lottery unit 111, "the internal winning combination is determined by lottery" may be simply expressed as "the internal winning combination is derived".

[0062] Triggered by the start of the game, the reel control unit 112 waits for the elapse of a predetermined delay time, i.e., a so-called wait time (in this embodiment, 4.1 s) from the start of the rotation of the reel 65 in the previous game to the start of the rotation of the reel 65 in the current game, and then starts the rotation of each of the reels 65, and then individually controls the rotation of the reel 65, such as stopping the reel corresponding to the stop operation among the reels 65 each time a stop operation is performed.

[0063] More specifically, the reel control unit 112 sets a reel control state (acceleration control state, constant speed control state, retraction control state, brake control state, stop control state) for each of the reels 65 according to the progress of the game, obtains an excitation pattern corresponding to the currently set reel control state from the excitation patterns stored in the ROM 103, and controls the output of a pulse signal according to the obtained excitation pattern for each of the reel motors 68 (stepping motors), thereby individually controlling the rotation of the reels 65.

[0064] Furthermore, to specifically describe the above reel control states, the acceleration control state is a control state in which a pulse signal is output according to an excitation pattern for accelerating from the start of rotation to a predetermined speed. The constant speed control state is a control state from the end of the acceleration control state until a stop operation is performed. In this control state, a pulse signal is output according to an excitation pattern for maintaining a predetermined speed. The retraction control state is a control state in which the corresponding reel is rotated from the stop operation to the stop position. In this control state, similar to the constant speed control state, a pulse signal is output according to an excitation pattern for maintaining a predetermined speed. The brake control state is a control state in which a pulse signal is output according to an excitation pattern for stopping the corresponding reel after reaching the stop position. The stop control state is a control state for maintaining the corresponding reel at the current position. Note that the switching of the above reel control states is performed in the main flow of the main board 100 described later, and the output of the above pulse signal is performed in a timer interrupt process (not shown) that is performed at a predetermined interval (about 2 ms in this embodiment) on the main board 100.

[0065] Also, when the reel control unit 112 stops each of the reels (switches from the retraction control state to the brake control state), it derives (or reads) candidates for the symbol numbers to be stopped from the stop data stored in the ROM 103, and determines one symbol number as the stop position from the candidates for the symbol numbers within the maximum retraction range (4 frames in this embodiment) from the position of the reel at the timing when the stop operation is performed (the symbol number on the reference line). Here, the symbol numbers on the reference line for each of the reels 65 are corrected to the symbol numbers at the reference positions (RZ00, CZ00, LZ00 in this embodiment) each time the detection piece is detected by the reel sensor 66 in the timer interrupt process, and then updated according to the number of switching times of the subsequent pulse signals. Furthermore, in the constant speed control state, when the symbol number on the reference line has not been corrected until a predetermined time has elapsed (until a predetermined number of pulse signal switches have been made) since the symbol number on the reference line was last corrected, the reel control unit 112 determines that the corresponding reel has gone out of tune (hereinafter referred to as out-of-tune check), sets the reel control state to the acceleration control state, and re-accelerates the reel.

[0066] The winning determination unit 113 performs a winning determination to determine the winning of a combination of symbols stopped and displayed on the effective line (line L2 in this embodiment) in the game. Note that when performing the winning determination, in addition to the combination of symbols stopped and displayed on the effective line, it may be determined whether the combination of the symbols matches the combination derived in the game, and the winning of the combination may be determined.

[0067] The medal management unit 114 performs control related to the management of the increase and decrease of the bet amount described above and the exchange of medals with the medal number control board 300.

[0068] The status display LED control unit 115 performs the control of the status display LED 25 described above.

[0069] The setting change management unit 121 performs setting change processing and setting confirmation processing. Specifically, the setting change process starts when the power supply from the power supply device 91 changes from the OFF state to the ON state (hereinafter, this may be expressed as "power-on". On the other hand, the change of the power supply from the ON state to the OFF state may be expressed as "power-off"), provided that the setting key switch 48a is operated. Each time the setting change switch 48b is operated, the set value is changed according to a certain order (in this embodiment, set value 1, set value 2, set value 3, set value 4, set value 5, set value 6, set value 1, set value 2...), and the set value at the time when the start lever 26 is operated is determined as the current set value. In the setting change process, a process of displaying the changing set value on the setting display LED 48c is also performed. Also, when the setting change process is executed, all the information held by the main board 100 before the power supply becomes OFF is initialized. In particular, the information includes the bet number. Furthermore, as the timing for clearing the bet number when the setting change process is executed, any timing may be used as long as it is before the start of the game start process (step S103 described later) that is executed after the end of the setting change process related to the power-on from the power-on.

[0070] The setting confirmation process starts when the setting key switch 48a is operated with the power supply in the ON state, and is a process of displaying the already set set value on the setting display LED 48c. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the "already set set value" will be simply referred to as the "set value". Note that in the setting confirmation process, the information held by the main board 100 is maintained. Also, in this embodiment, the opening of the front door 20 by the above door opening sensor may be added to each of the condition for starting the setting change process and the condition for starting the setting confirmation process. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the change of improper set values and the confirmation of improper set values.

[0071] The game state management unit 122 performs control to change the game state according to the transition conditions among a plurality of types of game states. The details of the types of game states and the transition conditions will be described later.

[0072] The game mode management unit 124 performs control to shift the game mode according to the transition conditions among a plurality of types of game modes. Although the details of the types of game modes and the transition conditions will be described later, in the present embodiment, the degree of advantage varies depending on the staying game mode, and in particular, a game mode with a high degree of advantage can be set in a specific game state (in the present embodiment, during the internal winning in the MB described later).

[0073] In addition to determining whether to set the above-described various error states, the main error management unit 125 determines whether to set an error state using the detection results of various sensors 40a and the like. When it is determined that the state is an error state, the progress of the game is stopped as necessary, and the gaming machine 10 is set to the error state. In addition, when setting the error state, preparation for transmitting a control command indicating the occurrence of the error state may be performed, the control command may be transmitted to the control command transmission / reception unit 131, and the occurrence of the error state may be notified using the effect devices (the upper effect display area 62a, the decorative LED 36, the speaker 49, etc.).

[0074] The control command transmission / reception unit 131 performs processing to transmit a control command for which transmission preparation has been made to the sub-board 200 or the medal number control board 300, and processing to receive a control command from the medal number control board 300. Here, among the control commands transmitted to the sub-board 200, in addition to the control commands transmitted when an error state occurs, there are control commands transmitted in accordance with the progress of the game. In addition, among the control commands transmitted to the medal number control board 300, there are control commands indicating that the bet button 23 has been operated, control commands transmitted when medals are awarded due to winning, control commands transmitted when the bet amount is settled by operating the settlement button 32, and the like. Further, among the control commands received from the medal number control board 300, there are control commands indicating that the bet amount is added. In addition, each control command transmitted and received by the control command transceiver unit 131 has information corresponding to the type of the control command in addition to information capable of specifying the type of the control command. Further, in the following description, performing the preparation for transmitting a control command and causing the control command transceiver unit 131 to transmit the control command may be simply expressed as transmitting a control command. Note that the same applies to each control command transmitted or received by the control command receiver unit 211 or the control command transceiver unit 304 described later.

[0075] The external signal transmitter 132 is different from the above-described dedicated unit 1000 and transmits a signal (outer end signal) indicating the internal state of the gaming machine 10 to an external device (for example, a hall computer or a data display) outside the gaming machine 10. Specifically explaining the information transmitted by the outer end signal, the information includes information indicating that a game has started, information indicating that the AT mode described later has started or that the gaming machine is staying in the AT mode, and information indicating that an error has occurred.

[0076] Next, the functional configuration of the sub-board 200 is roughly classified into a sub-communication unit 210 and a production management unit 220 that manages the production related to the game. Further, the sub-communication unit 210 is composed of a control command receiver unit 211, and the production management unit 220 is composed of a production control unit 221, a production display control unit 222, an audio control unit 223, and a decorative LED control unit 224. The details of these functional configurations are as follows.

[0077] The control command receiver unit 211 receives a control command transmitted from the main board 100 or the medal number control board 300, analyzes the received control command, and updates the information stored in the RAM 202 using the information included in the control command.

[0078] The performance control unit 221 performs a process of determining the content of the performance to be performed by the performance devices (upper performance display device 63a, lower performance display device 63b, decorative LED 36, speaker 49, etc.) based on control commands and the like transmitted from the main board 100 and the medal number control board 300.

[0079] When there is a performance to be performed on the upper performance display device 63a or the lower performance display device 63b, the performance display control unit 222 reads the device data corresponding to the performance from the ROM 203, and uses the device data to perform the performance on the upper performance display device 63a and the lower performance display device 63b.

[0080] When there is a performance to be performed on the speaker 49, the audio control unit 223 reads the device data corresponding to the performance from the ROM 203, and uses the device data to perform the performance on the speaker 49.

[0081] When there is a performance to be performed on the decorative LED board 41, the decorative LED control unit 224 reads the device data corresponding to the performance from the ROM 203, and uses the device data to perform the performance on the decorative LED board 41.

[0082] Next, the functional configuration of the medal number control board 300 includes a control command transceiver unit 304, a credit management unit 305, and a medal error management unit 306. The details of these functional configurations are as follows. Note that some of the processes executed by these functional configurations will be described in detail later.

[0083] The control command transceiver unit 304 transmits and receives control commands to and from the main board 100 and the dedicated unit 1000, analyzes the received control commands, and updates the information stored in the RAM 302 using the information contained in the control commands. In addition, the control command transceiver unit 304 transmits control commands to the sub-board 200.

[0084] The credit management unit 305 performs processing to control the value of credits such as addition and subtraction based on control commands transmitted from the main board 100 or the dedicated unit 1000, or operations performed on the medal counting button 33 or the medal number clear button described later. In this embodiment, the value of the credit is managed as 2-byte data. Therefore, in terms of data, up to 65536 can be stored as the value of the credit. However, in this embodiment, the upper limit is set to 16383 as the value of the credit, and it is configured not to store values exceeding the upper limit value.

[0085] The medal error management unit 306 checks the connection with the main board 100 or the dedicated unit 1000, and when there is an abnormality in the connection, sets it to the connection error state, and checks whether there is an abnormality in the information stored in the RAM 302 such as the value of the credit, and when there is an abnormality in the check, sets it to the RAM error state.

[0086] <Main flow related to game progress> Next, the main flow related to game progress in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12. However, also refer to the components illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 4, 8, and 9 described above as appropriate. In particular, in the following description, in some cases, the functions shown in FIG. 9 are cited as the subject performing the processing, but the processing is not necessarily realized only by the subject.

[0087] FIGS. 10 to 12 are flowcharts showing the main flow of the main board 100 related to game progress in this embodiment, and the processing related to the flow is processing executed triggered by the power-on. The main board 100 performs one game while performing a series of processing from step S103 to step S143 shown in FIGS. 10 to 12, and can repeat the game by repeating the series of processing. Note that each processing shown in FIGS. 10 to 12 is a specific example, and processing other than the processing listed here may be performed by the main board 100.

[0088] First, steps S101 to S119 will be described with reference to FIG. 10. In the first step S101, initial setting processing related to the main board 100 is performed. The initial setting processing related to the main board 100 is performed when the power supply is started, and after being performed once, it is not performed until the power supply is cut off and then the power supply is started again. More specifically, in this process, if the setting key switch 48a is operated, the backup information (including information specifying the bet number) held at the time of power-off is discarded (cleared), the above-described setting change process is performed, and then the process proceeds to step S103. In the present embodiment, a setting change start command is transmitted to the sub-board 200 at the timing when the setting change process is started, and a setting change end command is transmitted to the sub-board 200 at the timing when the setting change process is completed. On the other hand, if the setting key switch 48a is not operated, in this process, on the condition that there is no abnormality in the backup information held at the time of power-off (in the present embodiment, the value of the checksum is normal), a process of restoring to the state at the time of power-off (if the state at the time of power-off is during a game with the rotation of the reels, then during that game) based on the backup information is performed, and then the process proceeds to step S103. At this time, a power-off return command related to the main board 100 is transmitted to the sub-board 200. If there is an abnormality in the backup information, the game cannot be restored (RAM error state), so the execution of the above-described setting change process is awaited. And at this time, a RAM error command capable of specifying that the abnormality has occurred is transmitted to the sub-board 200.

[0089] In step S103, game start processing necessary in advance to start the next game is performed. In the game start processing, a process of saving various information related to the previous game, a process of clearing information indicating the respective stop positions of the reels 65 stopped in the previous game and the combination of symbols stopped on the effective lines, a process of acquiring setting values, and the like are performed. In step S105, a medal reception start process, which is a preparatory process for setting the bet amount for the next game, is performed. In the medal reception start process, processes such as making it possible to receive information related to the bet amount from the medal number control board 300 and setting the same bet amount as the bet amount set in the previous game when winning a replay combination in the previous game are performed. In step S107, it is determined whether a replay game is in operation. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S111. If this condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S109.

[0090] In step S109, a medal management process, which is a process related to medals performed based on the detected operation or the state of the gaming machine 10, is performed. In the medal management process, when detecting the pressing of the bet button 23, a process of transmitting medal request information including the number of medals corresponding to the pressed bet button 23 to request the medal number control board 300, a process of adding the medals transferred from the medal number control board 300 to the bet amount, and a process of transferring all of the bet amounts that can be settled to the medal number control board 300 when detecting the pressing of the settlement button 32 are performed.

[0091] In step S111, a reel rotation start check, which is a check to determine whether the start condition of the game is satisfied, is performed. In the reel rotation start check, on the premise of detecting the operation of the start lever 26, for example, it is checked whether the bet amount has reached the maximum number. In step S113, it is determined whether the start condition of the game is established in the reel rotation start check. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S115. If this condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S107. In step S115, an internal lottery is performed using the internal lottery table to determine the internal winning combination. In step S117, a winning combination flag setting is performed to store the internal winning combination derived in step S115 or the loss in the case of non-winning in the corresponding area of the RAM 102.

[0092] In step S119, game start-time game mode management processing is performed. In this processing, for example, processing for controlling the instruction display LED 25c to a lighting mode capable of specifying operation conditions is performed. Furthermore, in the game start-time game mode management processing, processing for transmitting an internal winning command to the sub-board 200 is also performed. The internal winning command at least includes information capable of specifying the derived internal winning combination, the current game state, and the current game mode. Thereby, it becomes possible to execute notification capable of specifying operation conditions by a device (in this embodiment, the upper effect display device 63a) managed by the sub-board 200. In this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, the operation conditions specified by the instruction display LED 25c in one game and the operation conditions specified by the notification executed by the device managed by the sub-board 200 in the one game are the same.

[0093] Hereinafter, steps S121 to S135 will be described with reference to FIG. 11. In step S121, it is determined whether or not the wait time has elapsed. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S123. If this condition is not satisfied, the process returns to the determination in step S121. In step S123, the reel control state of each of the reels 65 (when this processing is performed due to the occurrence of out-of-tune, the rotating reel, that is, the reel set in the constant speed control state) is set to the acceleration control state, and the rotation of the reel set in the acceleration control state is started. Thus, when returning to the determination in step S121, since the rotation of the reel 65 is not started, the reel control unit 112 waits for the elapse of the wait time, and the rotation of the reel 65 will be started.

[0094] In step S125, it is determined whether the rotational speeds of all the reels set to the acceleration control state among the reels 65 have reached a predetermined speed (the output of the pulse signal has ended according to the excitation pattern corresponding to the acceleration control state). If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S127. If this condition is not satisfied, the process returns to the start of step S125. In this determination, when the rotational speed of the reel set to the acceleration control state reaches the predetermined speed, it is sequentially switched from the acceleration control state to the constant speed control state. Further, in this determination, after all of the reels have been switched to the constant speed control state, the process does not proceed to step S127 but waits until the sensors corresponding to the respective reels among the reel sensors 66 detect all of their respective detection pieces. After this waiting, all of the stop buttons corresponding to the reels are enabled, and the process proceeds to step S127.

[0095] In step S127, the above-described out-of-tune check is performed on the reels among the reels 65 that are set to the constant speed control state. In step S129, it is determined whether out-of-tune has occurred in the out-of-tune check. If this condition is satisfied, the process returns to step S123. If this condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S131. Thus, for the reels that are rotating among the reels 65, if it is determined that out-of-tune has occurred, the process of step S123 (reel restart) is performed again on the rotating reels. In step S131, it is determined whether there has been an operation (stop operation) on the enabled stop button. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S133. If this condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S127.

[0096] In step S133, a reel stop process is performed. The reel stop process invalidates stop buttons other than the stop button on which a stop operation has been performed, and as described above, switches the reel corresponding to the stop button on which the stop operation has been performed from the constant speed control state to the pull-in control state, derives the symbol number that becomes the stop position, and at the timing when the symbol position of the reel has advanced to the derived stop position, switches the reel from the pull-in control state to the brake control state to stop the reel. After the output of the pulse signal ends according to the excitation pattern corresponding to the brake control state, it is switched to the stop control state, and the reel is held at the stop position. Also, in the reel stop process, a process is also performed in which a stop command is transmitted to the sub-communication unit 210 via the control command transmission / reception unit 131. The control command includes at least information that can identify the type of the stopped reel (any one of reel 65L, reel 65C, and reel 65R) and the stopped position (symbol number) of the reel.

[0097] In step S135, it is determined whether all of the reels 65 have stopped. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S137. If this condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S127. Thus, when not all of the reels 65 have stopped, the processes of step S127 to step S135 are repeated.

[0098] From here, steps S137 to S143 will be described with reference to FIG. 12. In step S137, the above-described winning determination is performed, and the winning combination is determined. In step S139, a state transition process for shifting the game state is performed.

[0099] In step S141, game end-time game mode management processing is performed. In this process, processing for shifting the game mode, processing for controlling the lighting state of the advantageous mode display LED 25g, and the like are performed. Also, in the game end game mode management process, a process of transmitting a game end command to the sub-board 200 is also performed. The control command includes information that can identify the winning combination determined as a winning, the updated game state, the updated game mode, and the like.

[0100] In step S143, the number of medals corresponding to the winning combination determined as a winning is awarded. The medals awarded in step S143 are transferred to the medal number control board 300 and stored as credits.

[0101] <Main flow of medal number control board> Next, the main flow of the medal number control board 300 will be described with reference to FIG. 13. FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the main flow of the medal number control board 300, and the process according to the flow is a process executed when the power is turned on, that is, triggered by the power-on of the medal number control board 300.

[0102] As shown in FIG. 13, in the first step S201 in the main flow of the medal number control board 300, an initial setting process related to the medal number control board 300 is executed. In the initial setting process related to the medal number control board 300, for example, a process of clearing the credit according to the operation state of the medal number clear button at the time of power-on is executed. The details of this process will be described later.

[0103] In step S203, it is determined whether there is lending information. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S205. If this condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S207. Here, the lending information is information indicating medals transmitted from the dedicated unit 1000 outside the gaming machine 10. In step S205, credit addition processing related to lending information is executed. In this processing, the number of medals specified by the lending information is added to the credit. Note that in the dedicated unit 1000, when the credit addition processing ends, the number of medals stored in the dedicated unit 1000 is subtracted by the number of medals related to the credit addition processing. Also, in the present embodiment, since 16383 is set as the upper limit value of the credit, when the upper limit value can be exceeded by receiving the lending information, a control command indicating that is transmitted to the dedicated unit 1000 so as not to execute the credit addition processing related to the lending information.

[0104] In step S207, it is determined whether there is medal request information. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S209. If this condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S211. Here, as described above, the medal request information is transmitted from the main board 100 when the bet button 23 is operated. In step S209, credit subtraction processing is executed. In this processing, the number of medals specified by the medal request information is transmitted to the main board 100, and the number of medals is subtracted from the credit. Note that in the present embodiment, when the credit is less than the number of medals specified by the medal request information, the credit subtraction processing is not executed. However, in this case, it may be configured to transmit all of the current credit to the main board 100 and subtract the transmitted number of medals from the credit.

[0105] In step S211, it is determined whether there is credit addition information. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S213. If this condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S215. Here, the credit addition information is information transmitted from the main board 100 when the number of bets stored in the main board 100 is settled or when it is determined that a winning combination with a payout has been won in the winning determination. In step S213, credit addition processing related to credit addition information is executed. In this process, the number of medals specified by the credit addition information related to this process is added to the credit. In particular, in the main board 100, when the credit addition processing related to the bet number ends, the bet number is cleared to zero.

[0106] In step S215, it is determined whether the count button has been operated. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S217. If this condition is not satisfied, the process returns to step S203. In step S217, credit counting processing is executed. In this process, a part or all of the current credit is transmitted to the dedicated unit 1000, and the credit is subtracted by the number of medals transmitted. More specifically, when the count button is pressed once, if the credit at that time is 50 or less, all of the current credit is transferred to the dedicated unit 1000. On the other hand, if the credit at that time is 50 or more, 50 credits are transferred to the dedicated unit 1000. Further, when the count button is held down, every time a certain time (1 s in this embodiment) elapses, the same processing as when the count button is pressed once is executed until the long press of the count button ends or the credit after subtraction becomes zero.

[0107] As described above, in this embodiment, the main board 100 and the medal number control board 300 are configured to be able to communicate with each other, and the medal number control board 300 and the dedicated unit 1000 are configured to be able to communicate with each other, thereby realizing the medal - less slot machine described above. Also, although illustration is omitted, in the timer interrupt process in the medal count control board 300, it is determined whether the mutual communication between the main board 100 and the medal count control board 300 and the mutual communication between the medal count control board 300 and the dedicated unit 1000 are normal. If there is an abnormality in any of these mutual communications, the main flow of the medal count control board 300 is stopped until it is determined that the error release button has been operated and the abnormality has been resolved by the process executed by the operation. Note that the execution of the timer interrupt process is permitted upon the completion of the initial setting process related to the medal count control board 300. Furthermore, in the timer interrupt process, control is also executed to turn on the medal count display LED 28 so as to display the value of the current credit, whereby the player can identify the value of the current credit.

[0108] <Regarding the initial setting process related to the medal count control board> Next, with reference to FIG. 14, the details of the medal count control board initial setting process, which is the initial setting process related to the medal count control board 300, will be described. FIG. 14 is a flowchart of the medal count control board initial setting process.

[0109] As shown in FIG. 14, in the first step S301 in the medal count control board initial setting process, it is determined whether the medal count clear button was operated at the time of power-on. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S305. If this condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S303.

[0110] In step S303, it is determined whether there is an abnormality in the return information. If this condition is satisfied, the process proceeds to step S305. If this condition is not satisfied, the process proceeds to step S309. Here, the return information refers to the information stored in the RAM 302 of the medal count control board 300. The determination as to whether there is an abnormality in the return information is composed of a determination as to whether the power-off flag set to ON in the power-off process executed when the medal count control board 300 is powered off is ON, and a determination as to whether the checksum value of the data saved in the backup area of the RAM 302 during the power-off process matches the checksum value in the corresponding area after power-on (so-called checksum). If there is an abnormality in any of these determinations, it is determined that there is an abnormality in the return information in the determination as to whether there is an abnormality in the return information.

[0111] In step S305, by setting zero for the credit, the value of the credit is cleared. Note that in this embodiment, this determination is executed regardless of the value of the credit. In step S307, a credit clear command capable of specifying that the value of the credit has been cleared is transmitted. Note that the control command is transmitted to the sub-board 200 and the dedicated unit 1000, and the medal count control board initial setting process is terminated.

[0112] In step S309, the credit is restored to the value before power-off. In step S311, a power-off return command related to the medal count control board 300 is transmitted, and the medal count control board initial setting process is terminated. Note that the control command includes information capable of specifying the current value of the credit and is transmitted to the sub-board 200.

[0113] Thus, in this embodiment, in both the case where the credit is cleared when the medal count clear button is operated at power-on and the case where the credit is cleared due to an abnormality in the return information at power-on, the same control command (credit clear command) is transmitted to the sub-board 200 and the dedicated unit 1000. Also, as described above, in the present embodiment, the processes according to step S305 and step S307 are executed regardless of the value of the credit when the medal number control board initial setting process is executed.

[0114] <Regarding the presence or absence of clearing of the number of medals in the gaming machine> As described above, in the present embodiment, according to the operation state of the setting key switch 48a and the operation state of the medal number clear button at the time of power-on, the bet number and the credit are individually determined, and when clearing is necessary, the target medal number is cleared. Hereinafter, the details will be described with reference to FIG. 15. FIG. 15 is a diagram summarizing the presence or absence of clearing of the medal number according to the operation state at the time of power-on.

[0115] As shown in FIG. 15, when the setting key switch 48a is OFF and the medal number clear button is OFF at the time of power-on, both the bet number and the credit are not cleared and the state at the time of power-off is restored. Here, in any of the operation units, the ON state means that the operation unit is operated, and the OFF state means that the operation unit is not operated. When the setting key switch 48a is OFF and the medal number clear button is ON at the time of power-on, the bet number is not cleared and the state at the time of power-off is restored, while the credit is cleared. When the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is OFF at the time of power-on, the bet number is cleared along with the execution of the setting change process, while the credit is not cleared and the state at the time of power-off is restored. When the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is ON at the time of power-on, the bet number is cleared along with the execution of the setting change process, and the credit is also cleared. Regarding the medal number control board 300, when there is an abnormality in the return information described above at the time of power-on, the same handling as when the medal number clear button is ON is performed.

[0116] As described above, in the gaming machine 10 according to the present embodiment, when the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is OFF at the time of power-on, the bet number is cleared as the setting change process is executed. Further, when the setting key switch 48a is OFF and the medal number clear button is ON at the time of power-on, the credit is cleared. In particular, in the gaming machine 10 according to the present embodiment, when the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is OFF at the time of power-on, the bet number is cleared as the setting change process is executed, while the credit is not cleared and returns to the state at the time of power-off. Also, when the setting key switch 48a is OFF and the medal number clear button is ON at the time of power-on, the credit is cleared, while the bet number is not cleared and returns to the state at the time of power-off. Furthermore, when the setting key switch 48a is ON and the medal number clear button is ON at the time of power-on, both the bet number and the credit are cleared. In the present embodiment, when determining whether or not the bet number is cleared and whether or not the credit is cleared, the open / closed state of the front door 20 at the time of power-on is not referred to, but the open / closed state may be referred to. More specifically, regarding the presence or absence of clearing of the bet number and the presence or absence of clearing of the credit shown in FIG. 15, when the setting key switch 48a is ON and the front door 20 is in the closed state at the time of power-on, the setting key switch 48a may be treated as OFF, and when the medal number clear button is ON and the front door 20 is in the closed state at the time of power-on, the medal number clear button may be treated as OFF.

[0117] As described above, the gaming machine 10 according to the present embodiment includes an upper effect display area 62a (upper effect display device 63a) located above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction, and a lower effect display area 62b (lower effect display device 63b) located below the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. By the way, these days, in order to smooth the application to the Security and Telecommunications Association that tests the performance of gaming machines to see if they can be installed in halls, etc., one gaming machine manufacturer generally has multiple manufacturing companies that manufacture gaming machines, and these manufacturing companies are treated as one group. If this is the case, for example, when viewing test play videos or practice videos through a telecommunications circuit, it becomes difficult to tell which gaming machine manufacturer (group) the gaming machines appearing in the viewed video belong to. Or, when a problem occurs with a gaming machine installed in a hall, it becomes difficult to identify the manufacturing company to which the hall staff should make an inquiry. Problems like these occur. On the other hand, the gaming machine 10 according to the present embodiment has a function (hereinafter, the first function) that makes it easy to tell which gaming machine manufacturer the gaming machines appearing in the viewed video belong to, using the upper effect display area 62a and the lower effect display area 62b, and a function (hereinafter, the second function) that makes it easy to identify the manufacturing company to which the hall staff should make an inquiry. Hereinafter, the details of these functions will be described.

[0118] <Regarding the first function> First, the details of the first function will be described with reference to FIG. 16(a). FIG. 16(a) is a diagram showing a specific example of the images displayed in the upper effect display area 62a and the lower effect display area 62b in the non-game state and with the front door 20 closed. Note that the non-game state refers to a state where the game is not being executed and the game can be executed. Also, the closed state of the front door 20 refers to a state where the door opening sensor provided on the right edge side of the outer frame 90 is OFF, and the open state of the front door 20, which will be described later, refers to a state where the door opening sensor provided on the right edge side of the outer frame 90 is ON. Also, the size of the characters shown in FIG. 16(a) corresponds to the size of each display itself.

[0119] As shown in FIG. 16(a), in the present embodiment, in the non-game state and with the front door 20 closed, the group name is displayed in the display area 621 of the upper effect display area 62a, which is located above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction (area Z1). Thus, the entire display of the group name in area Z1 becomes visible. Furthermore, in the non-game state and with the front door 20 closed, the name of the manufacturing company is displayed in the display area 622 of the lower effect display area 62b located below the upper end of the stop button 27 (area Z2) when viewed in the vertical direction, so that the entire display of the name of the manufacturing company in area Z2 can be visually recognized. Here, the group name is the name of a group to which a plurality of manufacturing companies including the company that manufactures the gaming machine (the gaming machine having the display of the group name) belong. In addition to the plurality of manufacturing companies, the group may include a parent company that has the plurality of manufacturing companies as its subsidiaries, or companies related to the plurality of manufacturing companies or the parent company. Also, the name of the manufacturing company is the name of the company that manufactures the gaming machine (the gaming machine having the display of the name of the manufacturing company), and the display of the name of the manufacturing company contributes to identifying the manufacturing company to which the hall staff should make inquiries. In this embodiment, the display of the group name starts when a certain time (180,000 ms) has elapsed since the end of the most recent game and the non-game state has been reached, and the display ends when the game starts. The end of the most recent game means the end of step S143 (see FIG. 12) related to the game.

[0120] Thus, in the gaming machine according to this embodiment, in the non-game state and with the front door 20 closed, the entire group name can be visually recognized in the area above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. According to this, when viewing a trial play video or a practical video, it is possible to easily recognize which gaming machine manufacturer (group) the gaming machine appearing in the viewed video belongs to. This is because, in order to make it easier to view the upper effect display area 62a and the reel 65 when viewing these videos, the shooting angle related to the shooting of these videos is likely to be limited to the area above the upper end of the stop button 27. In achieving the above-described effect, the reference operation unit is not limited to the stop button 27, and any operation unit may be adopted as long as it is an operation unit that can be operated with the front door 20 closed, such as a bet button (functioning as a production effect button) or a start lever. This also applies to each of the inventions hereinafter. Further, in the present embodiment, when the game machine is in a non-game state and the front door 20 is closed, the entire group name is visible in a region above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. However, the period during which the entire group name is visible depends only on the closed state of the front door 20, regardless of whether the game machine is in a non-game state or not, and also regardless of the length of that visible period.

[0121] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it can be said that the gaming machine has a first display (display of the manufacturing company name) that can identify the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and can identify the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. In a state where the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, the entire second display is visible in a first region (region Z1) above the upper end of a predetermined operation means (stop button 27) when viewed in the vertical direction. In the present invention, the above-mentioned "the entire second display is visible" means that the entire second display is visible when viewed directly in front of the gaming machine. Also, although the manufacturing company name in the present embodiment is composed of characters, in the above-mentioned first display, symbols or logos may be used instead of or in addition to the characters. This also applies to the above-mentioned second display. Furthermore, in the present invention, it is allowed that one manufacturing company (for example, the one with the largest scale) among a plurality of manufacturing companies included in one group coincides with the group related to the one group. In that case, these displays may be made different from each other by changing the font of the characters constituting these names or the color of the characters, abbreviating one and using the other as the official name, adding a logo to one and not adding a logo to the other, etc.

[0122] Also, in the present embodiment, when it is in the non-game state and the front door 20 is in the closed state, the name of the manufacturing company is configured to be invisible in the region above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. According to this, when viewing the test-play video or the practice video, it is possible to prevent confusion between the group name and the manufacturing company name.

[0123] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it has a first display (display of the manufacturing company name) that can identify the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and can identify the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. When the opening / closing body (front door 20) is in the closed state, the first display is invisible in the region above the upper end of a predetermined operation means (stop button 27) when viewed in the vertical direction, and the entire second display is visible in that region. In other words.

[0124] As described above, in the present embodiment, in the upper effect display area 62a, the display of the group name is started from the state where the group name is not displayed. According to this, it is possible to make it easier to recognize the display of the group name. This is due to the fact that the timing when the display of the image starts is such that the display of the image is easily recognized. In addition, in order to achieve the above effect, as the condition for starting the display of the group name, conditions other than the conditions according to the present embodiment, such as the start or end of the above-described AT mode, may be adopted.

[0125] Therefore, it can be said that the second display (display of the group name) starts to be displayed based on the satisfaction of a predetermined condition.

[0126] In particular, in the present embodiment, the display of the group name starts during the non-game state. According to this, it is possible to make it easier to recognize the display of the group name without disturbing the display during the game. In achieving the above effect, as long as the condition for starting the display of the group name is a condition that is satisfied during non-game play, such as the operation of the menu selection button 24 during non-game play, conditions other than the conditions according to the present embodiment may be adopted.

[0127] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it can be paraphrased that the above predetermined condition is a condition that can be satisfied during non-game play.

[0128] Also, in the gaming machine according to the present embodiment, during non-game play and when the front door 20 is in the closed state, the entire manufacturing company name is visible in a region below the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. According to this, when viewing the trial play video or the practice video, it is possible to easily identify the manufacturing company to which the hall staff should make inquiries in situations such as when trouble occurs in the gaming machine, while preventing confusion between the group name and the manufacturing company name. In achieving the effect, during non-game play and when the front door 20 is in the closed state, the entire manufacturing company name is visible in a region below the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. However, the period during which the entire manufacturing company name is visible is not limited to whether it is during non-game play or not as long as the front door 20 is in the closed state, and the length of the visible period is also not limited.

[0129] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it can be paraphrased that in a state where the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, the entire first display (display of the manufacturing company name) is visible in a second region (region Z2) below a predetermined operation means (stop button 27) when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0130] Also, as shown in FIG. 16(a), in the present embodiment, during non-game play and when the front door 20 is in the closed state, the model name (title) is displayed in the display area 623 of the lower effect display area 62b located below the upper end of the stop button 27 (region Z2) when viewed in the vertical direction, so that the entire model name is visible in region Z2. Here, the model name refers to the name of the gaming machine itself (the gaming machine having the display of the model name), which is different from the group name and the manufacturing company name described above.

[0131] <Regarding the Second Function> Next, the details of the second function will be described with reference to FIGS. 16(b), 17, and 18. FIG. 16(b) is a diagram showing a specific example of the images displayed in the upper effect display area 62a and the lower effect display area 62b in the non-game state and when the front door 20 is open. FIG. 17(a) is a timing chart when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the non-game state, and FIG. 17(b) is a timing chart when the front door 20 is switched from the open state to the closed state during the non-game state. FIG. 18(a) is a modified example of the display in the display area 621 when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the non-game state, and FIG. 18(b) is a modified example of the displays in the display areas 622 and 623 when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the non-game state. In particular, in these drawings, the solid line surrounding each display indicates the range where the display exists.

[0132] As shown in FIG. 16(b), in the present embodiment, in the non-game state and when the front door 20 is open, in addition to the manufacturing company name, additional information is displayed in the display area 621 of the upper effect display area 62a located above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction (region Z1), so that the entire manufacturing company name is visible in region Z1. Here, the additional information in the present embodiment is the telephone number and address of the manufacturing company name displayed in the display area 621, but the content is not limited as long as it is information related to the manufacturing company. Furthermore, in the non-game state and with the front door 20 open, the name of the manufacturing company is displayed in the display area 622 of the lower effect display area 62b, which is located below the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction (area Z2), so that the entire name of the manufacturing company can be visually recognized in area Z2. However, unlike the non-game state and the closed state of the front door 20, in the non-game state and with the front door 20 open, the model name is not displayed in the display area 623 of the lower effect display area 62b.

[0133] Therefore, as shown in Fig. 17(a), in the gaming machine according to the present embodiment, when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the non-game state, the display of the group name is switched to the display of the manufacturing company name in area Z1. On the other hand, in area Z2, the display of the manufacturing company name is maintained even when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the non-game state.

[0134] In this way, in the gaming machine according to the present embodiment, when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the non-game state, the entire name of the manufacturing company can be visually recognized above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. According to this, when an abnormality (error, etc.) occurs in the gaming machine, the manufacturing company to which the hall staff should make an inquiry can be made easily understandable. This is because when an abnormality occurs in the gaming machine, the hall staff opens the front door 20 for the purpose of checking the substrate itself inside the gaming machine (the back in the case of a pachinko machine) and the harness connecting the substrates. In addition, in order to achieve the above effect, when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the non-game state, it does not matter whether the entire group name can be visually recognized above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. Also, although different from the present embodiment, when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the non-game state, it is allowed that the name of the manufacturing company becomes non-displayed (invisible) below the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. Further, in the present embodiment, when the game machine is not in a gaming state and the front door 20 is in an open state, the entire name of the manufacturing company is visible above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. However, as long as the front door 20 is in an open state, regardless of whether the game machine is in a non-gaming state or not, and regardless of the length of the visible period, the entire name of the manufacturing company is visible during that period. This also applies to the subsequent inventions.

[0135] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it can be paraphrased that in a predetermined case where the opening / closing body (front door 20) is opened from a closed state, the entire first display (display of the manufacturing company name) is visible at least in the first area (area Z1).

[0136] In particular, in the present embodiment, when the front door 20 is switched from a closed state to an open state during a non-gaming state, the group name becomes non-displayable (invisible) above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. According to this, when an abnormality occurs in the gaming machine, it is possible to prevent the hall staff from misidentifying the manufacturing company to which the group name should be inquired. In order to achieve the above effect, as in the modified example shown in Fig. 18(a), when the front door 20 is switched from a closed state to an open state during a non-gaming state, it is allowed that the visibility of the display of the group name is reduced, for example, a part of the display of the group name becomes invisible.

[0137] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, in the above-mentioned predetermined case, it can be paraphrased that the second display (display of the group name) related to the first area (area Z1) is invisible, or the visibility of the second display related to the first area is reduced as compared with the state where the opening / closing body is closed.

[0138] Furthermore, in the modified example shown in Fig. 18(a), the reduction in the visibility of the display of the group name is realized by the display (display of the manufacturing company name and additional information in the present embodiment) that is displayed triggered by the front door 20 being switched from a closed state to an open state. According to this, when an abnormality occurs in the gaming machine, the effect of making it easier for the hall staff to identify the manufacturing company to which they should make an inquiry can be enhanced.

[0139] Also, although different from this embodiment, regarding the display content related to the display of the manufacturing company name in the display area 622 (which is maintained even when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state), and the display content related to the display of the manufacturing company name in the display area 621, these display contents may be made different by changing the font of the characters constituting them, the color of the characters, abbreviating one and using the official name for the other, adding a logo to one and not adding a logo to the other, etc. This can also enhance the effect of making it easier for the hall staff to identify the manufacturing company to which they should make an inquiry when an abnormality occurs in the gaming machine.

[0140] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, in the above-mentioned predetermined case, it can be paraphrased that the state where the entire first display (display of the manufacturing company name) is visible in the second area (area Z2) is maintained, and the display content of the first display related to the first area and the display content of the first display related to the second area are different.

[0141] Note that regarding the invention related to the second function described above, the display position of the manufacturing company name in the state where the front door 20 is open is not limited to the position according to this embodiment (above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction), and may be below the upper end of the stop button 27 (for example, the display area 623) when viewed in the vertical direction. Similarly, the display position of the group name is not limited to the position according to this embodiment (above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction), and may be below the upper end of the stop button 27 (for example, the display area 623) when viewed in the vertical direction.

[0142] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it has a first display (display of the manufacturing company name) that can identify the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and can identify the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. In the state where the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, the entire second display is visible, and in the state where the opening / closing body is opened, the second display is not visible or the visibility of the second display is reduced compared to the state where the opening / closing body is closed, and the entire first display is visible. In other words,

[0143] In particular, in this embodiment, as described above, in the state where the front door 20 is closed, the entire manufacturing company name is visible. According to this, when an abnormality (such as an error) occurs in the gaming machine, the manufacturing company can be recognized without opening the front door 20.

[0144] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it can be paraphrased that in the state where the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, the entire first display (display of the manufacturing company name) is visible.

[0145] Also, as in the modified example shown in FIG. 18(b), in the closed state of the front door 20, a part of the display of the manufacturing company name may be invisible, and in the open state of the front door 20, the entire display of the manufacturing company name may be visible. According to this, it is possible to prevent the display of the manufacturing company name and the display of the group name from being confused during the game when the front door 20 is likely to be in the closed state. Note that in order to achieve this effect, in the closed state of the front door 20, all of the display of the manufacturing company name may be made invisible. Furthermore, when the front door 20 changes from the closed state to the open state, the display of the group name in the display area 621 may be maintained. In this case, it is preferable to make the display of the manufacturing company name more recognizable than the display of the group name, for example, by making the display of the group name in the open state of the front door 20 smaller than the display of the manufacturing company name in the open state of the front door 20.

[0146] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it has a first display (display of the manufacturing company name) that can identify the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and can identify the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. In the state where the opening / closing body (front door 20) is closed, at least a part of the first display is not visible, and the entire second display is visible. In the state where the opening / closing body is open, the entire first display is visible, and the entire second display is visible. This can also be paraphrased in this way.

[0147] Furthermore, in the state where the opening / closing body (front door 20) is open, it can be paraphrased that the first display (display of the manufacturing company name) is more easily recognized than the second display (display of the group name).

[0148] Also, in the modified example shown in FIG. 18(b), in the closed state of the front door 20, a part of the display of the manufacturing company name is not visible, and in the open state of the front door 20, the entire display of the manufacturing company name becomes visible. Therefore, after recognizing where the display of the manufacturing company name is in the closed state of the front door 20, the display of the manufacturing company name can be recognized in the open state of the front door 20, so it is possible to make it easier to recognize the manufacturing company name in the open state of the front door 20.

[0149] Also, as described above, in this embodiment, when the front door 20 is in the open / closed state, the display of the group name becomes invisible, and when the front door 20 is in the open state, the entire display of the group name is visible. On the other hand, regarding the display of the manufacturing company name, the entire display is visible regardless of the open / closed state of the front door 20. Regarding such a relationship, the open state of the front door 20 may be replaced with a state in which any state related to the gaming machine has occurred, and the closed state of the front door 20 may be replaced with a state in which no state related to the gaming machine has occurred. Here, as an arbitrary state related to the above gaming machine, there can be adopted a non-returnable error that requires setting changes or RAM clearing for resolution, a game stop state (a state where the so-called complete function is activated) set when the net increase in the number of medals from a predetermined start position (for example, the state where the most medals are sucked in) reaches a specified number (for example, 19,000 medals), etc., a state where the progress of the game is restricted, or a state where the progress of the game is allowed, such as a state where a specific combination is internally won. Note that, similar to this embodiment, regarding the group name, it is not necessary to always display it during a period when no arbitrary state related to the gaming machine has occurred, and it may be displayed for a part of that period.

[0150] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it has a first display (display of the manufacturing company name) that can identify the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and can identify the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. Regarding the second display, in the case of a specific state, at least a part of the second display is unrecognizable, and in at least a part of the case where it is not the specific state, the entire second display is recognizable. In either the case of the specific state and the case where it is not the specific state, the entire first display is recognizable. In other words. According to this, in the above specific state, by preventing confusion between the first display and the second display, it is possible to make the first display easier to recognize.

[0151] Furthermore, it can be said that the above specific state includes a state where the progress of the game is restricted. Also, it can be said that the above specific state includes a state where the progress of the game is allowed.

[0152] In particular, it is preferable that the arbitrary state related to the above gaming machine is a state where a predetermined error has occurred. Note that the content of the above predetermined error is not limited, but for example, the above state where the progress of the game is restricted, the state where the reel 65 is out of tune, or the state where an abnormal winning (winning of a combination that is not internally won) has occurred can be adopted as the predetermined error. Also, similar to the present embodiment, the group name does not need to be constantly displayed during the period when the above-mentioned predetermined error does not occur, and it may be displayed for a part of the period.

[0153] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it has a first display (display of the manufacturing company name) that can identify the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, and a second display (display of the group name) that is different from the first display and can identify the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. For the second display, when a predetermined error has occurred, at least a part of the second display is unrecognizable, and at least a part of the case where the predetermined error has not occurred, the entire second display is recognizable. In other words, in both the case where a predetermined error has occurred and the case where a predetermined error has not occurred, the entire first display is recognizable. According to this, in the state where the above-mentioned predetermined error has occurred, by preventing the first display and the second display from being confused, the first display can be made easier to recognize.

[0154] Furthermore, for the above-mentioned predetermined error, it is preferable to adopt a door opening error that occurs when the front door 20 is opened as in the present embodiment.

[0155] Therefore, in the gaming machine 10, it has a base body (outer frame 90) and an opening / closing body (front door 20) that can be opened and closed with respect to the base body. In other words, the above-mentioned predetermined error occurs based on the opening of the opening / closing body.

[0156] Also, in the present embodiment, when switching from the open state to the closed state of the front door 20 (when closing the front door 20), the display of the group name starts (restarts). However, as shown in FIG. 17(b), the timing when the entire display of the group name becomes recognizable is the timing when a time T (3000 ms in the present embodiment) has elapsed since the closing of the front door 20. According to this, it is possible to make it easier to recognize the display of the group name when closing the front door 20. Note that the present invention can also be applied to the modification example shown in FIG. 18(a).

[0157] Also, as described above, in this embodiment, when the game machine is in a non-game state and the front door 20 is in an open state, unlike when the front door 20 is in a closed state during non-game, the model name is not displayed in the display area 623 of the lower effect display area 62b. That is, when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state, the display of the model name becomes non-displayed in the area (area Z2) below the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. According to this, in this case, the display of the manufacturer name in the display area 622 where the display is maintained becomes easier to recognize. Note that, in achieving the above effect, it is not limited to the display of the model name in the display area 623 becoming non-displayed. For example, it is sufficient that the display of the model name in the open state of the front door 20 becomes difficult to visually recognize compared to the closed state of the front door 20, such as the brightness of the display of the model name in the open state of the front door 20 becoming lower than that in the closed state of the front door 20.

[0158] <Regarding the display during the game> Next, with reference to FIG. 19, the flow of each display when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the game, and when the front door 20 is switched from the open state to the closed state during the game will be described. FIG. 19(a) is a timing chart when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the game, and FIG. 19(b) is a timing chart when the front door 20 is switched from the open state to the closed state during the game.

[0159] As shown in FIG. 19(a), when the front door 20 is switched from the closed state to the open state during the game, the display of the manufacturer name is started in the area (area Z1) above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. On the other hand, in the area (area Z2) below the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction, the display of the manufacturer name is maintained and the display of the model name ends. As shown in FIG. 19(b), when the front door 20 changes from the open state to the closed state during the game, the display of the manufacturing company name ends above the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction. On the other hand, below the upper end of the stop button 27 when viewed in the vertical direction, the display of the manufacturing company name is maintained and the display of the model name is started. Since these figures show the state during the game, the group name is not displayed regardless of the open / closed state of the front door 20.

[0160] <Regarding Other Modification Examples> Modification examples not described in the above explanation are listed below.

[0161] First, regarding the high / low probabilities, ratios, frequencies, and the number of times in this embodiment, as long as each relationship is ensured, the smaller value may be 0 or the larger value may be the maximum value. In particular, regarding the high / low of each ratio described above, as long as the phenomenon aspect is ensured, the control for realizing the high / low of each ratio is not limited. In addition, each lottery value in the lottery table illustrated in this embodiment is an example, and as long as the magnitude relationship between the lottery tables is maintained, each lottery value may adopt any value within the range.

[0162] The present invention described above is not limited to the above description, and includes various modifications, improvements, etc. as long as the object of the present invention is achieved.

[0163] <Supplementary Note> This embodiment includes the following technical ideas. (1) A first display capable of identifying the manufacturing company of the gaming machine, A second display different from the first display and capable of identifying the group to which the manufacturing company belongs, and Regarding the second display, when in a specific state, at least a part of the second display is unviewable, In at least a part of the case where it is not in the specific state, the whole of the second display is visible. In both the case where it is in the specific state and the case where it is not in the specific state, the whole of the first display is visible. The gaming machine characterized by this. (2) The gaming machine according to (1) above, The specific state includes a state where the progress of the game is restricted. The gaming machine characterized by this. (3) The gaming machine according to (1) above, The specific state includes a state where the progress of the game is permitted. The gaming machine characterized by this.

Explanation of symbols

[0164] 10 Gaming machine 20 Front door 21 Upper panel 22 Lower panel 23 Bet button 23a Maximum bet button 23b Single bet button 24 Menu selection button 24a Cross key button 24b Decision button 25 Status display LED 25a Inserted number display LED 25b Acquired number display LED 25c Indication display LED 25d Replay display LED 25e Game start display LED 25f Insertable display LED 25g Advantage mode display LED 26 Start lever 27(27L, 27C, 27R) Stop button 27a Stop possible display LED 28 Medal number display LED 32 Payout button 33 Medal counting button 34 Door lock 36 (36a, 36b, 36c, 36d, 36e, 36f, 36g, 36h) Decorative LED 38 (38a, 38b, 38c, 38d) Speaker 40a, 40b Various sensors 41 (41a, 41b, 41c, 41d, 41e, 41f, 41g, 41h) Decorative LED substrate 42 Status display LED substrate 43 Stop button substrate 43a Stop button sensor 44 Start lever sensor 45 Bet button substrate 45a Maximum bet button sensor 45b Single bet button sensor 45c Push button sensor 46 Menu selection button substrate 46a Cross key button sensor 46b Enter button sensor 48 Setting change device 48a Setting key switch 48b Setting change switch 48c Setting display LED 48d Setting key cover 49 (49a, 49b, 49c, 49d) Speaker 50 Medal number display LED substrate 51 Medal counting button substrate 51a Medal counting button sensor 53 Operation substrate cover 60 Game machine main body 62a Upper stage display area 62b Lower stage display area 63a Upper stage display device 63b Lower stage display device 64 Reel frame 65 (65L, 65C, 65R) Reel 66 (66L, 66C, 66R) Reel sensor 67 (67L, 67C, 67R) Reel lighting substrate 68 Reel Motor 90 Outer Frame 90a Left Side Wall 90b Right Side Wall 90c Top Plate 90d Bottom Plate 90e Rear Side Wall 91 Power Supply Unit 92 Power Switch 95 Sheet Metal 96 Hinge Part 96a Upper Hinge Part 96b Middle Hinge Part 96c Lower Hinge Part 100 Main Board 101, 201, 301 CPU 102, 202, 302 RAM 103, 203, 303 ROM 104 Random Number Circuit 100 Main Board 110 Game Progress Management Section 111 Internal Lottery Section 112 Reel Control Section 113 Winning Judgment Section 114 Medal Management Section 115 Status Display LED Control Section 120 Status Management Section 121 Setting Change Management Section 122 Game Status Management Section 124 Game Mode Management Section 125 Main Error Management Section 130 Main Communication Section 131 Control Command Transmission / Reception Section 132 External Signal Transmission Section 200 Sub Board 204 Random Number Circuit 210 Sub Communication Section 211 Control Command Reception Section 220 Effect Management Section 221 Effect Control Section 222 Effect Display Control Section 223 Audio Control Section 224 Decoration LED Control Section 300 Medal Count Control Board 304 Control Command Transceiver 305 Credit Management Unit 306 Medal Error Management Unit 300 Medal Quantity Control Board 400 Medal Quantity Control Board Case 621 Display Area 622 Display Area 623 Display Area 1000 Dedicated Unit Lines L1 - L5 Axis Za

Claims

Claim 1: There is a first region above the upper end of a predetermined operating means when viewed in the vertical direction, and a second region below the predetermined operating means when viewed in the vertical direction. The first region and the second region are configured to be controllable by a predetermined control means. A first display capable of identifying the manufacturing company of the gaming machine. A second display different from the first display and capable of identifying the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. It has Regarding the second display, When it is in a specific state including a state where the progress of the game is restricted, at least a part of the second display is not visible in the first region. In at least a part of the case where it is not in the specific state, the entire second display is visible in the first region. Regardless of whether it is in the specific state or not, the entire first display is visible in the first region or the second region. A gaming machine characterized by this. Claim 2: There is a first region above the upper end of a predetermined operating means when viewed in the vertical direction, and a second region below the predetermined operating means when viewed in the vertical direction. The first region and the second region are configured to be controllable by a predetermined control means. A first display capable of identifying the manufacturing company of the gaming machine. A second display different from the first display and capable of identifying the group to which the manufacturing company belongs. It has Regarding the second display, When it is in a specific state including a state where the progress of the game is permitted, at least a part of the second display is not visible in the first region. In at least a part of the case where it is not in the specific state, the entire second display is visible in the first region. Regardless of whether it is in the specific state or not, the entire first display is visible in the first region or the second region. A gaming machine characterized by this.

Images