Gaming machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of preventing a player from becoming bored with a game at an early stage.SOLUTION: A presentation mode is displayed in display means. Whether the game is in a prescribed period set by prescribed period setting means or not, is distinguished by prescribed period distinguishing means. If distinguished as in the prescribed period, a presentation mode displayed in the display means by change-over display means is changed over to a specific presentation mode and displayed. If it is distinguished that a prescribed condition has been established after the prescribed period has been passed, a period for displaying the specific presentation mode is extended by extension period setting means and displayed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

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

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a gaming machine configured to change a display mode has been known.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In this type of pachinko machine, there has been a problem that when the period during which the display mode is changed ends, the player's enthusiasm for the game decreases and the player gets bored with the game.

[0005] The present invention It is made to solve the above-exemplified problems and the like, and an object thereof is to provide a gaming machine capable of suppressing the problem that the player gets bored with the game early.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In order to achieve this object, the gaming machine according to claim 1 includes a display means capable of displaying a production mode, an information acquisition means for acquiring information based on the establishment of acquisition conditions, a storage means for storing the information acquired by the information acquisition means, a discrimination means for executing discrimination based on the information stored in the storage means, an identification information display means for causing the display means to display identification information indicating the discrimination result by the discrimination means, a privilege granting means capable of executing the granting of a privilege advantageous to a player, and a determination means for determining whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied. before When it is discriminated by the discrimination means as a specific discrimination result and determined by the determination means as a specific determination result, the identification information display means can display specific identification information, and when the specific identification information is displayed, the privilege granting is configured to be executable, and when a predetermined opportunity is established, a specific production mode is is displayed on the display meansconfigured to be able to be , When the privilege is granted to execute the granting of the said privilege notification to perform notification perform an effect configured to be able to be at the timing after the said specific effect mode is displayed, the said notification effect is perform configured to be able to be, before configured to be able to be displayed during the period when the said specific effect mode is being displayed numerical information is display made configured to obtain re , configured to be able to display first numerical information as the said numerical information, and the first numerical information changes to second numerical information as the game progresses configured to be able to reach, and when the numerical information reaches the second numerical information configured to be able to make the player recognize that the said specific effect mode has ended the notification effect is executed at the timing before the specific identification information is displayed, and in the situation where the granting of the privilege is executed configured to be able to display third numerical information obtained by adding a predetermined value to the value of the said second numerical information

[0007]

[0008]

[0009]

[0010] [Advantages of the Invention]

[0011] According to the gaming machine described in claim 1, there are a display means capable of displaying an effect mode, an information acquisition means for acquiring information based on the fulfillment of an acquisition condition, a storage means for storing the information acquired by the information acquisition means, a discrimination means for performing discrimination based on the information stored in the storage means, an identification information display means for causing the display means to display identification information indicating the discrimination result by the discrimination means, a privilege granting means capable of executing the granting of an advantageous privilege to the player, and a determination means for determining whether a predetermined condition is satisfied before configured such that when discriminated by the said discrimination means as a specific discrimination result and determined by the said determination means as a specific determination result, the specific identification information can be displayed by the identification information display means, and when the specific identification information is displayed, the granting of the said privilege can be executed, and when a predetermined opportunity is established, a specific effect modeis Display on the display means configured to be able to be , When the privilege is granted To execute the granting of the privilege notification Do notification The effect is executed configured to be able to be At the timing after the specific effect mode is displayed, the notification Effect is Execute configured to be able to be, before During the period in which the specific effect mode is displayed numerical information is Display made Configured to obtain re , configured to be able to display first numerical information as the numerical information, and the first numerical information changes to second numerical information as the game progresses configured to be able to reach, and when the numerical information reaches the second numerical information Configured to enable the player to recognize that the specific effect mode has ended, the notification effect is executed at the timing before the specific identification information is displayed, and in the situation where the granting of the privilege is executed Configured to be able to display third numerical information obtained by adding a predetermined value to the value of the second numerical information.

[0012] Therefore, There is an effect that it is possible to suppress the problem that the player gets bored with the game early.

[0013]

[0014]

[0015]

[0016]

[0017]

[0018]

[0019]

Brief Explanation of Drawings

[0020]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Figure 12

Figure 13

Figure 14

Figure 15

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 19

Figure 20

Figure 21

Figure 22

Figure 23

Figure 24

Figure 25

Figure 26

Figure 27

Figure 28

Figure 29

Figure 30

Figure 31

Figure 32

Figure 33

Figure 34

Figure 35

Figure 36

Figure 37

Figure 38

Figure 39

Figure 40

Figure 41

Figure 42

Figure 43

Figure 44

Figure 45

Figure 46

Figure 47

Figure 48

Figure 49

Figure 50

Figure 51

Figure 52

Figure 53

Figure 54

Figure 55

Figure 56

Figure 57

Figure 58

Figure 59

Figure 60

Figure 61

Figure 62

Figure 63

Figure 64

Figure 65

Figure 66

Figure 67

Figure 68

Figure 69

Figure 70

Figure 71

Figure 72

Figure 73

Figure 74

Figure 75

Figure 76

Figure 77

Figure 78

Figure 79

Figure 80

Figure 81

Figure 82

Figure 83

Figure 84

Figure 85

Figure 86

Figure 87

Figure 88

Figure 89

Figure 90

Figure 91

Figure 92

Figure 93

Figure 94

Figure 95

Figure 96

Fig. 97

Fig. 98

Fig. 99

Fig. 100

Fig. 101

Fig. 102

Fig. 103

Fig. 104

Fig. 105

Fig. 106

Fig. 107

Fig. 108

Fig. 109

Fig. 110

Fig. 111

Fig. 112

Fig. 113

Fig. 114

Fig. 115

Fig. 116

Fig. 117

Fig. 118

Fig. 119

Fig. 120

Fig. 121

Fig. 122

Fig. 123

Fig. 124

Fig. 125

Fig. 126

Fig. 127

Fig. 128

Fig. 129

Fig. 130

Fig. 131

Fig. 132

Fig. 133

Fig. 134

Fig. 135

Fig. 136

Fig. 137

Fig. 138

Fig. 139

Fig. 140

Fig. 141

Fig. 142

Fig. 143

Fig. 144

Fig. 145

Fig. 146

Fig. 147

Fig. 148

Fig. 149

Fig. 150

Fig. 151

Fig. 152

Fig. 153

Fig. 154

Fig. 155

Fig. 156

Fig. 157

Fig. 158

Fig. 159

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0021] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, referring to FIGS. 1 to 39, as a first embodiment, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as "pachinko machine") 10 will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10 in the first embodiment, FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board 13 of the pachinko machine 10, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

[0022] As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 10 includes an outer frame 11 whose outer shell is formed by a wooden frame combined in a substantially rectangular shape, and an inner frame 12 formed in substantially the same outer shape as the outer frame 11 and supported by the outer frame 11 so as to be openable and closable. On the outer frame 11, metal hinges 18 are attached at two upper and lower positions on the left side in the front view (see FIG. 1) to support the inner frame 12, and the inner frame 12 is supported so as to be openable and closable to the front side with the side provided with the hinge 18 as the axis of opening and closing.

[0023] Inside the inner frame 12, a game board 13 (see FIG. 2) having a number of pins and winning openings 63, 64, etc. is detachably attached from the back side. A pinball game is played by balls (game balls) flowing down the front surface of this game board 13. In addition, the inner frame 12 is provided with a ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 4) for launching balls into the front area of the game board 13 and a launching rail (not shown) for guiding the balls launched from the ball launching unit 112a to the front area of the game board 13, etc.

[0024] On the front side of the inner frame 12, a front frame 14 covering the upper part of the front surface and a lower dish unit 15 covering the lower part thereof are provided. In order to support the front frame 14 and the lower dish unit 15, metal hinges 19 are attached at two upper and lower positions on the left side in the front view (see FIG. 1), and the front frame 14 and the lower dish unit 15 are supported so as to be openable and closable to the front side in front with the side where the hinge 19 is provided as the axis of opening and closing. In addition, the locking of the inner frame 12 and the locking of the front frame 14 are each released by inserting a dedicated key into the keyhole 21 of the cylinder lock 20 and performing a predetermined operation.

[0025] The front frame 14 is assembled with decorative resin parts, electrical parts, etc., and a window portion 14c having an opening formed in a substantially elliptical shape is provided at a substantially central portion thereof. A glass unit 16 having two plate glasses is disposed on the back side of the front frame 14, and the front surface of the game board 13 is visible on the front side of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 16.

[0026] The front frame 14 is formed in a substantially box shape with an upper dish 17 for storing balls projecting forward and having an open upper surface, and prize balls, lent balls, etc. are discharged into this upper dish 17. The bottom surface of the upper dish 17 is formed with a downward slope on the right side in the front view (see FIG. 1), and the balls put into the upper dish 17 are guided to the ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 4) by this slope. In addition, a frame button 22 is provided on the upper surface of the upper dish 17. This frame button 22 is operated by a player, for example, when changing the stage of an effect displayed by the third symbol display device 81 (see FIG. 2) or changing the content of the super reach effect.

[0027] On the front frame 14, light-emitting means such as various lamps are provided around its periphery (for example, corner portions). These light-emitting means are controlled to change their light-emitting modes by lighting or blinking in response to changes in the gaming state during a big win or at a predetermined reach, etc., and play a role in enhancing the production effect during the game. Around the periphery of the window portion 14c, decorative parts 29 to 33 incorporating light-emitting means such as LEDs are provided. In the pachinko machine 10, these decorative parts 29 to 33 function as production lamps such as big win lamps, and during a big win or a reach production, each of the decorative parts 29 to 33 lights up or blinks by lighting or blinking of the built-in LEDs, and it is notified that it is during a big win or during a reach just before a big win. Also, on the upper left part of the front view (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14, a display lamp 34 incorporating light-emitting means such as LEDs is provided, which can display during the payout of bonus balls and when an error occurs.

[0028] Also, on the lower side of the right decorative part 32, a small window 35 is formed by attaching a transparent resin from the back side so that the back side of the front frame 14 can be visually recognized, and a certificate or the like attached to the sticking space K1 (see FIG. 2) in front of the game board 13 can be visually recognized from the front of the pachinko machine 10. Also, in the pachinko machine 10, in order to create a more magnificent atmosphere, a plating member 36 made of ABS resin plated around the decorative parts 29 to 33 is attached.

[0029] Below the window portion 14c, a ball lending operation unit 40 is disposed. The ball lending operation unit 40 is provided with a frequency display unit 41, a ball lending button 42, and a return button 43. When the ball lending operation unit 40 is operated with a bill, a card, etc. inserted into a card unit (ball lending unit) (not shown) arranged on the side of the pachinko machine 10, balls are lent according to the operation. Specifically, the frequency display unit 41 is an area where balance information of a card or the like is displayed, and the built-in LED lights up and the balance is displayed numerically as the balance information. The ball lending button 42 is operated to obtain lent balls based on information recorded on a card or the like (recording medium), and lent balls are supplied to the upper tray 17 as long as there is a balance on the card or the like. The return button 43 is operated when requesting the return of a card or the like inserted into the card unit. In a pachinko machine that directly lends balls from a ball lending device or the like to the upper tray 17 without passing through the card unit, that is, a so-called cash machine, the ball lending operation unit 40 is not required. In this case, a decorative sticker or the like may be added to the installation portion of the ball lending operation unit 40 so that the component configuration is common. It is possible to make the pachinko machine using the card unit and the cash machine common.

[0030] In the lower tray unit 15 located below the upper tray 17, a lower tray 50 for storing balls that could not be completely stored in the upper tray 17 is formed in a substantially box shape with an open upper surface at its central portion. On the right side of the lower tray 50, an operation handle 51 operated by the player to drive the balls into the front surface of the game board 13 is disposed.

[0031] Inside the operation handle 51, there are a touch sensor 51a for permitting the drive of the ball launch unit 112a, a launch stop switch 51b for stopping the launch of the ball during the period of the pressing operation, a variable resistor (not shown) for detecting the amount of rotational operation (rotational position) of the operation handle 51 by the change in the electric resistance, and the like. When the operation handle 51 is rotationally operated clockwise by the player, the touch sensor 51a is turned on and the resistance value of the variable resistor changes corresponding to the amount of rotational operation, and the ball is launched with the intensity (launch intensity) corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor, and thereby the ball is driven into the front surface of the game board 13 with the jumping amount corresponding to the operation of the player. Further, in a state where the operation handle 51 is not operated by the player, the touch sensor 51a and the launch stop switch 51b are turned off.

[0032] At the front lower part of the lower tray 50, a ball removal lever 52 for operating when discharging the balls stored in the lower tray 50 downward is provided. This ball removal lever 52 is constantly biased in the right direction, and by sliding it leftward against the bias, the bottom surface opening formed in the bottom surface of the lower tray 50 opens, and the balls naturally fall and are discharged from the bottom surface opening. The operation of this ball removal lever 52 is usually performed in a state where a box (generally called a "senryo box") for receiving the balls discharged from the lower tray 50 is placed below the lower tray 50. The operation handle 51 is disposed on the right side of the lower tray 50, and an ashtray 53 is attached to the left side of the lower tray 50.

[0033] As shown in FIG. 2, the game board 13 is formed by assembling a base plate 60 machined into a substantially square shape in front view, with a number of pins for ball guidance (not shown), a windmill, rails 61 and 62, a general winning opening 63, a first winning opening 64, a second winning opening 640, a variable winning device 65, a through gate 67, a variable display device unit 80, etc. on it, and the peripheral portion thereof is attached to the back side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 1). The base plate 60 is made of a light-transmissive resin material and is formed so that various structures arranged on the back side of the base plate 60 can be visually recognized by the player from the front side. The general winning opening 63, the first winning opening 64, the second winning opening 640, the variable winning device 65, and the variable display device unit 80 are arranged in through holes formed in the base plate 60 by routing and are fixed from the front side of the game board 13 with tapping screws or the like.

[0034] The central part of the front surface of the game board 13 can be visually recognized from the front side of the inner frame 12 through the window portion 14c (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14. Hereinafter, the configuration of the game board 13 will be mainly described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0035] On the front surface of the game board 13, an outer rail 62 formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate into a substantially arc shape is planted, and at an inner position of the outer rail 62, an arc-shaped inner rail 61 formed of a strip-shaped metal plate similar to the outer rail 62 is planted. The inner rail 61 and the outer rail 62 surround the outer periphery of the front surface of the game board 13, and the front and back are surrounded by the game board 13 and the glass unit 16 (see FIG. 1), so that a game area where the game is played by the behavior of the ball is formed on the front surface of the game board 13. The game area is an area (an area where winning openings and the like are arranged and the launched ball flows down) defined by the front surface of the game board 13, two rails 61 and 62, and a resin outer edge member 73 connecting between the rails.

[0036] The two rails 61 and 62 are provided to guide the balls launched from the ball launching unit 112a (see Fig. 4) to the upper part of the game board 13. A return ball prevention member 68 is attached to the tip portion of the inner rail 61 (the upper left part of Fig. 2), preventing a situation where a ball once guided to the upper part of the game board 13 returns into the ball guiding passage again. A return rubber 69 is attached to the tip portion of the outer rail 62 (the upper right part of Fig. 2) at a position corresponding to the maximum flying portion of the ball. A ball launched with a momentum above a predetermined level hits the return rubber 69 and bounces back toward the central part while its momentum is attenuated.

[0037] On the lower left part of the front view of the game area (the lower left part of Fig. 2), first symbol display devices 37A and 37B each having a plurality of LEDs as light emitting means and a 7-segment display are arranged. The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B are configured to make displays according to each control performed by the main control device 110 (see Fig. 4), and mainly display the game state of the pachinko machine 10. In this embodiment, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B are configured to be selectively used according to whether a ball wins the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 640. Specifically, when a ball wins the first winning opening 64, the first symbol display device 37A operates, while when a ball wins the second winning opening 640, the first symbol display device 37B operates.

[0038] Also, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B use the LEDs to indicate whether the pachinko machine 10 is in the probability variation state, the time limit state, or the normal state by the lighting state, indicate whether it is in the variation state or not by the lighting state, indicate whether the stop symbol corresponds to a probability variation jackpot symbol, an ordinary jackpot symbol, or a losing symbol by the lighting state, indicate the number of held balls by the lighting state, and perform the display of the number of rounds during the jackpot and error display by the 7-segment display device. Note that the plurality of LEDs are configured such that the light emitting colors of the respective LEDs (for example, red, green, blue) are different, and various game states of the pachinko machine 10 can be suggested with a small number of LEDs by the combination of the light emitting colors.

[0039] In the pachinko machine 10, a lottery is conducted when a winning occurs at the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 640. In this lottery, the pachinko machine 10 determines whether it is a big win (big win lottery), and if it is determined to be a big win, it also determines the type of big win. As the types of big wins determined here, there are 15R certain-variable big win, 4R certain-variable big win, and 15R normal big win. The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B show not only whether the result of the lottery is a big win as the stopped symbol after the variation ends, but also show a symbol corresponding to the type of big win if it is a big win.

[0040] Here, the "15R certain-variable big win" is a certain-variable big win in which the maximum number of rounds is 15 rounds and it transitions to a high-probability state after the big win, and the "4R certain-variable big win" is a certain-variable big win in which the maximum number of rounds is 4 rounds and it transitions to a high-probability state after the big win. Also, the "15R normal big win" is a big win in which the maximum number of rounds is 15 rounds, it transitions to a low-probability state after the big win, and it becomes a time-saving state for a predetermined number of variations (for example, 100 variation times).

[0041] Also, the "high-probability state" refers to a state in which the big win probability increases as an added value after the big win ends, that is, during so-called probability variation (during certain-variable), in other words, it is a game state in which it is easy to transition to a special game state. The high-probability state (during certain-variable) in this embodiment includes a game state in which the winning probability of the second symbol increases and it is easy for the ball to win at the second winning opening 640. The "low-probability state" refers to a time when it is not during certain-variable, and it is a state where the big win probability is normal, that is, a state where the big win probability is lower than during certain-variable. Also, the time-saving state (during time-saving) among the "low-probability states" refers to a game state in which the big win probability is normal and the winning probability of only the second symbol increases while the big win probability remains the same, and it is easy for the ball to win at the second winning opening 640. On the other hand, when the pachinko machine 10 is in the normal state, it is a game state that is neither during certain-variable nor during time-saving (a state where neither the big win probability nor the winning probability of the second symbol increases).

[0042] During probability variation or time shortening, not only does the winning probability of the second symbol increase, but also the time when the electric accessory 640a associated with the second winning opening 640 is opened is changed, and a longer time is set compared to normal. When the electric accessory 640a is in the opened state (open state), the balls are more likely to win the second winning opening 640 compared to when the electric accessory 640a is in the closed state (closed state). Therefore, during probability variation or time shortening, the balls are more likely to win the second winning opening 640, and the number of times the big win lottery is conducted can be increased.

[0043] Note that during probability variation or time shortening, instead of changing the opening time of the electric accessory 640a associated with the second winning opening 640, or in addition to changing the opening time, a change may be made to increase the number of times the electric accessory 640a is opened per win compared to normal. Also, during probability variation or time shortening, the winning probability of the second symbol may not be changed, and at least one of the time when the electric accessory 640a associated with the second winning opening 640 is opened and the number of times the electric accessory 640a is opened per win may be changed. Further, during probability variation or time shortening, the time when the electric accessory 640a associated with the second winning opening 640 is opened and the number of times the electric accessory 640a is opened per win may not be changed, and only the winning probability of the second symbol may be changed to increase compared to normal.

[0044] In the game area, a plurality of general winning openings 63 are provided where 5 to 15 balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball wins. Also, in the central part of the game area, a variable display device unit 80 is provided. The variable display device unit 80 includes a third symbol display device 81 composed of a liquid crystal display (hereinafter simply abbreviated as "display device") that performs variable display of the third symbol while synchronizing with the variable display in the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B triggered by winning (start winning) the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 640, and a second symbol display device (not shown) composed of LEDs that perform variable display of the second symbol triggered by the passage of balls through the thru gate 67.

[0045] In addition, a center frame 86 is disposed in the variable display device unit 80 so as to surround the outer periphery of the third symbol display device 81. The third symbol display device 81 is visible through an opening formed in the center of the center frame 86. When the protruding operation unit 400 and the composite operation unit 500, which will be described later, are operated, at least a part of their relative displacement members 450 and driven members 560 protrudes into the opening of the center frame 86 and is visible through the opening. For example, when the protruding operation unit 400 is disposed at the rotation position by the first operation (see FIG. 14(a)), the tip portion of the relative displacement member 450 is visible through the opening of the center frame 86, and when it is disposed at the protruding position by the second operation (see FIG. 15(b)), substantially the entire relative displacement member 450 is visible through the opening of the center frame 86.

[0046] The third symbol display device 81 is composed of a large 15-inch liquid crystal display, and the display content is controlled by a display control device 114 (see FIG. 4), so that, for example, three symbol rows of upper, middle, and lower are displayed. Each symbol row is composed of a plurality of symbols (third symbols), and these third symbols scroll horizontally for each symbol row so that the third symbols are variably displayed on the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. The third symbol display device 81 of the present embodiment performs a decorative display corresponding to the display of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, while the display of the game state accompanying the control of the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4) is performed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B. Note that, instead of the display device, the third symbol display device 81 may be configured using, for example, reels or the like.

[0047] The second symbol display device performs a variable display that alternately lights up the symbol "○" and the symbol "×" as display symbols (second symbols (not shown)) for a predetermined time every time the ball passes through the through gate 67. In the pachinko machine 10, when it is detected that the ball has passed through the through gate 67, a winning lottery is conducted. As a result of the winning lottery, if it is a win, in the second symbol display device, the symbol "○" is stopped and displayed after the variable display of the second symbol. Also, as a result of the winning lottery, if it is a miss, in the second symbol display device, the symbol "×" is stopped and displayed after the variable display of the third symbol.

[0048] The pachinko machine 10 is configured such that when the variable display in the second symbol display device stops at a predetermined symbol (the symbol "○" in the present embodiment), the electric accessory 640a associated with the second winning opening 640 is in an operating state (opened) for a predetermined time.

[0049] The time taken for the variable display of the second symbol is set to be shorter during probability variation or time reduction than during normal game state. Thereby, during probability variation and time reduction, since the variable display of the second symbol is performed in a short time, the winning lottery can be conducted more frequently than during normal times. Therefore, since the chance of winning in the winning lottery increases, the player can be given more opportunities for the electric accessory 640a of the second winning opening 640 to be in an open state. Thus, during probability variation and time reduction, it is possible to make the state such that the ball easily wins the second winning opening 640.

[0050] In addition, during probability variation or time reduction, even by other methods such as increasing the winning probability, increasing the opening time or the number of opening times of the electric accessory 640a for one win, if the state is such that the ball easily wins the second winning opening 640 during probability variation or time reduction, the time taken for the variable display of the second symbol may be made constant regardless of the game state. On the other hand, when setting the time taken for the variable display of the second symbol to be shorter during probability variation or time reduction than during normal times, the winning probability may be made constant regardless of the game state, or the opening time or the number of opening times of the electric accessory 640a for one win may be made constant regardless of the game state.

[0051] The through gate 67 is assembled to the game board on the right side in the lower area of the variable display device unit 80, and a part of the balls flowing down to the right side of the game board among the balls launched onto the game board can pass through it. When a ball passes through the through gate 67, a winning lottery for the second symbol is conducted. After the winning lottery, variable display is performed on the second symbol display device. If the result of the winning lottery is a win, the symbol of "○" is displayed as the stop symbol of the variable display. If the result of the winning lottery is a loss, the symbol of "×" is displayed as the stop symbol of the variable display.

[0052] The total number of times a ball can pass through the through gate 67 is reserved up to a maximum of 4 times. The reserved number of balls is displayed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B described above and is also lit and displayed on a second symbol reserve lamp (not shown). Four second symbol reserve lamps are provided corresponding to the maximum number of reserved balls, and they are arranged symmetrically left and right below the third symbol display device 81.

[0053] Note that the variable display of the second symbol is performed by switching the lighting and non-lighting of a plurality of lamps in the second symbol display device as in this embodiment. However, it may also be performed using a part of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B and the third symbol display device 81. Similarly, the lighting of the second symbol reserve lamp may be performed using a part of the third symbol display device 81. Also, the maximum number of reserved balls for the passage of a ball through the through gate 67 is not limited to 4 times, and it may be set to 3 times or less, or a number of times more than 5 times (for example, 8 times). Also, the number of assembled through gates 67 is not limited to one, and there may be a plurality (for example, 2). Also, the assembly position of the through gate 67 is not limited to the right side of the variable display device unit 80, and it may be, for example, on the left side of the variable display device unit 80. Also, since the number of reserved balls is indicated by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, it may not be lit and displayed by the second symbol reserve lamp.

[0054] Below the variable display device unit 80, a first winning opening 64 into which a ball can win is provided. When a ball wins through the first winning opening 64, a first winning opening switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on. Due to the turning on of the first winning opening switch, a jackpot lottery is conducted by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and a display corresponding to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37A.

[0055] On the other hand, to the right of the first winning opening 64 in the front view, a second winning opening 640 into which a ball can win is provided. When a ball wins through the second winning opening 640, a second winning opening switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on. Due to the turning on of the second winning opening switch, a jackpot lottery is conducted by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and a display corresponding to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37B.

[0056] In addition, the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 640 are each also one of the winning openings from which five balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball wins. In the present embodiment, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins through the first winning opening 64 and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins through the second winning opening 640 are configured to be the same. However, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins through the first winning opening 64 and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins through the second winning opening 640 may be different numbers. For example, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins through the first winning opening 64 may be three, and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball wins through the second winning opening 640 may be five.

[0057] An electric accessory 640a is attached to the second winning opening 640. This electric accessory 640a is configured to be openable and closable. Normally, the electric accessory 640a is in a closed state (contracted state), making it difficult for a ball to win through the second winning opening 640. On the other hand, when the symbol "○" is displayed on the second symbol display device as a result of the variable display of the second symbol triggered by the passage of a ball through the through gate 67, the electric accessory 640a is in an open state (expanded state), making it easy for a ball to win through the second winning opening 640.

[0058] As described above, during the probability variation and time reduction periods, the winning probability of the second symbol is higher than that during the normal period, and the time taken for the variable display of the second symbol is also shorter. Therefore, in the variable display of the second symbol, the symbol "○" is more likely to be displayed, and the number of times the electric accessory 640a is in the open state (expanded state) increases. Furthermore, during the probability variation and time reduction periods, the time for which the electric accessory 640a is open is also longer than during the normal period. Thus, during the probability variation and time reduction periods, it is possible to create a state where it is easier for balls to win the second winning opening 640 compared to the normal time.

[0059] Here, whether a ball wins the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 640, the probability of a big win is the same whether in the low-probability state or the high-probability state. However, as the type of big win selected when a big win occurs, the probability of a 15R probability variation big win is set higher when a ball wins the second winning opening 640 than when a ball wins the first winning opening 64. On the other hand, the first winning opening 64 does not have an electric accessory like the one at the second winning opening 640, and balls can always win.

[0060] Therefore, during the normal period, the electric accessory associated with the second winning opening 640 is often in the closed state, making it difficult for balls to win the second winning opening 640. So, it is more advantageous for the player to aim for a big win by firing the ball so that it passes through the left side of the variable display device unit 80 towards the first winning opening 64 without an electric accessory (so-called "left shot") and obtaining more opportunities for the big win lottery by winning the first winning opening 64.

[0061] On the other hand, during the probability variation or time reduction periods, by passing the ball through the through gate 67, the electric accessory 640a associated with the second winning opening 640 is likely to be in the open state, making it easy for balls to win the second winning opening 640. So, it is more advantageous for the player to aim for a 15R probability variation big win by firing the ball so that it passes through the right side of the variable display 80 towards the second winning opening 640 (so-called "right shot"), passing the ball through the through gate 67 to open the electric accessory, and winning the second winning opening 640.

[0062] As described above, the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment can cause the player to change the way of shooting the balls between "left shooting" and "right shooting" according to the game state of the pachinko machine 10 (whether it is in the state of certain probability variation, time shortening, or normal). Therefore, it is possible to bring a change to the way of shooting the balls for the player, and thus the game can be made enjoyable.

[0063] A variable winning device 65 is disposed above the upper right side of the first winning opening 64, and a horizontally long rectangular specific winning opening (large opening) 65a is provided at a substantially central portion thereof. In the pachinko machine 10, when the jackpot lottery conducted due to winning the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 640 results in a jackpot, after a predetermined time (fluctuation time) has elapsed, the first symbol display device 37A or the first symbol display device 37B is lit so as to become the jackpot stop symbol, and the stop symbol corresponding to the jackpot is displayed on the third symbol display device 81 to indicate the occurrence of the jackpot. Thereafter, the game state transitions to a special game state (jackpot) where it is easy for the balls to win. As this special game state, the specific winning opening 65a, which is normally closed, is opened for a predetermined time (for example, until 30 seconds elapse, or until 10 balls win).

[0064] This specific winning opening 65a is closed when a predetermined time has elapsed, and after its closure, the specific winning opening 65a is opened again for a predetermined time. The opening and closing operation of this specific winning opening 65a can be repeated up to, for example, 15 times (15 rounds) at most. The state in which this opening and closing operation is being performed is one form of a special game state advantageous to the player, and a larger number of prize balls are paid out to the player as an imparting of game value (game value) compared to the normal time.

[0065] The variable winning device 65 specifically includes a horizontally long rectangular opening / closing plate that covers the specific winning opening 65a, and a large opening solenoid (not shown) for driving the opening / closing drive forward with the lower side of the opening / closing plate as the axis. The specific winning opening 65a is normally in a closed state where balls cannot enter or it is difficult for balls to enter. During a jackpot, the large opening solenoid is driven to tilt the opening / closing plate downward to the front side, temporarily forming an open state in which balls can easily enter the specific winning opening 65a, and it operates to alternately repeat the open state and the normal closed state.

[0066] Note that the special game state is not limited to the above-described form. A large opening that is opened and closed separately from the specific winning opening 65a is provided in the game area, and when the LEDs corresponding to a jackpot light up in the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, the specific winning opening 65a is opened for a predetermined time. When a ball enters the specific winning opening 65a during the opening of the specific winning opening 65a, a game state in which a large opening provided separately from the specific winning opening 65a is opened for a predetermined time and a predetermined number of times may be formed as a special game state. Also, the specific winning opening 65a is not limited to one, and one or a plurality (for example, three) may be arranged, and the arrangement position is not limited to the upper right side of the first winning opening 64. For example, it may be on the left side of the variable display device unit 80.

[0067] A sticking space K1 for sticking certificates, identification labels, etc. is provided at the lower right corner of the game board 13, and the certificates, etc. stuck in the sticking space K1 can be visually recognized through the small window 35 (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14.

[0068] The game board 13 is provided with a first out port 71. Balls flowing down in the game area that do not win in any of the winning openings 63, 64, 65a, 640 are guided through the first out port 71 to a ball discharge path (not shown). The first out port 71 is disposed below the first winning opening 64.

[0069] A large number of nails are implanted in the game board 13 to appropriately disperse and adjust the falling direction of the balls, and various members (effect devices) such as windmills are arranged.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 3, on the back side of the pachinko machine 10, there are mainly provided control board units 90, 91 and a back pack unit 94. The control board unit 90 is unitized by mounting a main board (main control device 110), an audio lamp control board (audio lamp control device 113), and a display control board (display control device 114). The control board unit 91 is unitized by mounting a payout control board (payout control device 111), a firing control board (firing control device 112), a power supply board (power supply device 115), and a card unit connection board 116.

[0071] The back pack unit 94 is unitized by a back pack 92 forming a protection cover portion and a payout unit 93. Further, each control board is mounted with an MPU as a one-chip microcomputer in charge of each control, a port for communicating with various devices, a random number generator used in various lotteries, a clock pulse generation circuit used when performing time counting or synchronization, etc., as required.

[0072] The main control device 110, the audio lamp control device 113, the display control device 114, the payout control device 111, the firing control device 112, the power supply device 115, and the card unit connection board 116 are respectively housed in board boxes 100 to 104. The board boxes 100 to 104 include a box base and a box cover covering the opening of the box base, and the box base and the box cover are connected to each other to house each control device and each board.

[0073] Further, the substrate box 100 (main control device 110) and the substrate box 102 (payout control device 111 and emission control device 112) are connected in a non-openable manner (connected by a caulking structure) by a sealing unit (not shown) between the box base and the box cover. Further, a sealing tape (not shown) is attached across the connection part between the box base and the box cover. This sealing tape is made of a brittle material, and if an attempt is made to peel off the sealing tape to open the substrate boxes 100 and 102, or if an attempt is made to forcibly open the substrate boxes 100 and 102, it will be cut between the box base side and the box cover side. Therefore, by checking the sealing unit or the sealing tape, it is possible to know whether the substrate boxes 100 and 102 have been opened.

[0074] The payout unit 93 includes a tank 130 that is located at the uppermost part of the back pack unit 94 and opens upward, a tank rail 131 that is connected below the tank 130 and gently slopes downward, a case rail 132 that is vertically connected to the downstream side of the tank rail 131, and a payout device 133 that is provided at the lowermost downstream part of the case rail 132 and pays out balls according to a predetermined electrical configuration of a payout motor 216 (see FIG. 4). Balls supplied from the island facilities in the game hall are sequentially replenished in the tank 130, and the payout device 133 appropriately pays out the required number of balls. A vibrator 134 for applying vibration to the tank rail 131 is attached to the tank rail 131.

[0075] Further, a state return switch 120 is provided in the payout control device 111, an operation knob 121 of a variable resistor is provided in the emission control device 112, and a RAM erase switch 122 is provided in the power supply device 115. The state return switch 120 is operated to eliminate ball jams (return to the normal state) when a payout error occurs, such as a ball jam in the payout motor 216 (see FIG. 4). The operation knob 121 is operated to adjust the emission force of the emission solenoid. The RAM erase switch 122 is operated when the power is turned on when it is desired to return the pachinko machine 10 to the initial state.

[0076] Next, referring to FIG. 4, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10.

[0077] The main control device 110 is equipped with an MPU201 as a one-chip microcomputer which is an arithmetic device. The MPU201 has a ROM202 that stores various control programs and fixed-value data executed by the MPU201, a RAM203 which is a memory for temporarily storing various data etc. when executing the control programs stored in the ROM202, and in addition, various circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit are built in. In the main control device 110, the MPU201 executes main processes of the pachinko machine 10 such as jackpot lottery, setting of displays in the first symbol display devices 37A, 37B and the third symbol display device 81, and lottery of the display result in the second symbol display device.

[0078] In addition, in order to instruct operations to sub-control devices such as the payout control device 111 and the voice lamp control device 113, various commands are transmitted from the main control device 110 to the sub-control devices by the data transmission / reception circuit, but such commands are transmitted only in one direction from the main control device 110 to the sub-control devices.

[0079] The RAM203 has, in addition to various areas, counters, and flags, a stack area that stores the contents of the internal registers of the MPU201 and the return destination addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU201, and a work area (working area) that stores various flags, counters, values of I / O, etc. Note that the RAM203 is configured such that backup voltage is supplied from the power supply device 115 even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off to hold (backup) data, and all the data stored in the RAM203 is backed up.

[0080] When the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, the values of the stack pointer and each register at the time of the power cut-off (including the occurrence of a power outage; the same applies hereinafter) are stored in the RAM 203. On the other hand, when the power is turned on (including the power-on due to the restoration of power from a power outage; the same applies hereinafter), based on the information stored in the RAM 203, the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power cut-off. Writing to the RAM 203 is executed at the time of power cut-off by the main process (not shown), and the restoration of each value written to the RAM 203 is executed in the startup process (not shown) at the time of power-on. Note that the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the MPU 201 is configured such that a power outage signal SG1 from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 is input at the time of power cut-off due to the occurrence of a power outage or the like. When the power outage signal SG1 is input to the MPU 201, the NMI interrupt process (not shown) as the process at the time of power outage is immediately executed.

[0081] An input / output port 205 is connected to the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 via a bus line 204 composed of an address bus and a data bus. Connected to the input / output port 205 are a payout control device 111, an audio lamp control device 113, first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, a second symbol display device, a second symbol hold lamp, a solenoid 209 including a large opening solenoid for driving the opening / closing plate of the specific winning port 65a to open / close forward about the lower side thereof, and solenoids for driving electric accessories. The MPU 201 transmits various commands and control signals to these via the input / output port 205.

[0082] Also, connected to the input / output port 205 are various switches 208 including a switch group (not shown), a sensor group including a slide position detection sensor S and a rotation position detection sensor R (not shown), and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 provided in the power supply device 115, which will be described later. The MPU 201 executes various processes based on the signals output from the various switches 208 and the RAM erase signal SG2 output from the RAM erase switch circuit 253.

[0083] The payout control device 111 drives the payout motor 216 to perform payout control of prize balls and lent balls. The MPU 211, which is an arithmetic unit, has a ROM 212 that stores control programs, fixed value data, etc. executed by the MPU 211, and a RAM 213 used as a work memory, etc.

[0084] Similar to the RAM 203 of the main control device 110, the RAM 213 of the payout control device 111 has a stack area that stores the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 211 and the return destination addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 211, and a work area (working area) that stores various flags, counters, values of I / O, etc. The RAM 213 is configured such that backup voltage is supplied from the power supply device 115 even after the power of the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and the data stored in the RAM 213 can be held (backed up). All the data stored in the RAM 213 is backed up. Similar to the MPU 201 of the main control device 110, the NMI terminal of the MPU 211 is also configured such that a power failure signal SG1 is input from the power failure monitoring circuit 252 when a power failure or the like occurs and the power is cut off. When the power failure signal SG1 is input to the MPU 211, NMI interrupt processing (not shown) as power failure time processing is immediately executed.

[0085] An input / output port 215 is connected to the MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 via a bus line 214 composed of an address bus and a data bus. The main control device 110, the payout motor 216, the firing control device 112, etc. are respectively connected to the input / output port 215. Although not shown, a prize ball detection switch for detecting the paid-out prize balls is connected to the payout control device 111. The prize ball detection switch is connected to the payout control device 111 but not to the main control device 110.

[0086] When the main control device 110 gives an instruction to launch the ball, the launch control device 112 controls the ball launch unit 112a so that the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the amount of rotation operation of the operation handle 51. The ball launch unit 112a includes a launch solenoid and an electromagnet (not shown), and the launch solenoid and the electromagnet are permitted to be driven when predetermined conditions are met. Specifically, the touch sensor 51a detects that the player is touching the operation handle 51, and on the condition that the launch stop switch 51b for stopping the ball launch is off (not operated), the launch solenoid is excited corresponding to the amount of rotation operation (rotation position) of the operation handle 51, and the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the operation amount of the operation handle 51.

[0087] The voice lamp control device 113 controls the output of voice from a voice output device (such as a speaker not shown) 226, the lighting and extinguishing output from a lamp display device (decoration parts 29 to 33, display lamp 34, etc.) 227, and the setting of the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 performed by the display control device 114 such as variable effects (variable display) and preview effects. The MPU 221, which is an arithmetic device, has a ROM 222 that stores control programs, fixed value data, etc. executed by the MPU 221, and a RAM 223 used as a work memory, etc.

[0088] An input / output port 225 is connected to the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 via a bus line 224 composed of an address bus and a data bus. The main control device 110, the display control device 114, the voice output device 226, the lamp display device 227, other devices 228, the frame button 22, etc. are respectively connected to the input / output port 225. The other devices 228 include drive motors 420, 530, 630.

[0089] The voice lamp control device 113 determines the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 based on various commands (such as a variation pattern command, a stop type command, etc.) received from the main control device 110, and notifies the display control device 114 of the determined display mode by commands (such as a display variation pattern command, a display stop type command, etc.). Further, the voice lamp control device 113 monitors the input from the frame button 22, and when the frame button 22 is operated by the player, it instructs the display control device 114 to change the stage displayed on the third symbol display device 81 or to change the production content during super reach. When the stage is changed, a background image change command including information about the changed stage is transmitted to the display control device 114 so as to display a background image corresponding to the changed stage on the third symbol display device 81. Here, the background image is an image displayed on the back side of the third symbol, which is the main image to be displayed on the third symbol display device 81. The display control device 114 displays various images on the third symbol display device 81 according to the commands transmitted from this voice lamp control device 113.

[0090] Further, the voice lamp control device 113 receives a command (display command) representing the display content of the third symbol display device 81 from the display control device 114. Based on the display command received from the display control device 114, the voice lamp control device 113 outputs, from the voice output device 226, a voice corresponding to the display content in accordance with the display content of the third symbol display device 81, and also controls the lighting and extinguishing of the lamp display device 227 corresponding to the display content.

[0091] The display control device 114 is connected to the voice lamp control device 113 and the third symbol display device 81, and controls the display such as the variable effect of the third symbol on the third symbol display device 81 based on the command received from the voice lamp control device 113. Further, the display control device 114 appropriately transmits a display command for notifying the display content of the third symbol display device 81 to the voice lamp control device 113. The voice lamp control device 113 can match the display on the third symbol display device 81 with the voice output from the voice output device 226 by outputting voice from the voice output device 226 according to the display content indicated by this display command.

[0092] The power supply device 115 includes a power supply unit 251 for supplying power to each part of the pachinko machine 10, a power failure monitoring circuit 252 for monitoring power interruption due to a power failure or the like, and a RAM erase switch circuit 253 provided with a RAM erase switch 122 (see FIG. 3). The power supply unit 251 is a device that supplies the necessary operating voltage to each of the control devices 110 to 114 and the like through a power supply path (not shown). As an overview, the power supply unit 251 takes in an AC 24-volt voltage supplied from the outside, generates a 12-volt voltage for driving various switches such as various switches 208, solenoids such as solenoid 209, motors, etc., a 5-volt voltage for logic, a backup voltage for RAM backup, etc., and supplies the 12-volt voltage, 5-volt voltage, and backup voltage to the control devices 110 to 114 and the like as necessary voltages.

[0093] The power failure monitoring circuit 252 is a circuit for outputting a power failure signal SG1 to each NMI terminal of the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 and the MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 when the power supply is cut off due to the occurrence of a power failure or the like. The power failure monitoring circuit 252 monitors the voltage of 24 volts of DC stabilization, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 251. When this voltage becomes less than 22 volts, it determines that a power failure (power cut, power supply cut-off) has occurred and outputs the power failure signal SG1 to the main control device 110 and the payout control device 111. By the output of the power failure signal SG1, the main control device 110 and the payout control device 111 recognize the occurrence of a power failure and execute NMI interrupt processing. Note that the power supply unit 251 is configured to maintain the output of the 5-volt voltage, which is the driving voltage of the control system, at a normal value for a sufficient time for the execution of the NMI interrupt processing even after the voltage of 24 volts of DC stabilization becomes less than 22 volts. Therefore, the main control device 110 and the payout control device 111 can normally execute and complete the NMI interrupt processing (not shown).

[0094] The RAM erase switch circuit 253 is a circuit for outputting a RAM erase signal SG2 for clearing backup data to the main control device 110 when the RAM erase switch 122 (see FIG. 3) is pressed. When the main control device 110 inputs the RAM erase signal SG2 at the time of power-on of the pachinko machine 10, it clears the backup data and transmits a payout initialization command for clearing the backup data in the payout control device 111 to the payout control device 111.

[0095] Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the unit housing member 300 will be described. FIGS. 5 and 6 are front views of the unit housing member 300. In FIG. 5, the state in which the respective operation units 400 to 800 are arranged at the retracted positions, and in FIG. 6, the state in which the protruding operation unit 400 and the composite operation unit 500 are arranged at the protruding positions are respectively shown.

[0096] As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the unit storage member 300 is formed in a box shape with an open front side (the front side in front of the paper surface of FIG. 5) from a bottom wall plate that is rectangular when viewed from the front and outer wall plates that stand upright from the outer edges of the four sides of the bottom wall portion. An opening 301 that is rectangular when viewed from the front is formed in the central portion of the bottom plate of the unit storage member 300, whereby the unit storage member 300 is formed in a frame shape that is rectangular when viewed from the front. The opening 301 is formed to have a size corresponding to the outer shape of the third symbol display device 81 (see FIG. 2) (that is, a size capable of disposing the third symbol display device 81).

[0097] In the unit storage member 300, a protruding operation unit 400, a composite operation unit 500, a rotating operation unit 600, a protruding and retracting operation unit 700, and a protruding operation unit 800 are respectively stored in its internal space, whereby the operation unit 200 is configured as one unit.

[0098] The protruding operation unit 400 includes a base-side displacement member 440 and a relative displacement member 450, and operates (displaces) these two displacement members 440 and 450 between the retracted position shown in FIG. 5 and the protruding position shown in FIG. 6. In the retracted position shown in FIG. 5, the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are overlapped in the front-rear direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 5) to suppress the space required for the retracted position. On the other hand, in the protruding position shown in FIG. 6, the relative displacement member 450 is slidably displaced with respect to the base-side displacement member 440, and the overall size is increased to ensure visibility and enhance the production effect. The operation of this protruding operation unit 400 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 7 to 17.

[0099] The composite motion unit 500 includes a driven member 550 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) and a follower member 560, and moves (displaces) these two members 550 and 560 between the retracted position shown in FIG. 5 and the extended position shown in FIG. 6. In this case, the composite motion unit 500 causes the driven member 550 to perform only a rotational motion about a predetermined position as the center of rotation, while causing the follower member 560 connected to the driven member 550 to perform a motion combining a linear motion and a rotational motion, thereby imparting a change to the trajectory of the follower member 560 and enhancing the production effect. The operation of this composite motion unit 500 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 18 to 32.

[0100] The rotational motion unit 600 includes a first rotating body 650 and a second rotating body 660 that are concentrically arranged. By rotating these two rotating bodies 650 and 660, it becomes easier for the player to associate the rotations of the two, and the production effect of causing each of the plurality of rotating bodies (the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) to rotate is exerted. The operation of this rotational motion unit 600 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 33 to 39.

[0101] Further, the protruding and retracting motion unit 700 includes a protruding and retracting member 710 that is slidably displaceable, and the protruding motion unit 800 includes a protruding member 810 that is rotatably formed. The protruding and retracting member 710 and the protruding member 810 are moved (displaced) by sliding displacement or rotation between the retracted position shown in FIG. 5 and the protruding position (not shown) where the protruding member 810 protrudes to the front (front face) of the opening 301 (the third symbol display device 81, see FIG. 2).

[0102] Next, with reference to FIGS. 7 to 17, the protruding motion unit 400 will be described. FIG. 7 is a front perspective view of the protruding motion unit 400 in a state where the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are arranged at the retracted position. FIG. 8(a) is an exploded front perspective view of the protruding motion unit 400, and FIG. 8(b) is a rear perspective view of the connecting rod 460.

[0103] Note that FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate a state in which the protruding and retracting operation unit 700 that shares the protruding operation unit 400 and the case body 410 is provided adjacent to the protruding operation unit 400. Further, a pair of protruding operation units 400 are arranged on the left and right sides with the protruding and retracting operation unit 700 interposed therebetween below the opening 301 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). These pair of protruding operation units 400 are formed symmetrically left and right, and their structures are substantially the same. Therefore, only one of them (the one arranged on the right side in the front view) will be described, and the description of the other (the one arranged on the left side in the front view) will be omitted.

[0104] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the protruding operation unit 400 mainly includes a case body 410 that forms a skeleton on the back side thereof, a drive motor 420 arranged on the front side of the case body 410, a plurality of gears (pinion gear 431, intermediate gear 432, and crank gear 433) that transmit the rotational driving force of the drive motor 420, a base-side displacement member 440 rotatably supported by the case body 410, a relative displacement member 450 slidably displaceably arranged on the base-side displacement member 440, and a connecting rod 460 that connects between the relative displacement member 450 and the crank gear 433 and is rotatably supported by the case body 410.

[0105] The case body 410 is made of a resin material. On the front (front surface) of the case body 410, a storage recess 411 having an outer shape corresponding to a plurality of gears (each gear 431, 432, 433) is recessed, and a rod support shaft 412 protrudes from the side (right side in FIG. 8(a)) of the storage recess 411, and a base-side support shaft 413 protrudes from below (lower side in FIG. 8(a)) of the storage recess 411. Each of the support shafts 412 and 413 is made of a brass material and is arranged in a posture parallel to the rotation shafts of the respective gears 431 to 433.

[0106] In this embodiment, when the base side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are arranged in the retracted position, as described below, the displacement members 440, 450, the connecting rod 460, and the gears 431, 432, 433 are stacked in the front-to-back direction (see FIG. 13). By forming a storage recess 411 in the front of the case body 410 and storing each of the gears 431, 432, 433 in the storage recess 411, the protruding operation unit 400 can be made smaller in the front-to-back direction.

[0107] A pinion gear 431 is attached to the drive shaft of the drive motor 420, and an intermediate gear 432 is meshed with the pinion gear 431, and a crank gear 433 is meshed with the intermediate gear 432. Therefore, when the drive shaft of the drive motor 420 is driven to rotate and the pinion gear 431 is rotated, the rotation is transmitted to the crank gear 433 via the intermediate gear 432, and the crank gear 433 is rotated.

[0108] The intermediate gear 432 and the crank gear 433 are journaled on the case body 410. Each of the gears 431 to 433 is formed as a spur gear with teeth engraved on the outer circumferential surface parallel to the rotation axis. In this case, the crank gear 433 has radial decoration formed on its front surface (axial end surface), and the diameter of the front portion (axial end surface) is made larger than the tip circle of the teeth engraved on the outer circumferential surface, so that the teeth can be hidden from the player when viewed from the front.

[0109] A crank pin 433a protrudes from the front surface (axial end surface) of the crank gear 433 at a position eccentric to the rotation axis of the crank gear 433. The crank pin 433a is a portion connected to the connecting rod 460, and is formed as a cylindrical body parallel to the rotation axis of the crank gear 433, and is slidably inserted into a rod groove 463 of the connecting rod 460 (see FIGS. 9 and 10). As a result, when the crank gear 433 rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the connecting rod 460 via the crank pin 433a.

[0110] The base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are effect members for performing effects by being displaced from the retracted position to the extended position (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The base-side displacement member 440 (axial support hole 442) is rotatably supported by the base-side support shaft 413 of the case body 410, and the relative displacement member 450 is disposed on the front side of the base-side displacement member 440 so as to be slidably displaceable.

[0111] Here, a decoration part 454 is formed on the front side of the relative displacement member 450. The decoration part 454 is a part for decorating the front side of the relative displacement member 450. The whole is formed in a front-view tapered shape whose width becomes narrower from the base end side (the rotation center side when the base-side displacement member 440 rotates, the lower side in FIGS. 7 and 8) to the tip side (the rotation tip side when the base-side displacement member 440 rotates, the upper side in FIGS. 7 and 8). On the front of the decoration part 454, a first part 454a, a second part 454b, and a third part 454c are arranged in a row along the longitudinal direction.

[0112] The first part 454a, the second part 454b, and the third part 454c of these decoration parts 454 are formed in sizes corresponding to the tapered shape of the whole decoration part 454. That is, the second part 454b located in the middle is formed in a larger hexagonal outer shape than the first part 454a located on the tip side, and the third part 454c located on the base end side is formed in a larger hexagonal outer shape than the second part 454b located in the middle.

[0113] In this case, the first part 454a, the second part 454b, and the third part 454c are arranged with their positions in the front-rear direction (the position in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 5) being different from each other. Specifically, the second part 454b located in the middle is arranged on the front (frontward) side (the front side of the paper surface of FIG. 5) with respect to the first part 454a located on the tip side, and the third part 454c located on the base end side is arranged on the front (frontward) side (the front side of the paper surface of FIG. 5) with respect to the second part 454b located in the middle.

[0114] As a result, the decorative portion 454 of the relative displacement member 450 (i.e., the front surface of the relative displacement member 450) is stepped (in three steps in this embodiment) and inclined downward in a direction approaching the case body 410 from the base end side (the rotation center side of the base side displacement member 440, the lower side in FIGS. 7 and 8) toward the tip end side (the rotation tip end side of the base end displacement member 440, the upper side in FIGS. 7 and 8).

[0115] As a result, as will be described later, when the base side displacement member 440 is rotated (see FIGS. 13 and 14), while preventing contact with the decorative member 480 (see FIGS. 16 and 17), the back side of the decorative member 480 is enabled to be passed through by both displacement members 440 and 450, thereby improving the production effect. When the relative displacement member 450 is protruded (see FIG. 15), the decorative portion 454 can be positioned in the front (forward), and the impact can be improved.

[0116] The detailed configurations of the base side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 will be described later (see FIGS. 11 and 12).

[0117] The connecting rod 460 is a long plate-shaped member for transmitting the rotation of the crank gear 433 to the relative displacement member 450, and includes a shaft support hole 461 formed as a circular hole at one end side in the longitudinal direction, a connection hole 462 formed as a long hole extending along the longitudinal direction at the other end side in the longitudinal direction opposite to the shaft support hole 461, and a rod groove 463 recessed on the back side as a concave groove extending along the longitudinal direction between the shaft support hole 461 and the connection hole 462.

[0118] The connecting rod 460 is attached to the case body 410 in a state where the rod support shaft 412 of the case body 410 is inserted into the shaft support hole 461 and the crank pin 433a of the crank gear 433 is inserted into the rod groove 463. Further, the connection pin 452 of the relative displacement member 450 is inserted into the connection hole 462 of the connecting rod 460 (see FIGS. 11 and 12). Thereby, as will be described later, as the crank gear 433 rotates, the connecting rod 460 rotates about the rod support shaft 412 (see FIGS. 9 and 10), and as the connecting rod 460 rotates, the base side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are rotated (first operation) and slidably displaced (second operation) (see FIG. 12), and are operated (displaced) between the retracted position and the protruding position.

[0119] In this case, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, since the drive motor 420, the base side displacement member 440, and the relative displacement member 450 are respectively disposed on the front (one side) side of the case body 410, for example, with the case body 410 interposed therebetween, compared with the case where the base side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are disposed on the front (one side) side and the drive motor 420 is disposed on the back (the other side) side, the size of the protruding operation unit 400 in the front-rear direction can be reduced.

[0120] Furthermore, since the base side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are disposed at the retracted position in a posture where the drive motor 420 is located on the extension line in the longitudinal direction thereof (see FIG. 13(a)), the drive motor 420, the base side displacement member 440, and the relative displacement member 450 can be arranged linearly. Therefore, the space required as the retracted position on the front side of the case body 410 can be efficiently suppressed.

[0121] In addition, in the present embodiment, a transmission means for transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor 420 to the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 is constituted by a connecting rod 460 that forms a crank mechanism together with a plurality of gears (each gear 431 to 433) and the crank gear 433. As will be described later, the connecting rod 460 (connection hole 462 and rod groove 463), the crank pin 433a of the crank gear 433, and the connection pin 452 of the relative displacement member 450 are connected. The arrangement of the transmission means (each gear 431 to 433 and the connecting rod 460) and each support shaft 411, 412 is set so that the connection portion is disposed within a region between the rod support shaft 412 and the base-side support shaft 413 of the case body 410.

[0122] Thereby, in a state where the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are disposed at the retracted position, the transmission means can be disposed within a region that overlaps the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 in a front view. That is, the dead space formed on the back side of the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 disposed at the retracted position can be effectively utilized as the arrangement space for the transmission means. As a result, together with the effect due to the positional relationship between the drive motor 420, the base-side displacement member 440, and the relative displacement member 450 described above, the miniaturization of the outer shape of the protruding operation unit 400 in the front-rear direction and in a front view can be achieved synergistically.

[0123] Next, with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, the operation of the transmission means (pinion gear 431, intermediate gear 432, crank gear 433, and connecting rod 460) will be described. FIGS. 9 and 10 are front schematic views schematically showing the transmission means in a front view. In FIG. 9(a), a state where the crank gear 433 is disposed at the first rotation position, in FIG. 9(b), a state where the crank gear 433 is disposed at the intermediate rotation position, and in FIG. 10, a state where the crank gear 433 is disposed at the second rotation position are respectively shown.

[0124] In addition, in FIGS. 9 and 10, for the sake of simplifying the drawings and facilitating understanding, the shapes of the respective gears 431 to 433 and the connecting rod 460 are schematically illustrated. Also, in FIGS. 9 and 10, the positions of the center lines of the connecting rod 460 when the crank gear 433 is disposed at the first rotation position, the intermediate rotation position, and the second rotation position are schematically illustrated as positions P1, Pm, and P2 using two-dot chain lines.

[0125] In addition, in the description of FIGS. 9 and 10, FIGS. 13 to 15 are appropriately referred to. FIG. 9(a) corresponds to the states shown in FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b), FIG. 9(b) corresponds to the states shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b), and FIG. 10 corresponds to the states shown in FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b).

[0126] As shown in FIG. 9(a), in a state where the crank gear 433 is disposed at the first rotation position and the connecting rod 460 is located at position P1, the base-side displacement member 440 is disposed at the retracted position and the relative displacement member 450 is disposed at the reference position (see FIGS. 12(a) and 13). In this state, the crank pin 433a of the crank gear 433 is located at the upper end (the end on the side of the rod support shaft 412) in the rod groove 463 of the connecting rod 460.

[0127] Therefore, in a state where the crank gear 433 is disposed at the first rotation position, the rotation of the crank gear 433 in the counterclockwise direction (i.e., the direction in which the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are retracted from the extended position to the retracted position) in FIG. 9(a) can be restricted by bringing the crank pin 433a into contact with the upper end of the rod groove 463. Accordingly, when the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are disposed from the extended position to the retracted position, even if, for example, a control failure of the drive motor 420 occurs due to an electrical factor, a mechanical mechanism (a stopper mechanism that restricts the crank pin 433a with the rod groove 463) can prevent the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 from being displaced beyond the retracted position and prevent these two displacement members 440, 450 and the connecting rod 460 from colliding with other members.

[0128] When the crank gear 433 is rotated clockwise (rightward in FIG. 9(a)) from the state shown in FIG. 9(a), the crank pin 433a of the crank gear 433 slides the rod groove 463 of the connecting rod 460 toward the lower end (the end opposite to the rod support shaft 412), and the connecting rod 460 is rotated clockwise (rightward in FIG. 9(a)) about the rod support shaft 412 as the rotation center. When the crank gear 433 is further rotated and reaches the intermediate rotation position as shown in FIG. 9(b), the connecting rod 460 is positioned at position Pm. In this state, the base-side displacement member 440 is arranged at the rotation position and the relative displacement member 450 is arranged at the reference position (see FIGS. 12(b) and 14).

[0129] When the crank gear 433 is rotated clockwise (rightward in FIG. 9(a)) from the state shown in FIG. 9(b), the crank pin 433a of the crank gear 433 slides toward the lower end (the end opposite to the rod support shaft 412) of the rod groove 463 of the connecting rod 460 and then slides toward the upper end (the end on the rod support shaft 412 side), and the connecting rod 460 is rotated clockwise (rightward in FIG. 9(a)) about the rod support shaft 412 as the rotation center. As a result, when the crank gear 433 reaches the second rotation position as shown in FIG. 10, the connecting rod 460 is positioned at position P2. In this state, the base-side displacement member 440 is arranged at the rotation position and the relative displacement member 450 is arranged at the protruding position (see FIGS. 12(c) and 15).

[0130] Even when the crank gear 433 is arranged at the second rotation position, the crank pin 433a of the crank gear 433 is located at the upper end (the end on the rod support shaft 412 side) in the rod groove 463 of the connecting rod 460, similar to the case when it is arranged at the first rotation position shown in FIG. 9(a).

[0131] Therefore, in a state where the crank gear 433 is disposed at the second rotational position, the rotation of the crank gear 433 in the clockwise direction (i.e., the direction in which the base displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are protruded from the retracted position to the protruded position) in FIG. 10 can be restricted by bringing the crank pin 433a into contact with the upper end of the rod groove 463. Accordingly, when the base displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are arranged from the retracted position to the protruded position, even if, for example, a control failure of the drive motor 420 occurs due to an electrical factor, a mechanical mechanism (a stopper mechanism for restricting the crank pin 433a with the rod groove 463) can prevent the base displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 from being displaced beyond the protruded position, and can prevent both displacement members 440 and 450 and the connecting rod 460 from colliding with other members.

[0132] Next, with reference to FIGS. 11 and 12, the configurations and operations of the base displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 will be described. FIG. 11 is an exploded rear perspective view of the base displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450.

[0133] As shown in FIG. 11, the base displacement member 440 is mainly formed including a main body portion 441 formed in a long plate shape, a shaft support hole 442 opened as a circular hole on the back surface of the main body portion 411, and a first slide hole 443 and a second slide hole 444 formed as long holes extending along the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 11) of the main body portion 441.

[0134] The shaft support hole 442 is a hole through which the base support shaft 413 of the case body 410 is inserted. By such insertion, the base displacement member 440 is rotatably supported by the case body 410 with the base support shaft 413 as the rotation center. That is, as will be described later, the base displacement member 440 is rotatably supported between a retracted position (see FIGS. 12(a) and 13) and a rotational position (see FIGS. 12(b), 12(c), 14, and 15).

[0135] In this case, the shaft support hole 442 is formed at a position below the longitudinal center of the main body portion 441 and offset toward one side (the protruding position side) from the center in the width direction of the main body portion 441. Thereby, the rotation angle required for the base-side displacement member 440 for the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 to protrude from the outer edge of the case body 410 by a predetermined amount (predetermined area) can be reduced, so that the time required to rotate the base-side displacement member 440 between the retracted position and the rotated position can be shortened. As a result, the production effect due to the displacement of the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 can be enhanced.

[0136] The relative displacement member 450 is mainly formed by including a main body portion 451 formed in a long plate shape, a connection pin 452 protruding from the back surface of the main body portion, a pair of slide pins 453 arranged at predetermined intervals along the longitudinal direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 11) of the main body portion 451, and a decoration portion 454 disposed on the front surface of the main body portion 451.

[0137] The connection pin 452 and the slide pin 453 are columnar portions that are slidably inserted into the first slide hole 443 and the second slide hole 444 of the base-side displacement member 440, respectively. Through such insertion, the relative displacement member 450 is disposed so as to be slidably displaceable along the longitudinal direction with respect to the base-side displacement member 440. That is, as will be described later, the relative displacement member 450 is disposed on the base-side displacement member 440 so as to be slidably displaceable between a reference position (see FIGS. 12(a), 12(b), 13, and 14) and a protruding position (see FIGS. 12(c) and 15).

[0138] In this case, the tip side of the connection pin 452 protruding from the first slide hole 443 of the base-side displacement member 440 is slidably inserted into the connection hole 462 of the connecting rod 460, and through such insertion, the relative displacement member 450 is connected to the crank gear 433 (see FIG. 8) via the connecting rod 460.

[0139] As a result, as will be described later, by rotating the connecting rod 460 about the rod support shaft 412 by the rotation of the crank gear 433 (see FIG. 9), the rotation (first operation) of the base-side relative displacement member 450 about the base-side support shaft 413 can be executed, and the slide displacement (second operation) of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 can be executed (see FIG. 12).

[0140] Here, the connection pin 452 and the slide pin 453 are arranged at different positions (with an interval) along the longitudinal direction (vertical direction in FIG. 11) of the relative displacement member 450. Therefore, the location where the relative displacement member 450 is connected to the base-side displacement member 440 can be dispersed in the longitudinal direction, so that the relative displacement of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 in the front-rear direction (the direction of approaching and separating from the case body 410) can be suppressed, and the slide displacement can be stabilized.

[0141] Also, the connection pin 452 is arranged on the longitudinal direction tip side (upper side in FIG. 11) of the relative displacement member 450 rather than the slide pin 453. As a result, the location where the relative displacement member 450 is supported by the case body 410 via the connecting rod 460 can be brought closer to the longitudinal direction tip side of the relative displacement member 450. In other words, the location where the relative displacement member 450 is supported by the case body 410 via the connecting rod 460 can be moved away from the shaft support hole 442 of the base-side displacement member 440 toward the longitudinal direction tip side (upper side in FIG. 11). As a result, it is easy to suppress the tip side of the relative displacement member 450 from swaying in the front-rear direction (the direction of approaching and separating from the case body 410).

[0142] That is, only the longitudinal direction base side (shaft support hole 442) of the base-side displacement member 440 is pivotally supported by the base-side support shaft 413 of the case body 410, and the relative displacement member 450 is arranged on the base-side displacement member 440. Therefore, the longitudinal direction tip sides of both displacement members 440 and 450 become free ends, and the tip side is likely to sway in the front-rear direction during the first operation. This sway may cause the tip side to come into contact with the decorative member 480. Therefore, the structure in which the position supported by the case body 410 via the connecting rod 460 is on the longitudinal direction tip side is effective.

[0143] A collar C is rotatably fitted over the connection pin 452 and the slide pin 453. By interposing the collar C between the outer peripheral surfaces of the connection pin 452 and the slide pin 453 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the first slide hole 443 and the second slide hole 444, the pins 452 and 453 can be smoothly slid along the respective slide holes 443 and 444. Further, by interposing the collar C (specifically, the large-diameter flange portion of the collar C) between the main body portion 441 of the base-side displacement member 440, the main body portion 451 of the relative displacement member 450, and the connecting rod 460, the facing interval between the base-side displacement member 440, the relative displacement member 450, and the connecting rod 460 can be kept constant.

[0144] Note that a disc-shaped disc S is fastened and fixed to the end face on the tip side of the connection pin 452 by a screw to prevent it from coming off the connecting rod 460, and a long flat slide guide 470 is fastened and fixed to the end face on the tip side of the slide pin 453 by a screw to prevent it from coming off the base-side displacement member 440.

[0145] FIG. 12 is a rear perspective view of the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450. Note that FIG. 12(a) corresponds to the state shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 13 (i.e., the state in which the crank gear 433 is in the first rotation position and the connecting rod 460 is in the position P1), FIG. 12(b) corresponds to the state shown in FIGS. 9(b) and 14 (i.e., the state in which the crank gear 433 is in the intermediate rotation position and the connecting rod 460 is in the position Pm), and FIG. 12(c) corresponds to the state shown in FIGS. 10 and 15 (i.e., the state in which the crank gear 433 is in the second rotation position and the connecting rod 460 is in the position P2).

[0146] As shown in Fig. 12(a), when the connecting rod 460 is at the position P1 (see Figs. 9(a) and 13), the rotational position about the base-side support shaft 413 of the base-side displacement member 440 is at the retracted position closest to the rod support shaft 412, and the sliding position of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 is at the reference position where the amount of protrusion from the base-side displacement member 440 is minimized. In this state, the connection pin 452 of the relative displacement member 450 is located at the upper end (the end on the rod support shaft 412 side) of the connection hole 462 of the connecting rod 460.

[0147] When the connecting rod 460 is rotated counterclockwise (leftward in Fig. 12(a)) about the rod support shaft 412 by the rotation of the crank gear 433 (see Fig. 9(a)) from the state shown in Fig. 12(a), the connection pin 452 of the relative displacement member 450 slides toward the lower end (the end opposite to the rod support shaft 412) of the connection hole 462 of the connecting rod 460, and the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are rotated clockwise (rightward in Fig. 12(a)) about the base-side support shaft 413 with the base-side displacement member 440 together with the relative displacement member 450 (the first operation). When the connecting rod 460 is further rotated and reaches the intermediate position Pm as shown in Fig. 12(b) (see Figs. 9(b) and 14), the rotational position of the base-side displacement member 440 is arranged at the rotational position that is the farthest from the rod support shaft 412.

[0148] In this case, the sliding position of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 can be maintained at the reference position. That is, the counterclockwise rotation (left rotation in FIG. 12(a)) about the rod support shaft 412 of the connecting rod 460 slides the connection pin 452 of the relative displacement member 450 downward through the connection hole 462 of the connecting rod 460. Since the direction of this sliding substantially follows the direction of the sliding displacement of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440, a force component in the direction of sliding the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 is not generated. Therefore, while maintaining the sliding position of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 (while restricting the occurrence of sliding displacement from the reference position), only the rotation of the base-side displacement member 440 about the base-side support shaft 413 can be generated.

[0149] As a result, with the overhang amount of the relative displacement member 450 from the base-side displacement member 440 maintained at a minimum, these two displacement members 440 and 450 can be rotated about the base-side support shaft 413. Thus, the separation distance between the rotating tip of the relative displacement member 450 and the drive motor 420 (see FIG. 7) or the decorative member 480 (see FIGS. 16 and 17) can be reduced. Consequently, the protrusion operation unit 400 can be downsized, and the degree of freedom in design when defining the shape of the decorative member 480 can be increased.

[0150] From the state shown in FIG. 12(b), when the connecting rod 460 is rotated counterclockwise (leftward in FIG. 12(b)) about the rod support shaft 412 by the rotation of the crank gear 433 (see FIG. 9(b)), the connection pin 452 of the relative displacement member 450 slides upward (toward the end on the rod support shaft 412 side) in the connection hole 462 of the connecting rod 460 and then slides downward (toward the end on the side opposite to the rod support shaft 412). As a result, the relative displacement member 450 slides and displaces in the extending direction along the longitudinal direction (the first and second slide holes 443, 444) with respect to the base side displacement member 440 (second operation). Thereby, when the connecting rod 460 reaches the second position P2 as shown in FIG. 12(c) (see FIGS. 10 and 15), the slide position of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base side displacement member 440 is arranged at the overhanging position where the amount of overhang from the base side displacement member 440 is maximum.

[0151] In this case, the rotational position of the base side displacement member 440 can be maintained at the rotational position that is the farthest from the rod support shaft 412. That is, the counterclockwise (leftward in FIG. 12(b)) rotation of the connecting rod 460 about the rod support shaft 412 slides the connection pin 452 of the relative displacement member 450 along the connection hole 462 of the connecting rod 460. Since the sliding direction is substantially orthogonal to the sliding displacement direction of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base side displacement member 440, only the force component in the direction of sliding displacement of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base side displacement member 440 is generated, and the force component in the direction of rotating the base side displacement member 440 about the base side support shaft 413 is not generated. Therefore, while restricting the rotation of the base side displacement member 440 about the base side support shaft 413, only the sliding displacement of the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base side displacement member 440 can be generated.

[0152] As a result, with the overhang amount of the relative displacement member 450 from the base-side displacement member 440 maintained at a minimum (the state where the relative displacement member 450 is maintained at the reference position), the base-side displacement member 440 is rotated from the retracted position to the rotational position (first operation). After the completion of the first operation, with the rotation of the base-side displacement member 440 restricted (the state where the base-side displacement member 440 is maintained at the rotational position), a slide displacement (second operation) for extending the relative displacement member 450 along the longitudinal direction with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 can be performed. That is, since the rotational operation and the slide operation are separated and can be performed in two steps as separate operations, different modes of operation can be clearly recognized by the player as compared to the case where these rotational and slide operations are performed simultaneously, and the production effect by displacing each of the displacement members 440 and 450 can be enhanced.

[0153] The operation of the protruding operation unit 400 configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. 13 to 15.

[0154] FIGS. 13 to 15 are front views of the protruding operation unit 400. As described above, FIGS. 13(a) and 13(b) correspond to the states shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 12(a), FIGS. 14(a) and 14(b) correspond to the states shown in FIGS. 9(b) and 12(b), and FIGS. 15(a) and 15(b) correspond to the states shown in FIGS. 10 and 12(c). Further, in FIGS. 13(b), 14(b), and 15(b), the state where the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 are removed is illustrated.

[0155] As shown in FIGS. 13 to 15, according to the protruding operation unit 400, as described above, the base-side displacement member 440 is formed to be rotatable between the retracted position shown in FIG. 13(a) and the rotational position shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 15(a), and the relative displacement member 450 disposed on the base-side displacement member 440 is formed to be slidably displaceable between the reference position shown in FIGS. 13(a) and 14(a) and the protruding position shown in FIG. 15(a). A first operation of rotating the base-side displacement member 440 between the retracted position and the rotational position and a second operation of displacing the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 between the reference position and the protruding position are each executable.

[0156] Thus, as shown in FIGS. 13(a) and 14(a), by rotating the base-side displacement member 440 in the retracted position to the rotational position by the first operation and slidably displacing (extending) the relative displacement member 450 in the reference position to the protruding position by the second operation, as shown in FIG. 15(a), such relative displacement member 450 can be made to protrude outward from the base-side displacement member 440. Therefore, the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 as a whole can be made larger accordingly, and both displacement members 440, 450 can be sufficiently visually recognized by the player, and their production effects can be sufficiently exhibited.

[0157] In particular, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 14(a), by arranging the base-side displacement member 440 to the rotational position by the first operation, the tip portion of the relative displacement member 450 (in the present embodiment, the entire first portion 454a of the decorative portion 454) can be visually recognized by the player through the opening of the center frame 86, and as shown in FIG. 15(a), by arranging the relative displacement member 450 to the protruding position by the second operation, substantially the entire relative displacement member 450 (in the present embodiment, the entire third portion 454a of the decorative portion 454) can be visually recognized by the player through the opening of the center frame 86.

[0158] That is, the relative displacement member 450, which has been retracted to the retracted position and cannot be visually recognized from the opening of the center frame 86, is first made to appear laterally from the side of the opening of the center frame 86 by a rotational movement (first operation), and only a part of the relative displacement member 450 is made visible to the player. Then, an effect can be performed in which it is protruded toward the center of the opening of the center frame 86 by a linear movement (second operation) so that substantially the entire relative displacement member 450 is made visible to the player. Therefore, the visible area of the relative displacement member 450 can be enlarged by a movement form (linear movement) different from the movement form (rotational movement) at the time of appearance, and the player can be made to feel the surprise due to the change in the movement form, the sense of speed due to the enlargement of the visible area by the linear movement, and the unity of the composite operation due to the continuous combination of these. As a result, an effect that cannot be achieved in a form in which the relative displacement member 450 simply appears and disappears with respect to the opening of the center frame 86 only by a linear movement (a form that reciprocates between the retracted position and the protruded position) can be obtained.

[0159] On the other hand, when arranging the base-side displacement member at the rotational position to the retracted position shown in FIG. 13(a) by the first operation, as shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 15(b), the relative displacement member 450 at the protruded position is slid (shortened) to the reference position by the second operation, so that the outward protrusion of such a relative displacement member 450 from the base-side displacement member 440 can be suppressed. Therefore, to that extent, the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be made smaller as a whole, so that the space required to accommodate the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be suppressed at the retracted position. As a result, a space for arranging other parts and devices can be secured.

[0160] In this case, as described above, the relative displacement member 450 is disposed in a state slidable relative to the base-side displacement member 440, and the second operation is, as shown in FIGS. 14(a) and 15(a), to slide the relative displacement member 440 between the reference position and the protruding position with respect to the base-side displacement member 450. Therefore, for example, compared with the case where the second operation is to rotate the relative displacement member 440 with respect to the base-side displacement member 450, the space required to displace the relative displacement member 440 from the reference position to the protruding position can be suppressed, and accordingly, the space for disposing other components and devices can be secured. Further, since the displacement mode (slide displacement) of the relative displacement member 450 by the second operation can be made different from the displacement mode (rotation) of the base-side displacement member 450 by the first operation, the production effect obtained by continuously performing the first operation and the second operation can be enhanced.

[0161] In particular, in such a second operation, the direction of the slide displacement is along the longitudinal directions of the two displacement members 440 and 450 with respect to each other. That is, the relative displacement member 450 is disposed with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 in a posture along their longitudinal directions, and is slidably displaced in the direction along their longitudinal directions. Therefore, the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be efficiently extended and contracted as a whole. Thus, as shown in FIG. 15(a), in the state where the base-side displacement member 440 is disposed at the rotational position, by increasing the size as a whole due to the slide displacement (extension) of the relative displacement member 450, the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be sufficiently visually recognized by the player, and the production effect can be sufficiently exhibited. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 13(a), in the state where the base-side displacement member 440 is disposed at the retracted position, by reducing the size as a whole due to the slide displacement (contraction) of the relative displacement member 450, the space required to accommodate the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be suppressed, and the space for disposing other components and devices can be secured.

[0162] Further, according to the protruding operation unit 400, as described above, the transmission means for transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor 420 to the base side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 is composed of a plurality of gears (pinion gear 431, intermediate gear 432, and crank gear 433) and a connecting rod 460 as shown in FIGS. 13(a), 14(b), and 15(b). The connection hole 462 of the connecting rod 460 that constitutes a crank mechanism together with the crank gear 433 is connected to the connection pin 452 of the relative displacement member 450 within a region between the rod support shaft 412 that is the rotation center of the connecting rod 460 and the base side support shaft 413 that is the rotation center of the base side displacement member 440. Therefore, by rotating the crank gear 433, the first operation and the second operation by the base side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 can be executed in order. That is, since two different operations, namely the first operation and the second operation, can be performed by only one drive motor 420, the component cost can be reduced, and accordingly, the product cost can be reduced.

[0163] In this case, as a transmission means, a structure in which a gear is provided on the rod support shaft 412 side of the connecting rod 460 and the teeth of the crank gear 433 are meshed with the gear to rotate the connecting rod 460 can be considered. However, in such a structure, the crank gear 433 and the connecting rod 460 are arranged side by side in a plane, and no overlapping margin is formed in a front view, so the space required for their arrangement increases. On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, since the crank pin 433a of the crank gear 433 is inserted into the rod groove 463 of the connecting rod 460, as shown in FIGS. 13(a), 14(b), and 15(b), the crank gear 433 and the connecting link 460 can be arranged in a state of always having an overlapping margin in a front view, and the space required for the arrangement of these crank gear 433 and connecting link 460 can be suppressed by the amount of the overlap.

[0164] Next, with reference to FIGS. 16 and 17, the relationship between the relative displacement member 450 and the decorative member 470 when the base side displacement member 440 rotates (first operation) will be described.

[0165] FIG. 16 is a front perspective view of the protruding operation unit 400. FIG. 17(a) is a side view of the protruding operation unit 400 as viewed in the direction of arrow XVIIa in FIG. 16, and FIG. 17(b) is a partially enlarged side view of the protruding operation unit 400 at portion XVIIb in FIG. 17(a). In FIGS. 16 and 17, the state where the decorative member 480 is attached to the protruding operation unit 400 is shown. However, for simplicity of the drawings and ease of understanding, only the decorative member 480 necessary for the explanation of the relationship with the relative displacement member 400 is shown.

[0166] As shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, a decorative member 480 is disposed above (the upper side in FIG. 16) the protruding operation unit 400 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). The decorative member 480 is a resin member for decoration and is formed from a resin material with light transmissivity. Therefore, other members located on the back side of the decorative member 480 can be visually recognized by the player through (transmitted through) the decorative member 480.

[0167] In the present embodiment, a part of the decorative member 480 protrudes downward (the lower side in FIG. 17(b)), so that as shown in FIG. 17(b), a overlapping margin of dimension L is formed between the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 in a front view. Thereby, when the base-side displacement member 440 rotates (first operation) from the retracted position to the rotational position (see FIGS. 13 and 14), the rotational trajectories of the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 can overlap a part of the decorative member 480 in a front view.

[0168] That is, since the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 can be displaced in a state of passing through the back side of the decorative member 480, an operation of crossing the decorative member 480 and the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be executed. Further, when crossing, the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be made visible through the decorative member 480. As a result, the production effect by displacing the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be enhanced. In particular, in the present embodiment, since the distal end side of the substrate displacement member 440 separated from the decorative member 480 is made to protrude more than the distal end side of the relative displacement member 450 close to the decorative member 480, it is difficult to contact the decorative member 480. As a result, the dimension L, which is the overlap margin, can be made larger. Therefore, the production effect by crossing can be enhanced.

[0169] In this case, as described above, in the relative displacement member 450, the decorative portion 454 forming the front side (right side in FIG. 17(b)) is stepped and inclined in a direction approaching the case body 410 (left side in FIG. 17(b)) from the base end side (rotation center side of the base-side displacement member 440, lower side in FIG. 17(b)) toward the distal end side (rotation tip side of the base-end displacement member 440, upper side in FIG. 17(b)). Further, the distal end side of the base-side displacement member 440 disposed on the back side (left side in FIG. 17(b)) of the relative displacement member 450 is made to protrude more than the distal end side of the relative displacement member 450. Therefore, in the entire base-side displacement member 440 and relative displacement member 450, the shape can be such that the distal end side thereof is disposed at a position deeper toward the case body 410 side (back side, left side in FIG. 17(b)).

[0170] Thereby, when the base-side displacement member 440 rotates (first operation) from the retracted position to the rotational position (see FIGS. 13 and 14), its rotation locus is overlapped with the decorative member 480 in a front view, ensuring an improvement in the production effect while suppressing contact between the base-side displacement member 440 and the relative displacement member 450 and the decorative member 480.

[0171] In this case, since only one side in the longitudinal direction of the base displacement member 440 is pivotally supported by the base support shaft 413 and the tip side is a free end (see FIGS. 12(a) and 12(b)), the tip side is likely to swing in the front-rear direction (the direction of approaching and separating from the case body 410 side, the direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 5) during the first operation, and is likely to come into contact with the decorative member 480. Therefore, the configuration in the present embodiment (the shape that inclines so that the tip side is closer to the case body 410 side) is particularly effective.

[0172] On the other hand, the relative displacement member 450 is not configured such that the entire decorative portion 454 approaches the case body 410 side. Instead, as described above, the base end side (the rotation center side of the base displacement member 440, the lower side in FIG. 17(b)) is positioned more on the front (frontward) side (the right side in FIG. 17(b)) than the tip side (the rotation tip side of the base displacement member 440, the upper side in FIG. 17(b)). That is, the decorative portion 454 is stepped and inclined upward in the direction of separating from the case body 410 (the right side in FIG. 17(b)) as it goes from the tip side to the base end side.

[0173] Thereby, when the relative displacement member 450 is slid and displaced from the reference position to the protruding position (second operation) (see FIGS. 14 and 15), the relative displacement member 440 can be arranged more on the front (frontward) side (that is, the side closer to the player), enhancing the compelling force. In particular, in the present embodiment, the outer shape of the portions arranged on the front (frontward) side (the second portion 454b more than the first portion 454a, the third portion 454c more than the second portion 454b) is made larger, so that the effect of enhancing the compelling force can be more effectively exerted.

[0174] Next, with reference to FIGS. 18 to 30, the composite operation unit 500 will be described. FIGS. 18 and 19 are front perspective views of the composite operation unit 500. In FIG. 18, the state where the driven member 560 is arranged at the retracted position (see FIG. 5) is shown, and in FIG. 19, the state where the driven member 560 is arranged at the protruding position (see FIG. 5) is shown.

[0175] Here, a pair of composite operation units 500 are arranged on the left and right sides with the rotational operation unit 600 sandwiched therebetween above the opening 301 (see FIGS. 5 and 6). Since these pair of composite operation units 500 are formed symmetrically left and right and their structures are substantially the same, only one of them (the one arranged on the right side in the front view) will be described, and the description of the other (the one arranged on the left side in the front view) will be omitted.

[0176] As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the composite operation unit 500 displaces the driven member 550 by the driving force of the drive motor 530, and drives the driven member 560 along with the displacement of the driven member 550, thereby displacing the driven member 560 between the retracted position shown in FIG. 18 and the extended position shown in FIG. 19. In this case, as will be described later, the driven member 560 is driven by the driven member 550 while changing its relative position with respect to the driven member 550 by rotation and sliding displacement (see FIGS. 27 to 29).

[0177] Thereby, even when the driven member 550 rotates along a certain orbit at a certain speed with a predetermined position (shaft portions 553, 554) as the rotation center, the driven member 560 can be displaced along an orbit different from that of the driven member 550, and the mode of displacement of the driven member 560 can be changed. That is, according to the composite operation unit 500, while maintaining the output of the drive motor 530 constant, it is possible to impart a change to the mode of displacement of the driven member 560. The detailed configuration of such a composite operation unit 500 will be described below.

[0178] FIGS. 20 and 21 are exploded front perspective views of the composite operation unit 500. Further, FIG. 22(a) is a front view of the driven member 550 and the driven member 560, and FIG. 22(b) is a side view of the driven member 550 and the driven member 560 as viewed in the direction of arrow XXIIb in FIG. 22(a).

[0179] Note that Fig. 20 corresponds to the state where the composite operation unit 500 shown in Fig. 18 is disassembled, and Fig. 21 corresponds to the state where the composite operation unit 500 shown in Fig. 19 is disassembled. Also, Fig. 22(a) and Fig. 22(b) correspond to the driven member 550 and the driven member 560 in the states shown in Fig. 18 and Fig. 20.

[0180] As shown in Figs. 20 to 22, the composite operation unit 500 mainly includes a front case body 510 and a back case body 520 that form its skeleton, a drive motor 530 disposed on the back side of the back case body 520, a crank member 540 attached to the drive shaft 531 of the drive motor 530, a driven member 550 that is driven by transmitting the driving force of the drive motor 530 via the crank member 540, and a driven member 560 that is connected to the driven member 550 so as to be relatively displaceable.

[0181] The front case body 510 and the back case body 520 are formed in a flat plate shape from a resin material, are disposed opposite to each other with a predetermined interval therebetween, and are fastened and fixed to each other by screws (not shown), thereby being configured as a housing member in which an internal space is formed between the opposing surfaces. In the internal space (between the opposing surfaces) of these front case body 510 and back case body 520, the driven member 550 (intermediate plate portion 552) and the driven member 560 (intermediate plate portion 561) and the crank member 540 are respectively accommodated in a displaceable state.

[0182] The front case body 510 includes a shaft support hole 511, an insertion hole 512, and a first guide groove 513. The shaft support hole 511 is a circular hole in a front view for rotatably supporting the shaft portion 553 of the driven member 540. The insertion hole 512 is an opening through which the crank pin 541 of the crank member 540 is inserted, and is formed to have a size that allows the reciprocating movement of the crank pin 541. Through this insertion hole 512, the crank pin 541 can be connected to the driven member 560 (drive shaft 561a).

[0183] The first guide groove 513 is an opening through which the first pin 561a in the interposed plate portion 561 of the driven member 560 is inserted, and is formed in a shape obtained by removing a part of an annular shape (i.e., a groove shape curved in an arc shape, see FIGS. 27(a) to 29(a)). The groove width of the first guide groove 513 is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the first pin 561a. As will be described later, by sliding (guiding) the first pin 561a along the extending direction of the first guide groove 513, the posture of the interposed plate portion 561 (driven member 560), particularly the relative rotational position with respect to the driven member 550, can be defined (see FIGS. 27(a) to 29(a)).

[0184] The rear case body 520 includes a shaft support hole 521, an insertion hole 522, and a second guide groove 523. The shaft support hole 521 is a circular hole in a front view for rotatably supporting the shaft portion 554 of the driven member 540, and is disposed concentrically with the shaft support hole 511 of the front case body 510 described above. That is, the front case body 510 and the rear case body 520 can rotatably support the driven member 550 by their shaft support holes 511 and 521 respectively supporting the shaft portions 553 and 554 of the driven member 550. The insertion hole 522 is an opening through which the drive shaft 531 of the drive motor 530 is inserted, and the drive shaft 531 of the drive motor 530 can be connected to the crank member 540 through this insertion hole 522.

[0185] The second guide groove 513 is an opening through which the connection shaft 561b in the interposed plate portion 561 of the driven member 560 is inserted, and is formed in a shape obtained by removing a part of an annular shape (i.e., a groove shape curved in an arc shape, see FIGS. 27(b) to 29(b)). The groove width of the second guide groove 523 is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the connection shaft 561b. As will be described later, by sliding (guiding) the connection shaft 561b along the extending direction of the second guide groove 523, the posture of the interposed plate portion 561 (driven member 560), particularly the relative sliding position with respect to the driven member 550, can be defined (see FIGS. 27(b) to 29(b)).

[0186] As described above, the crank member 540 is attached to the drive shaft 531 of the drive motor 530, and a crank pin 541 is disposed at a position eccentric from the rotation axis (drive shaft 531) when the crank member 540 is rotationally driven by the drive motor 530. The crank pin 541 is inserted into the drive groove 551a of the driven member 550. Therefore, by rotating the crank member 540 by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 530, the crank pin 541 of the crank member 540 can be slid along the drive groove 551a of the driven member 550 to rotate the driven member 550 (see FIGS. 30 to 32).

[0187] As described above, the driven member 550 is a member that is rotated by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 530 and displaces the driven member 560 as it rotates. By pivotally supporting its shaft portions 553 and 554 in the shaft support holes 511 and 521, it is rotatably held by the front case body 510 and the rear case body 520. Here, the detailed configuration of the driven member 550 will be described with reference to FIGS. 23 and 24.

[0188] FIG. 23(a) is a front view of the driven member 550, and FIG. 23(b) is the back surface portion of the driven member 550. FIG. 24 is a side view of the driven member 550 as viewed in the direction of arrow XXIV in FIG. 23(a).

[0189] As shown in FIGS. 23 and 24, the driven member 550 mainly includes a long plate-shaped front plate portion 551, a long plate-shaped intermediate plate portion 552 that intersects the front plate portion 551 at a substantially right angle in a front view, a columnar shaft portion 553 that connects the front plate portion 551 and the intermediate plate portion 552, and a columnar shaft portion 554 that protrudes from the back surface of the intermediate plate portion 552 at a position concentric with the shaft portion 553.

[0190] The front panel portion 551 is a member disposed on the front surface of the front case body 510 (see FIGS. 20 and 21). A drive groove 551a having an oval shape in front view is formed at one end side thereof (the side opposite to the side where the shaft portion 553 is connected). The drive groove 551a is an opening through which the crank pin 541 of the crank member 540 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) is inserted, and extends along the longitudinal direction of the front panel portion 551. The groove width of the drive groove 551a is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the crank pin 541. Therefore, by rotating the crank member 540 by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 530, the crank pin 541 can be slid along the drive groove 551a, and thereby the driven member 550 can be rotated about the shaft portions 553 and 554 as rotation centers (see FIGS. 30 to 32).

[0191] The intermediate plate portion 552 is a member disposed in the internal space (between the opposing surfaces) of the front case body 510 and the rear case body 520 (see FIGS. 20 and 21). A connection groove 552a having an oval shape in front view is formed at one end side thereof (the side opposite to the side where the front stomach body portion 551 is connected). The connection groove 552a is an opening through which the connection shaft 561b of the driven member 560 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) is inserted, and extends along the longitudinal direction of the intermediate plate portion 552. The groove width of the connection groove 552a is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the diameter of the connection shaft 561b. Therefore, the connection groove 552a can hold the connection shaft 561b in a rotatable and slidable displacement state. That is, the driven member 560 is connected to the driven member 550 in a rotatable and slidable displacement state (see FIGS. 27 to 29).

[0192] Here, the connection groove 552a has a region that overlaps with the second guide groove 523 of the rear case body 520 in front view when the driven member 550 is rotated about the shaft portions 553 and 554 as rotation centers, and is configured such that the connection shaft 561b can be disposed within that region (see FIGS. 27(a) to 27(c)). Thereby, as will be described later, the sliding displacement of the driven member 560 with respect to the driven member 550 can be defined based on the shape (outline) of the second guide groove 523.

[0193] The driven member 550 is formed such that the intermediate plate portion 552 and the shaft portions 553, 554 are integrally formed from a resin material. On the other hand, the front plate portion 551 is formed from a resin material as a separate member from these portions 552 to 554. The axial end face of the shaft portion 553 (the end face opposite to the intermediate plate portion 552) is abutted against the back face of the base end side of the front plate portion 551 (the side opposite to the side where the drive groove 551a is formed), and the two are fastened and fixed by screws for assembly.

[0194] In this case, four pins 553a project from the axial end face of the shaft portion 553. On the other hand, holes 551b for receiving these four pins 553a are formed at four positions on the base end side of the front plate portion 551, and assembly is performed with each pin 553a received in each hole 551b. Thereby, while suppressing the number of screws and reducing the component cost, the flat plate portion 551 and the intermediate plate portion 552 can be surely made non-rotatable relative to each other.

[0195] Returning to FIGS. 20 to 23 for explanation. As described above, the connection shaft 561b of the intermediate plate portion 561 of the driven member 560 is inserted into the connection groove 552a of the intermediate plate portion 552 of the driven member 550. Thereby, the driven member 560 is connected to the driving member 550 so as to be relatively displaceable (rotatable and slidable). The driven member 560 is a member that is driven along with the displacement of the driving member 550 as described above. By inserting the connection shaft 561b of the intermediate plate portion 561 not only into the connection groove 552a of the intermediate plate portion 552 of the driven member 550 but also into the second guide groove 523 of the back case body 520, the driven member 560 is held rotatably and slidably displaceable in the front case body 510 and the back case body 520. Here, the detailed configuration of the driven member 560 will be described with reference to FIGS. 25 and 26.

[0196] FIG. 25(a) is a front view of the driven member 560, and FIG. 25(b) is the back face portion of the driven member 560. FIG. 26 is a side view of the driven member 560 as viewed in the direction of arrow XXVI in FIG. 25(a).

[0197] As shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, the driven member 560 mainly includes a plate-shaped intervening plate portion 561, a decorative portion 562 having a pair of long portions with a decorative shape formed on the front surface, and a back plate portion 563 that is continuously provided on the side of the decorative portion 562 and connected to the back side of the intervening plate portion 561.

[0198] The intervening plate portion 561 is a member disposed in the internal space (between the opposing surfaces) of the front case body 510 and the back case body 520 (see FIGS. 20 and 21). On its front surface, a first pin 561a that is inserted into the first guide groove 513 of the front case body 510 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) protrudes, and on its back surface, a connection shaft 561b protrudes at a position eccentric with respect to the first pin 561a. As described above, the connection shaft 561b is inserted into the connection groove 552a of the driven member 550 (intervening plate portion 552) and the second guide groove 523 of the back case body 520, respectively (see FIGS. 20 and 21).

[0199] Therefore, when the driven member 550 is rotated about the shaft portions 553 and 554 as the rotation centers, the first pin 561a is slid (guided) along the first guide groove 513, so that the intervening plate portion 561 (i.e., the driven member 560) is relatively rotated with respect to the driven member 550 and the back case body 520 about its connection shaft 561b as the rotation center (see FIGS. 27(a) to 29(a)), and the connection shaft 561b is slid (guided) along the second guide groove 523, so that the intervening plate portion 561 (i.e., the driven member 560) is relatively slid and displaced with respect to the driven member 550 with the direction along the connection groove 552a of the driven member 550 as the slide direction (see FIGS. 27(b) to 29(b)).

[0200] Here, even if the connection shaft 561b of the driven member 560 is inserted only into the connection groove 552a of the driven member 550 (intervening plate portion 552) and a pin separately provided on the intervening plate portion 561 is inserted into the second guide groove 523 of the back case body 520, the same operation as in the above-described case can be obtained.

[0201] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the connection shaft 561b of the driven member 560 is inserted through both the second guide groove 523 of the rear case body 520 and the connection groove 552a of the driven member 550 (the intervening plate portion 552). The connection shaft 561b serves both to define the displacement of the driven member 560 relative to the rear case body 520 by being guided by the second guide groove 523 (i.e., to slide the driven member 560 relative to the driven member 550) and to connect the driven member 560 to the driven member 550 so as to be relatively displaceable (rotatable and slidable). As a result, the number of parts can be reduced, thereby reducing the product cost, and the structure can be simplified, thereby improving the reliability and durability of the movable member.

[0202] The back plate portion 563 is a circular member in front view disposed on the back surface of the rear case body 520 (see FIGS. 20 and 21), and a contact portion 563a projects from the front surface (the front side surface of FIG. 25(a)). The contact portion 563a is a portion that contacts the back surface of the rear case body 520 and is formed in an annular shape in front view concentric with the connection shaft 561b. That is, only the peripheral portion of the back plate portion 563 (the tip end surface where the contact portion 562a projects) contacts the back surface of the rear case body 520.

[0203] In this way, by providing the contact portion 563 concentric with the connection shaft 561b on the back plate portion 563, when the connection shaft 561b slides (is guided) along the second guide groove 523, even when the driven member 560 is relatively rotated with respect to the rear case body 520 about the connection shaft 561b due to the rotational action of the first pin 561a and the first guide groove 523 (see FIGS. 27 to 29), the contact state with the back surface of the rear case body 520 can be kept constant, and a change in the support reaction force can be suppressed. As a result, the driven member 560 can be displaced in a stable state.

[0204] The driven member 560 is assembled by integrally forming the decorative portion 562 and the back plate portion 563 from a resin material, while the intermediate plate portion 561 is formed from a resin material as a separate member from these portions 562 and 563. The axial end face of the connecting shaft 561b of the intermediate plate portion 561 is brought into contact with the front face of the back plate portion 563, and the two are fastened and fixed with screws. In addition, a structure in which a plurality of pins 561c protruding from the axial end face of the connecting shaft 561b are respectively received in a plurality of holes 563b of the back plate portion 563 to connect the two so as not to be relatively rotatable is the same as that of the driven member 550 described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

[0205] Returning to FIGS. 20 to 22 for description. The composite operation unit 500 can be assembled as follows. First, the shaft portion 553 of the driven member 550 is inserted into the shaft support hole 511 of the front case body 510, and the intermediate plate portion 561 and the front plate portion 551 of the driven member 550 are fastened and fixed. Thereby, the driven member 550 can be assembled to the front case body 510 in a rotatable state. At the time of this assembly, the connecting shaft 561b of the intermediate plate portion 561 in the driven member 560 is inserted into the connecting groove 552 of the driven member 550 (intermediate plate portion 552) in advance.

[0206] Next, the crank member 540 is attached to the drive shaft 531 of the drive motor 530 through the insertion hole 522 of the back case body 520, and the crank pin 541 is inserted into the drive groove 551a of the driven member 550 (front plate portion 551) through the insertion hole 512 of the front case body 510. At the same time, the connecting shaft 561b of the driven member 560 (intermediate plate portion 561) is inserted into the second guide groove 523 of the back case body 520, and the intermediate plate portion 561 and the back plate portion 563 of the driven member 560 are fastened and fixed. Thereby, the driven member 560 can be assembled to the back case body 520 in a rotatable state, and can be connected to the driven member 550 in a rotatable and slidable displacement state, and a state in which the rotational driving force of the drive motor 530 can be transmitted to the driven member 550 through the crank member 540 can be formed.

[0207] Thereafter, the front case body 510 and the rear case body 520 are fastened and fixed to each other by screws (not shown). As a result, the composite operation unit 500 can be unitized as one device in a state where the driven member 550 is displaced by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 530, and the driven member 560 is displaced (driven) along with the displacement of the driven member 550. Thus, according to the composite operation unit 500, by assembling the respective components in order with respect to the front case body 510 and the rear case body 520, it is possible to assemble, so that not only can the assembly cost be reduced, but also by being unitized, the assembly to the unit storage member 300 (see the gaming machine main body, FIGS. 5 and 6) is facilitated, and the manufacturing cost of the pachinko machine 10 can be reduced.

[0208] Next, with reference to FIGS. 27 to 32, the operation of the composite operation unit 500 will be described. FIGS. 27(a), 28(a), and 29(a) are front schematic views of the driven member 550 and the driven member 560 showing the relationship with the first guide groove 513, and FIGS. 27(b), 28(b), and 29(b) are front schematic views of the driven member 550 and the driven member 560 showing the relationship with the second guide groove 523.

[0209] Similarly, FIGS. 30(a), 31(a), and 32(a) are front schematic views of the driven member 550 and the driven member 560 showing the relationship with the first guide groove 513, and FIGS. 30(b), 30(b), and 30(b) are front schematic views of the driven member 550 and the driven member 560 showing the relationship with the second guide groove 523.

[0210] Note that FIGS. 27 and 30 correspond to the state where the driven member 560 is arranged at the retracted position (the state shown in FIGS. 18 and 20), and FIGS. 29 and 32 correspond to the state where the driven member 560 is arranged at the protruding position (the state shown in FIGS. 19 and 20). Also, the states shown in FIGS. 28 and 31 correspond to the state where the driven member 560 is arranged between the retracted position and the protruding position.

[0211] As shown in FIGS. 27 and 30, in a state where the driven member 560 is disposed at the retracted position, the crank pin 541 of the crank member 540 is located on the right side in the front view (right side in FIG. 30(a)) with respect to the drive shaft 531 of the drive motor 530. As a result, the driven member 550 tilts the tip side (the formed portion of the drive groove 551a) of the front plate portion 551 to the right side in the front view (right side in FIG. 30(b)) and lifts the tip side (the formed portion of the connection groove 552a) of the intermediate plate portion 552 upward (upper side in FIG. 30(b)). That is, the driven member 550 is disposed at a rotational position that is the rotational end in the clockwise (rightward) direction in the front view with the shaft portions 553 and 554 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) as the rotation center.

[0212] On the other hand, as described above, since the driven member 550 is in a posture in which the tip side of the intermediate plate portion 552 is lifted upward, the connection shaft 561b is in a posture in which it is pushed upward to the upper end side (upper side in FIG. 27(b)) of the second guide groove 523. That is, the driven member 560 is disposed at the uppermost position in the vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 30(b)) and at the leftmost position in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 30(b)). Further, since the first pin 561a of the intermediate plate portion 561 is located at the upper end side (upper left side in FIG. 27(a)) of the first guide groove 513, the tip side (the disposed portion of the first pin 561a) of the intermediate plate portion 561 is in a horizontal posture directed to the left side in the front view (left side in FIG. 27(a)). That is, the driven member 560 is disposed at a rotational position that is the rotational end in the counterclockwise (leftward) direction in the front view with the connection shaft 561b as the rotation center.

[0213] From the state where the driven member 560 shown in FIGS. 27 and 30 is disposed at the retracted position, when the crank member 540 is rotated counterclockwise (leftward) in a front view as the drive shaft 531 is being rotated by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 530, the crank pin 541 of the crank member 540 slides along the drive groove 551a in the front plate portion 551 of the driven member 550, whereby the driven member 550 is rotated counterclockwise (leftward) in a front view about the shaft portions 553 and 554 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) as the rotation center, and as shown in FIGS. 28 and 31, the driven member 560 is disposed at a position that is approximately in the middle between the retracted position and the protruding position.

[0214] As shown in FIGS. 28 and 31, when the driven member 560 is disposed at a position that is approximately in the middle between the retracted position and the protruding position, the driven member 550 is set in a posture in which the front plate portion 551 is made to stand substantially upright and the intervening plate portion 552 is made substantially horizontal. That is, the driven member 550 is disposed at a rotational position that is approximately in the middle within the rotatable range about the shaft portions 553 and 554 (see FIGS. 20 and 21) as the rotation center.

[0215] On the other hand, due to the fact that the driven member 550 is set in a posture in which the intervening plate portion 552 is made substantially horizontal, the connecting shaft 561b pushed down by the connecting groove 552a of the intervening plate portion 552 of the driven member 560 is disposed at an intermediate position in the second guide groove 523. That is, the driven member 560 is disposed at a position that is approximately in the middle within the displaceable range in the vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 31(b)) and is disposed at the rightmost position in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 30(b)). Further, the driven member 560 is set in an inclined posture in which the tip side (the portion where the first pin 561a is disposed) of the intervening plate portion 561 is directed upward and to the left in a front view (upper left side in FIG. 28(a)) due to the fact that the first pin 561a of the intervening plate portion 561 is disposed at an intermediate position in the first guide groove 513. That is, the driven member 560 is disposed at a rotational position that is approximately in the middle within the rotatable range about the connecting shaft 561b as the rotation center.

[0216] From the states shown in FIGS. 28 and 31, when the crank member 540 is further rotated counterclockwise (leftward) in a front view as the drive shaft 531 rotates by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 530, the crank pin 541 of the crank member 540 slides along the drive groove 551a in the front plate portion 551 of the driven member 550, whereby the driven member 550 is rotated counterclockwise (leftward) in a front view about the shaft portions 553 and 554 (see FIGS. 20 and 21), and as shown in FIGS. 29 and 32, the driven member 560 is disposed at the protruding position.

[0217] As shown in FIGS. 29 and 32, in a state where the driven member 560 is disposed at the protruding position, the crank pin 541 of the crank member 540 is located on the left side in a front view (left side in FIG. 32(a)) with respect to the drive shaft 531 of the drive motor 530. As a result, the driven member 550 tilts the tip side (the formed portion of the drive groove 551a) of the front plate portion 551 to the left side in a front view (left side in FIG. 32(b)) and assumes a posture in which the tip side (the formed portion of the connection groove 552a) of the intermediate plate portion 552 is dropped downward (lower side in FIG. 32(b)). That is, the driven member 550 is disposed at a rotational position that is the rotational end in the counterclockwise (leftward) direction in a front view about the shaft portions 553 and 554 (see FIGS. 20 and 21).

[0218] On the other hand, as described above, the driven member 560 assumes a posture in which the connection shaft 561b is pushed downward to the lower end side (lower side in FIG. 29(b)) of the second guide groove 523 because the driven member 550 assumes a posture in which the tip side of the intermediate plate portion 552 is dropped downward. That is, the driven member 560 is disposed at the lowest position in the vertical direction (vertical direction in FIG. 32(b)) and at the leftmost position in the horizontal direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 32(b)). Further, the driven member 560 assumes an upright posture in which the tip side (the disposed portion of the first pin 561a) of the intermediate plate portion 561 is directed upward in a front view (upper side in FIG. 29(a)) because the first pin 561a of the intermediate plate portion 561 is located at the lower end side (lower right side in FIG. 29(a)) of the first guide groove 513. That is, the driven member 560 is disposed at a rotational position that is the rotational end in the clockwise (rightward) direction in a front view about the connection shaft 561b.

[0219] As described above, according to the composite operation unit 500, when the driven member 550 is displaced (rotated) by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 530, the driven member 560 can be driven while being relatively displaced with respect to the driven member 550 as the driven member 550 is displaced. That is, even when the mode of displacement of the driven member 550 is rotation about the shaft portions 533 and 554 as the rotation centers and the driven member 550 is displaced along a certain orbit, the driven member 560 can be displaced along an orbit (mode of displacement) different from that of the driven member 550. Further, since such a change in the mode of displacement is formed by the relative displacement of the driven member 560 with respect to the driven member 550, even when the driven member 550 is displaced (rotated) at a constant speed, the driven member 560 can be displaced along an orbit (mode of displacement) different from that of the driven member 550. As a result, while keeping the output of the drive motor 530 constant, a change can be imparted to the mode of displacement of the driven member 560.

[0220] In this case, in the present embodiment, means (displacement defining means) for relatively displacing the driven member 560 with respect to the driven member 550 is formed by the first guide grooves 513 and 523 of the front case body 510 and the rear case body 520 and the first pins 561a and the connecting shaft 561b of the driven member 560. That is, by guiding the first pins 561a and the connecting shaft 561b along the respective guide grooves 513 and 523, the displacement of the driven member 560 with respect to each case body 510 and 520 can be defined. Thereby, according to the contour (shape) of each of the guide grooves 513 and 523, the relative displacement of the driven member 560 with respect to the driven member 550 can be formed. As a result, the displacement defining means can be formed by mechanical elements such as a guide groove and a shaft-like body guided thereby, and since the structure is simplified, the product cost can be reduced. Further, since simple mechanical elements can be employed, the reliability and durability as movable parts can be improved.

[0221] In addition, by setting the contours (shapes) of the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523, the mode of relative displacement of the driven member 550 with respect to the driven member 560 can be arbitrarily set, so that the degree of freedom in design when setting the mode of displacement of the driven member 560 can be increased. As a result, it is easy to ensure variations in the modes of displacement that can be imparted to the driven member 560.

[0222] In particular, in the present embodiment, where the driven member 560 is rotatably and slidably connected to the driven member 550, a first guide structure mainly defining rotation, which is constituted by the first guide groove 513 and the first pin 561a, and a second guide structure mainly defining slide displacement, which is constituted by the second guide groove 523 and the connection shaft 561b, are provided. Thereby, not only can the variations in the changes that can be imparted to the mode of displacement be increased, but also when the displacement of the driven member 560 with respect to the driven member 550 is of a plurality of types (rotation and slide displacement), each of these displacements can be appropriately guided by the first and second guide structures. As a result, the displacement of the driven member 560 can be stabilized, and the reliability as a movable member can be improved.

[0223] Here, the above-described first guide structure can also be established, for example, by forming the first guide groove 513 in the interposed plate portion 561 or the back plate portion 563, and the first pin 561a in the front case body 510 or the back case body 520, respectively. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the first guide groove 513 is formed in the front case body 510, and the first pin 561a is formed in the interposed plate portion 561, respectively. Thereby, it is easy to secure a space for forming the first guide groove 513.

[0224] That is, since the front case body 510 and the rear case body 520 need to hold the driven member 550 and the follower member 560 while securing the displacement space of these two members 550 and 560, they have to be formed with a relatively large outer shape, and a dead space tends to be formed on their plate surfaces. Therefore, by making the front case body 510 the formation target of the first guide groove portion 513, it is possible to effectively utilize the dead space and sufficiently secure a space for forming the first guide groove 513. As a result, it becomes possible to increase the degree of freedom in the contour (shape) and the extending length of the first guide groove 513, and accordingly, it is possible to increase the variations in the changes that can be imparted to the displacement mode. Note that since the second guide structure is the same as the first guide structure, the description thereof is omitted.

[0225] Also, the first guide structure and the second guide structure are also valid in a configuration where both the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523 are formed in the rear case body 520. In contrast, in the present embodiment, since the first guide groove 513 is formed in the front case body 510 and the second guide groove 523 is formed in the rear case body 520, respectively, these first guide groove 513 and second guide groove 523 can be formed without considering the formation positions of each other.

[0226] That is, when both the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523 are formed in the rear case body 520, it is necessary to form them so that these first guide groove 513 and second guide groove 523 do not intersect, and the degree of freedom in the design of their contour (shape) and extending length is limited. In contrast, according to the present embodiment, in both the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523, the contour (shape) and the extending length can be arbitrarily set without considering the positional relationship with the other, so that the degree of freedom in the design is increased, and accordingly, the variations in the changes that can be imparted to the displacement mode can be increased.

[0227] Next, with reference to FIGS. 33 to 39, the rotational operation unit 600 will be described. FIG. 33 is a front perspective view of the rotational operation unit 600.

[0228] As shown in FIG. 33, in the rotational operation unit 600, a first rotating body 650 having an annular shape in a front view is disposed around the spherical liquid crystal device 670 so as to surround it, and a second rotating body 660 having an annular shape in a front view is concentrically disposed on the back side of the first rotating body 650. In the present embodiment, the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 are rotated at different rotational speeds and in opposite directions to each other.

[0229] Here, in conventional products in which a plurality of rotating bodies are arranged at positions separated from each other, it has been difficult to make the player recognize the rotations of the plurality of rotating bodies in association with each other. That is, in conventional products, each rotating body rotates independently without interacting with other rotating bodies. Therefore, the effect of the performance by rotating a plurality of rotating bodies could not be sufficiently exhibited.

[0230] On the other hand, according to the rotational operation unit 600 in the present embodiment, the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 are concentrically arranged around the spherical liquid crystal device 670, and these two rotating bodies are rotated in different rotational modes (modes in which the rotational speed and the rotational direction are made different from each other). Therefore, it is easy to make the player recognize these rotations in association with each other, and the effect of the performance by rotating a plurality of rotating bodies can be exhibited. The detailed configuration of such a rotational operation unit 600 will be described below.

[0231] FIG. 34 is an exploded front perspective view of the rotational operation unit 600, and FIG. 35 is an exploded rear perspective view of the rotational operation unit 600. FIG. 36 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rotational operation unit 600. In FIGS. 35 and 36, the illustration of the spherical liquid crystal device 670 is omitted. The cross section shown in FIG. 36 corresponds to the cross section of the rotational operation unit 600 cut by a plane including the rotation centers of the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660.

[0232] As shown in FIGS. 34 to 36, the rotation operation unit 600 mainly includes a front case body 610 and a rear case body 620 that form its skeleton, a drive motor 630 disposed on the rear side of the rear case body 620, a plurality of gears (first to fifth storage gears 641 to 645 and a front gear 646) as transmission means for transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor 630, a first rotating body 650 and a second rotating body 660 that are rotated by transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor 630 through the plurality of gears, a spherical liquid crystal device 670 disposed on the inner peripheral side of the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660, and a light emitting device 680 disposed on the front surface of the front case body 610.

[0233] The front case body 610 and the rear case body 620 are formed in a flat plate shape from a resin material, are disposed opposite to each other at a predetermined interval, and are fastened and fixed to each other by screws (not shown), thereby being configured as a housing member in which an internal space is formed between the opposing surfaces. In the internal space (between the opposing surfaces) of the front case body 610 and the rear case body 620, the first to fifth storage gears 641 to 645 and the storage flange portion 653 of the first rotating body 650 are respectively stored.

[0234] Openings 611 and 621 that are circular in a front view are respectively formed in the front case body 610 and the rear case body 620, and these openings 611 and 621 are concentrically disposed in the assembled state. On the front side of the front case body 610, a cylindrical tubular portion 612 protrudes forward at a position concentric with the openings 611 and 621. The front case body 610 is set such that the inner diameter dimensions of the opening 611 and the tubular portion 612 are the same, and the main body portion 651 of the first rotating body 610 is rotatably supported on the inner peripheral side of the opening 611 and the tubular portion 612. Further, the second rotating body 620 is rotatably supported on the outer peripheral side of the tubular portion 612.

[0235] In this way, by rotatably supporting the first rotating body 650 (main body portion 651) and the second rotating body 660 by the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 611 of the front case body 610, the arrangement positions of these first rotating body 650 and second rotating body 660 can be defined with reference to the front case body 610 respectively. Therefore, as will be described later, the positional relationship between the gears (first and second outer peripheral gears 653a, 661a) engraved on the outer peripheral surfaces of the first rotating body 650 (accommodating flange portion 653) and the second rotating body 660 respectively, and the second accommodating gear 642 and the front gear 646 arranged on the front case body 610 can be defined with reference to the front case body 610. As a result, the meshing states of the both outer peripheral gears 653a, 661a of the both rotating bodies 650, 660 with the second accommodating gear 642 and the front gear 646 can be stabilized, so that uneven wear of the gears can be suppressed and suppression of driving resistance can be achieved.

[0236] A pinion gear 631 is attached to the drive shaft of the drive motor 630, and by being mounted on the back surface of the back case body 620, the pinion gear 631 is meshed with the first accommodating gear 641 among the plurality of gears constituting the transmission means. Therefore, the rotational driving force of the drive motor 420 can be transmitted to the transmission means (plurality of gears) via the pinion gear 431, and as a result, as will be described later, the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 can be rotated respectively.

[0237] The first to fifth accommodating gears 641 to 645 and the front gear 646 are a group of gears for transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor 630 to the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 as described above, and are respectively formed as spur gears in which teeth are engraved on the outer peripheral surface parallel to the rotation axis. The first to fifth accommodating gears 641 to 645 are rotatably supported on the back side of the front case body 610, and by being connected (meshed) in series, a single gear train (gear row) with the first accommodating gear 641 as the head and the fifth accommodating gear 645 as the tail is formed.

[0238] The front gear 646 is rotatably supported on the front side of the front case body 610 in a state of being synchronously rotatable with the fifth storage gear 645. That is, the front gear 646 and the fifth storage gear 645 are respectively fixed to one end and the other end of a rotating shaft disposed through the front case body 610, and the two gears 645, 646 and the rotating shaft are integrally rotated.

[0239] According to the gear group configured as described above, when the drive motor 630 is rotationally driven, the rotational driving force thereof is transmitted to the first storage gear 641 via the pinion gear 631, and the first storage gear 641 is rotated. The rotation of the first storage gear 641 is transmitted to the fifth storage gear 645 by the action of a gear train (gear train), and when the fifth storage gear 645 is rotated, the front gear 646 is rotated.

[0240] Here, as will be described later, the first outer peripheral gear 653a of the first rotating body 650 (storage flange portion 653) is meshed with the second storage gear 642, and the second outer peripheral gear 661a of the second rotating body 660 is meshed with the front gear 646. Therefore, with the rotational driving of the drive motor 630, the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 can be respectively rotated. That is, with the rotational driving of one drive motor 630, two rotating bodies (the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) can be rotated simultaneously.

[0241] In this case, in the present embodiment, an even number of gears (the third and fourth storage gears 643, 644) are interposed between the second storage gear 642 and the fifth storage gear 645. Therefore, not only can the rotational speed between the front gear 646 synchronously rotated with the fifth storage gear 645 and the second storage gear 642 be made different, but also the rotational direction between the second storage gear 642 and the front gear 646 can be made different. As a result, as will be described later, the rotational speed and the rotational direction between the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 can be made different from each other.

[0242] In addition, in the present embodiment, a gear train including a second storage gear 642 is disposed on the back side of the front case body 610, and a front gear is disposed on the front side of the front case gear 610. On the front side and the back side of the front case body 610, the second storage gear 642 and the front gear 646 are respectively meshed with the first outer peripheral gear 653a of the first rotating body 650 and the second outer peripheral gear 651a of the second rotating body 660. Therefore, for example, compared with a structure in which both the second storage gear 642 and the front gear 646 are arranged on the front side of the front case body 610 and these two gears 642, 646 are respectively meshed with the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660, not only the transmission structure for transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor 630 to the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660, but also the structures of the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 themselves can be simplified.

[0243] Furthermore, by disposing the gear train and the storage flange portion 653 of the first rotating body 650 with which the second storage gear 642 of the gear train is meshed on the back side of the front case body 610, the gear train and the storage flange portion 653 can be shielded from the player viewing the rotation operation unit 600 from the front by the front case body 610. That is, a shielding structure for shielding the gear train and the storage flange portion 653 from view can be simply formed using the back case body 610 without the need to provide a separate member.

[0244] The first rotating body 650 is an effect member for performing an effect by rotating around the spherical liquid crystal device 670 (see FIG. 33), and mainly includes a main body portion 651, a front effect portion 652 integrally formed on one axial side of the main body portion 651, and a storage flange portion 653 fastened and fixed to the other axial side (axial end face) of the main body portion 651 by a screw.

[0245] The main body portion 651 is a portion formed in a cylindrical shape from a resin material and is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the opening 611 and the cylindrical portion 612 in the front case body 610. That is, the first rotating body 650 is rotatably held by the front case body 610 (opening 611 and cylindrical portion 612) with the main body portion 651 as the rotation axis. Here, the detailed configuration of the main body portion 651 will be described with reference to FIG. 37.

[0246] FIG. 37(a) is a rear view of the main body 651, and FIG. 37(b) is a partially enlarged rear view of the main body 651 showing an enlarged view of the XXXVII portion of FIG. 37(a). In FIG. 37(b), for ease of understanding, the diameters of the first protruding portion 651a and the second protruding portion 651b are schematically shown enlarged compared to the actual ones, and a virtual circle IS, which is a virtual circle in which the respective tops of the first protruding portion 651a and the second protruding portion 651b are inscribed, is shown using a two-dot chain line.

[0247] As shown in FIGS. 37(a) and 37(b), the main body 651 is formed with a first protruding portion 651a and a second protruding portion 651b, and an offset portion 651c is formed at a position corresponding to the second protruding portion 651b.

[0248] The first protruding portion 651a and the second protruding portion 651b are formed so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the main body 651, respectively, and are portions that extend along the axial direction (the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 37(a)) of the main body 651 over the entire length of the main body 651 (see FIG. 35). They are formed at a plurality of positions (a total of 8 positions in this embodiment) at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the first protruding portion 651a and the second protruding portion 651b are alternately arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0249] That is, the first protruding portion 651a is formed by embedding a columnar body having a circular cross-section with a diameter dimension larger than the plate thickness dimension of the main body 561 into the main body 651 in a posture where the axial directions coincide, and is formed by the portions (a part of the columnar body) protruding from the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the main body 651 of this embedded columnar body. The second protruding portion 651b is the same as the first protruding portion 651a except that the diameter of the columnar body embedded in the main body 651 is larger than that of the first protruding portion 651a.

[0250] In this way, by extending the first protruding portion 651a and the second protruding portion 651b protruding from the outer peripheral surface and the inner peripheral surface of the main body 651 along the axial direction over the entire length of the main body 651, the rigidity of the main body 651 can be increased.

[0251] Note that the second protruding portion 651b extends further axially along the axial end face (the front side face in the plane of FIG. 37(b)) of the main body portion 651. Therefore, as will be described later, when the storage flange portion 653 is fastened and fixed to the main body portion 651 by screws, the axially extending portion of the second protruding portion 651b is fitted into a recess recessed in the front face of the storage flange portion 653, so that the main body portion 651 and the storage flange portion 653 can be firmly coupled so as not to be relatively rotatable (see FIG. 36).

[0252] The offset portion 651c is a portion where the vicinity of the portion where the second protruding portion 651b is formed in the main body portion 651 is offset inward in the circumferential direction while maintaining the plate thickness dimension, and is formed over a range (circumferential direction) approximately three times the diameter of the second protruding portion 651b. That is, the offset portion 651c is curved in an arc shape concentric with the main body portion 651 in the axial view of the main body portion 651 shown in FIG. 37(b). By forming the offset portion 651c in the main body portion 651 in this way, the axis of the second protruding portion 651b can be offset and positioned toward the axis side as will be described later, and the rigidity of the entire main body portion 651 can be increased.

[0253] The plurality (four in this embodiment) of first protruding portions 651a are set such that the protruding amounts from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 651 are the same as each other, and the plurality (four in this embodiment) of second protruding portions 652b are set such that the protruding amounts from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 651 are the same as each other, and are also made the same as the protruding amount of the first protruding portion 651a due to the offset by the offset portion 651c. The plurality (eight in this embodiment) of first protruding portions 651a and second protruding portions 652b are set such that the protruding amounts from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 651 are the same as each other. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 37(b), a virtual circle IS inscribed by the tops of the first protruding portion 651a and the second protruding portion 652b can be set concentrically on the outer peripheral side of the main body portion 651. In this case, the diameter dimension of the virtual circle IS is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the inner diameter dimensions of the opening 611 and the cylindrical portion 612 in the front case body 610.

[0254] Therefore, when the main body portion 651 of the first rotating body 650 is inserted into the opening 611 of the front case body 610 and the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 612, the contact area can be limited to the top portions of the first protrusion 651a and the second protrusion 651b, so that the contact resistance can be suppressed and the main body portion 651 can be smoothly rotated on the inner peripheral side of the opening 611 and the cylindrical portion 612.

[0255] In particular, since the first protrusion 651a and the second protrusion 651b are curved in an arc shape when viewed in the axial direction (specifically, the shape of the cross section cut by a plane orthogonal to the axial direction of the main body portion 651 is an arc shape that protrudes outward), not only can the contact area be suppressed, but also the top portions of the first and second protrusions 651a and 651b can be smoothly brought into contact with the inner peripheral surfaces of the opening 611 and the cylindrical portion 612 of the front case body 610. Therefore, even when there is rattling due to dimensional tolerances, the main body portion 651 can be rotated more smoothly on the inner peripheral side of the opening 611 and the cylindrical portion 612.

[0256] As described above, the first protrusion 651a and the second protrusion 651b protrude not only from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 651 but also from the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 651. Thereby, when the main body portion 651 is molded by a resin mold, the shape of the main body portion 651 can be made uniform (symmetrical) on the outer peripheral surface side and the inner peripheral surface side, ensuring its moldability.

[0257] In particular, in the present embodiment, in the view in the axial direction of the main body portion 651 shown in FIG. 37(b), the protruding dimension of the portion formed by protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 651 and the protruding dimension of the portion formed by protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the main body portion 651 are made the same for the first protrusion 651a. Similarly, for the second protrusion 651a, the protruding dimension of the portion formed by protruding from the outer peripheral surface of the offset portion 651c and the protruding dimension of the portion formed by protruding from the inner peripheral surface of the offset portion 651c are made the same. Therefore, the shape on the outer peripheral surface side and the inner peripheral surface side of the main body portion 651 can be made more uniform (symmetrical), further ensuring its moldability.

[0258] In addition, a circular cross-section hole that is drilled along the axial direction is drilled through the entire length of the second protruding portion 651b (see Fig. 36). As a result, the wall thickness dimension of the second protruding portion 651b, which has a larger diameter compared to the first protruding portion 651a, can be made uniform with other parts (such as the main body portion 651, the offset portion 651c, and the first protruding portion 651a), and as a result, the moldability of the main body portion 651 can be ensured.

[0259] In this case, a female thread is engraved on the inner peripheral surface of the hole drilled in the second protruding portion 651b, and a screw for fastening and fixing the storage flange portion 653 can be screwed in (see Fig. 36). In this way, by having the second protruding portion 651b, which is formed with a relatively large diameter, bear the screw fastening portion for fastening the screw, the strength of the screw fastening portion can be ensured. In particular, the second protruding portion 651b is a portion formed in the offset portion 651c, and since the rigidity of the main body portion 651 is strengthened, by having the second protruding portion 651b bear the connecting portion between the main body portion 651 and the storage flange portion 653, the two can be firmly connected and the durability can be improved.

[0260] Returning to FIGS. 34 to 36 for explanation. The front effect portion 652 is a portion that is visually recognized by the player as an effect portion, and is formed to project outward in a flange shape from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 651. The front surface (front surface, appearance forming surface) of the front effect portion 652 is plated, and an appearance imitating a shiny metal is imparted to the front effect portion 652. Note that the front effect portion 652 is made of a light-transmissive resin material, but by plating, it is possible to prevent the light-emitting device 680 (light-emitting element 681) from being visually recognized by the player through the front effect portion 652.

[0261] The front view shape of the front effect portion 652 is formed in a saw blade shape in which irregular mountains (second portions) and valleys (first portions) are repeated along the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, 16 mountains (valleys) are arranged at unequal intervals (unequal pitches) in the circumferential direction. As will be described later, when the first rotating body 650 is rotated, the mountains and valleys of the front effect portion 652 pass in order in front of (forward of) the light-emitting element 681 of the light-emitting device 680, so that the player can be made to visually recognize the light-emitting element 681 intermittently and selectively (see Fig. 39).

[0262] The storage flange portion 653 is a portion that is stored in the internal space (between the opposing surfaces) of the front case body 610 and the rear case body 620, is formed in an annular shape when viewed from the front, and is fastened and fixed to the axial end surface of the main body portion 651 inserted through the cylindrical portion 612 of the front case body 610 via the opening 611. Specifically, a screw inserted through the storage flange portion 653 is screwed into the second protruding portion 651b of the main body portion 651 as described above, so that the storage flange portion 653 is fastened and fixed to the main body portion 651.

[0263] The thickness dimension of the storage flange portion 653 is set to be equal to or slightly smaller than the distance between the opposing surfaces of the front case body 610 and the rear case body 620, and the outer diameter dimension is set to be larger than the inner diameter dimensions of the openings 611 and 621 in the front case body 610 and the rear case body 620. Therefore, the axial position of the first rotating body 650 can be defined by bringing the front or rear surface of the storage flange portion 653 into contact with the rear surface of the front case body 610 or the front surface of the rear case body 620.

[0264] A first outer peripheral gear 653a is engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the storage flange portion 653, and the second storage gear 642 among the above-described gear trains disposed on the rear surface of the front case body 610 is meshed with the first outer peripheral gear 653a. Therefore, when the gear train is rotated by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 630, the rotation is transmitted to the storage flange portion 653 via the second storage gear 642 and the first outer peripheral gear 653a, and the first rotating body 650 is rotated.

[0265] In this way, the first rotating body 650 has the first outer peripheral gear 653a engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the storage flange portion 653, and meshes the second storage gear 642 among the gear trains arranged along the periphery with the first outer peripheral gear 653a at the opening 511 of the front case body 610. Therefore, the transmission structure for transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor 630 to the first rotating body 650 can be simplified. In particular, since the first rotating body 650 is formed in a cylindrical shape and the light-projecting surface portion 671 of the spherical liquid crystal device 670 described later is disposed on the inner peripheral side thereof, it is difficult to secure a space on the inner peripheral surface side. Therefore, it is effective that the above-described transmission structure can be disposed on the outer peripheral side of the first rotating body 650.

[0266] Also, as described above, since the first rotating body 650 (main body portion 651) is rotatably supported on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 611 of the front case body 610, the arrangement position of such a first rotating body 650 can be defined with reference to the front case body 610. Therefore, the positional relationship between the gear (first outer peripheral gear 653a) engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the first rotating body 650 (storage flange portion 653) and the second storage gear 642 disposed on the front case body 610 can be defined with reference to the front case body 610. As a result, the meshing state between the first outer peripheral gear 653a of the first rotating body 650 and the second storage gear 642 can be stabilized, so that uneven wear of the gear can be suppressed and the driving resistance can be suppressed.

[0267] The second rotating body 660 is an effect member for performing an effect by rotating on the back side of the first rotating body 650 (see FIG. 33), and mainly includes a main body portion 661 formed in a cylindrical shape from a light-transmissive resin material, and a front effect portion 662 integrally formed on the axial end surface of the main body portion 661.

[0268] The inner diameter dimension of the main body portion 661 is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the outer diameter dimension of the cylindrical portion 612 in the front case body 610, and is rotatably held by the front case body 610 (cylindrical portion 612) by being externally fitted to the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 612 (that is, by inserting the cylindrical portion 612 into the inner peripheral side of the main body portion 661).

[0269] On the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 661, a second outer peripheral gear 661a is engraved, and the above-described front gear 646 disposed on the front surface of the front case body 610 is engaged with the second outer peripheral gear 661a. Therefore, when the above-described gear train and the front gear 646 are rotated by the rotational driving force of the drive motor 630, the rotation is transmitted to the main body portion 661 via the front gear 646 and the second outer peripheral gear 661a, and the second rotating body 660 is rotated.

[0270] In this way, since the second rotating body 660 engraves the second outer peripheral gear 661a on its outer peripheral surface and engages the front gear 646 disposed on the front surface of the front case body 610 with the second outer peripheral gear 661a, the transmission structure for transmitting the rotational driving force of the drive motor 630 to the second rotating body 660 can be simplified. In particular, since the second rotating body 650 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is rotatably held by being externally fitted to the cylindrical portion 612 of the front case body 610, it is difficult to secure a space on the inner peripheral surface side. Therefore, it is effective that the above-described transmission structure can be disposed on the outer peripheral side of the second rotating body 660.

[0271] Also, as described above, since the second rotating body 660 is rotatably supported on the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 611 of the front case body 610, the arrangement position of such a second rotating body 660 can be defined with reference to the front case body 610. Therefore, the positional relationship between the gear (second outer peripheral gear 661a) engraved on the outer peripheral surface of the second rotating body 660 and the front gear 646 disposed on the front case body 610 can be defined with reference to the front case body 610. As a result, the meshing state between the second outer peripheral gear 661a of the second rotating body 660 and the front gear 646 can be stabilized, so that uneven wear of the gear can be suppressed and the driving resistance can be suppressed.

[0272] The axial dimension of the main body portion 661 is set to be equal to or slightly smaller than the distance between the front surface of the front case body 610 and the back surface of the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650. Therefore, the second rotating body 660 can define its axial position by bringing the end surface on one axial side or the end surface on the other axial side of the main body portion 661 into contact with the back surface of the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 or the front surface of the front case body 610.

[0273] Note that on the end surface on one axial side and the end surface on the other axial side of the main body portion 661, a front ridge 661b and a back ridge 661c respectively project. The front ridge 661b is formed in an annular shape in a front view, and the back ridge 661c is formed in a shape obtained by dividing the annular shape in a front view at a plurality of locations. Thereby, when rotating the first rotating body 660, the frictional resistance between the main body portion 661, the front case 610, and the second rotating body 650 (front effect portion 652) can be reduced, and the load on the drive motor 630 can be suppressed.

[0274] The front effect portion 662 is located on the back side of the front effect portion 652 in the first rotating body 650, and is a portion that is visually recognized as an effect portion together with the effect portion 652 by the player. It is formed to project outward in a flange shape from the outer peripheral surface of the main body portion 661. The front effect portion 662 includes an outer peripheral side portion 662a formed in a saw blade shape in which irregular mountains and valleys are repeated along the circumferential direction, and an inner peripheral side portion 662b that is an annular portion in a front view on the inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral side portion 662a.

[0275] The front surface (front face, appearance forming surface) of the front effect portion 662 is plated in the same manner as the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650. However, in the above-described first rotating body 650, plating was applied to the entire surface (entire range) of the front effect portion 652, but in the second rotating body 650, plating is applied only to the outer peripheral side portion 662a of the front effect portion 662, and the inner peripheral side portion 662b is not plated.

[0276] Therefore, as will be described later, when the ridges (second portions) and valleys (first portions) of the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 are sequentially passed in front of (forward of) the light emitting element 681 of the light emitting device 680 to allow the player to intermittently and selectively visually recognize the light emitting element 681, the light emitting element 681 can be visually recognized by the player through the inner peripheral side portion 662b of the front effect portion 662 (that is, the portion not plated) (see FIG. 39).

[0277] The spherical liquid crystal device 670 mainly includes a projected surface portion 671 formed as a spherical shell from a light transmissive material, and a case body 672 in which a projection device for projecting an image on the inner surface of the spherical shell of the projected surface portion 671 is housed therein. The player visually recognizes the image projected from the projection device and transmitted through the outer surface of the projected surface portion 671. In the assembled state, the case body 672 is fastened and fixed to the back surface of the back case body 620, and the projected surface portion 671 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the first rotating body 650 in a posture in which substantially half of its spherical shell protrudes forward from the front of the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 (see FIG. 33).

[0278] The light emitting device 680 mainly includes a case body 681 having an annular shape in front view and externally fitted to the cylindrical portion 612 of the front case 610, a circuit board housed in the case body 681, and a plurality (12 in this embodiment) of light emitting elements 682 disposed (mounted) on the front (front surface) side of the circuit board. In the assembled state, the light emitting device 680 is disposed on the back side of the front effect portions 652 and 662 of the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660.

[0279] Openings having an outer shape larger than that of the light emitting element 682 are formed at 12 positions on the front (front surface) of the case body 681 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the respective light emitting elements 682 are mounted on the circuit board corresponding to the opening positions of the respective openings. That is, in the front view of the light emitting device 680, the light emitting elements 682 are exposed from the openings of the case body 681, and the light emitted from the light emitting elements 682 can be irradiated toward the front side (the front effect portions 652 and 662 of the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) through the openings of the case body 681.

[0280] On the front (front side) of the light-emitting device 680, as described above, the front effect portions 652 and 662 of the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 are disposed. By rotating the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650, it is possible to intermittently and selectively allow the player to visually recognize the light emission by the light-emitting element 682. Here, the structure for intermittently and selectively allowing the player to visually recognize the light emission of the light-emitting element 682 will be described with reference to FIGS. 38 and 39.

[0281] FIG. 38 is a front view of the rotation operation unit 600. In FIGS. 38(a) and 38(b), states in which the first rotating body 650 is disposed at different rotational positions are illustrated. FIG. 39(a) is a cross-sectional view of the rotation operation unit 600 taken along line XXXIXa-XXXIXa of FIG. 38(a), and FIG. 39(b) is a cross-sectional view of the rotation operation unit 600 taken along line XXXIXb-XXXIXb of FIG. 38(b).

[0282] In FIG. 38, only the first rotating body 650 and the light-emitting device 680 in the rotation operation unit 600 are illustrated in order to clarify the phase relationship between the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 and the light-emitting element 682 of the light-emitting device 680. In FIG. 39, in order to clarify the radial position relationship between the front effect portions 652 and 662 of the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 and the light-emitting element 682 of the light-emitting device 680, a disassembled state in which the second rotating body 660 is added to the first rotating body 650 and the light-emitting device 680 shown in FIG. 38 is schematically illustrated.

[0283] As shown in FIGS. 38 and 39, where the front view shape of the front effect portion 652 in the first rotating body 650 is formed in a saw blade shape in which an irregular mountain (second part) and valley (first part) are repeated along the circumferential direction, the arrangement position of the light-emitting element 682 in the light-emitting device 680 is set at a radial position (vertical position in FIG. 39(a)) that is radially outside (upper side in FIG. 39(a)) of the bottom of the valley in the front effect portion 652 and radially inside (lower side in FIG. 39(a)) of the peak of the mountain in the front effect portion 652.

[0284] In this case, as described above, the inner peripheral side portion 662b of the front effect portion 662 of the second rotating body 660 is formed so as to be capable of transmitting light without being plated on the front (front surface). The formation range of such an inner peripheral side portion 662b (the range indicated by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 39) is set to a range including the bottom of the valley in the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 and the light emitting element 682 of the light emitting device 680. That is, in a front view, the light emitting element 682 of the light emitting device 680 can be visually recognized by the player through the inner peripheral side portion 662b of the front effect portion 662 of the second rotating body 660 (that is, transmitted) from the valley portion in the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650.

[0285] Further, as described above, the outer peripheral side portion 662a of the front effect portion 662 of the second rotating body 660 is plated on the front (front surface) and is given an appearance imitating a shiny metal. Such an outer peripheral side portion 662a is disposed to face the back side of the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650. That is, in a front view, the outer peripheral side portion 662a of the front effect portion 662 of the second rotating body 660 can be visually recognized by the player from the valley portion in the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650.

[0286] As described above, according to the rotation operation unit 600, in the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650, mountains and valleys are alternately formed in the circumferential direction in a region overlapping the light emitting element 682 of the light emitting device 680 in a front view. Therefore, as the first rotating body 650 rotates, the mountains and valleys of the front effect portion 652 alternately pass in front of the light emitting element 682, and the light emission of the light emitting element 682 can be intermittently visually recognized by the player through the inner peripheral side portion 662b of the front effect portion 682 of the second rotating body 660. Thereby, an effect can be effectively achieved in which a plurality of rotating bodies (the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) are rotated around the spherical liquid crystal device 670.

[0287] Further, the outer peripheral side portion 662a of the front effect portion 662 of the second rotating body 660 is plated to give an appearance imitating a shiny metal. On the front (front surface) side of the outer peripheral side portion 662a, the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 is disposed. Therefore, as described above, when the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 rotate in opposite directions to each other, the outer peripheral side portion 662a of the front effect portion 652 of the second rotating body 660 is rotated in a direction opposite to that of the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 through the valley portion of the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650, and this can be visually recognized by the player.

[0288] That is, according to the rotation operation unit 600, for a player viewing the first rotating body 650 from the front, the light emitting element 682 of the light emitting device 680 is intermittently visually recognized on the valley bottom side of the valley and peak shape of the front effect portion 652, and on the peak side of the valley and peak shape of the front effect portion 652, the front effect portion 662 (outer peripheral side portion 662a) of the second rotating body 660 is visually recognized as being rotated in a direction opposite to that of the front effect portion 652 (valley and peak shape) of the first rotating body 650. Thereby, it is possible to easily make the player recognize the rotation of the first rotating body 650 and the rotation of the second rotating body 660 in association with each other. As a result, an effect can be effectively achieved in performing an effect of rotating a plurality of rotating bodies (the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) respectively.

[0289] Furthermore, according to the rotation effect unit 600, as described above, while the valleys in the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 are formed at 16 locations in the circumferential direction, the light emitting elements 682 of the light emitting device 680 are disposed at 12 locations in the circumferential direction. Therefore, only a specific light emitting element 682 can be selectively visually recognized by the player from among the 12 light emitting elements 682 disposed at those 12 locations.

[0290] That is, by setting the circumferential interval between the valleys in the front display unit 652 and the circumferential interval of the light-emitting elements 682 to be different intervals, for example, in the state shown in FIG. 38(a), the light-emitting elements 682 arranged at four locations, top, bottom, left, and right, are made visible. On the other hand, when the first rotating body 650 (front display unit 652) is rotated by a predetermined rotation angle from the state shown in FIG. 38(a), as shown in FIG. 38(b), different light-emitting elements 682 are selected, and the light-emitting elements 682 arranged at four locations, upper right, lower right, lower left, and upper left, are made visible.

[0291] Thereby, not only can the light-emitting elements 682 of the light-emitting device 680 be intermittently made visible, but also the position of the visible light-emitting elements 682 can be changed in the circumferential direction. Therefore, the effect of performing the production of rotating each of the plurality of rotating bodies (the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) can be made more effective.

[0292] Returning to FIGS. 34 to 36, the overall structure of the rotation operation unit 600 will be described. As described above, the opening 611 and the cylindrical portion 612 are formed in the front case body 610, and the storage flange portion 653 is formed separately from the main body portion 651 and the front display portion 652 of the first rotating body 650. Therefore, the second rotating body 660 is mounted on the outer peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 612 of the front case body 610, the main body portion 651 of the first rotating body 650 is inserted into the inner peripheral side of the cylindrical portion 612 of the front case body 610, and after fastening and fixing the storage flange portion 653 to the inserted main body portion 651, the back case body 620 is fastened and fixed to the front case body 610, whereby the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 can be held in a rotatable state by the front case body 610 and the back case body 620.

[0293] That is, the main body portion 651 of the first rotating body 650 is inserted into the opening 611 and the cylindrical portion 612 of the front case body 610, whereby the first rotating body 650 is rotatably supported by the front case body 610. In this case, the storage flange portion 653 of the first rotating body 650 can be brought into contact with the back surface of the front case body 610 and the front surface of the back case body 620, respectively, whereby the displacement of the first rotating body 650 with respect to the two case bodies 610 and 620 in the front side (front) and the back side (rear) can be restricted.

[0294] At the same time, the second rotating body 660 is externally fitted to the cylindrical portion 612 of the front case body 610, and is rotatably supported by the front case body 610. In this case, the second rotating body 660 (the front convex strip 661b and the rear convex strip 662c) is brought into contact with the back surface of the front effect portion 652 of the first rotating body 650 and the front surface of the case body 681 of the light emitting device 680, respectively. Thereby, displacement of the second rotating body 660 in the front side (frontward) and the back side (rearward) with respect to the both case bodies 610, 620 can be restricted.

[0295] Thus, according to the rotation operation unit 600, while being able to hold a plurality of rotating bodies (the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) in a rotatable state, since the rotating body (the first rotating body 650) itself also serves as a part that restricts the displacement of the second rotating body 660, the structure can be simplified accordingly. Further, since the holding structure for holding a plurality of rotating bodies (the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) in a rotatable state can be formed only by fastening and fixing the storage flange portion 653 to the main body portion 651 of the first rotating body 650, the assembling process can be simplified. As a result, reduction of the product cost can be achieved.

[0296] Also, according to the rotation operation unit 600, since the first rotating body 650 is formed in a cylindrical shape and the opening 621 is formed in the rear case body 620, after holding a plurality of rotating bodies (the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660) in a rotatable state in the front case body 610 and the rear case body 620, the spherical liquid crystal device 670 can be assembled and completed only by mounting and fastening it from the back side of the rear case body 620 (see FIG. 33). That is, the spherical liquid crystal device 670 can be retrofitted to the assembled products of the case bodies 610, 620 and the rotating bodies 650, 660 in a separate process. Therefore, this point also contributes to simplifying the assembling process and reducing the product cost.

[0297] The present invention has been described based on the above-described embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments at all, and it can be easily inferred that various modifications and improvements are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0298] In the protruding operation unit 400 in the above embodiment, the case where the relative displacement member 450 is slidably disposed with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 has been described. However, it is not necessarily limited to this, and the relative displacement member 450 may be rotatably disposed with respect to the base-side displacement member 440. That is, the first operation is to rotate the base-side displacement member 440 between the retracted position (see FIG. 13) and the rotated position (see FIG. 14) in the same manner as in the above embodiment, and the second operation is to rotate the relative displacement member 450 with respect to the base-side displacement member 440 between the reference position (see FIG. 14) and the protruding position (see FIG. 15). A configuration may be adopted.

[0299] Also with this configuration, when the base-side displacement member 450 in the retracted position is arranged at the rotated position by the first operation, and the relative displacement member 450 in the reference position is arranged at the protruding position by the second operation, the entire two displacement members 440 and 450 can be sufficiently visually recognized by the player, and the production effect can be sufficiently exhibited. On the other hand, when the relative displacement member 450 in the protruding position is rotated to the reference position by the second operation, and the base-side displacement member 440 in the rotated position is arranged at the retracted position by the first operation, the entire two displacement members 440 and 450 can be made smaller, and the space required to accommodate the displacement members can be suppressed.

[0300] In the protruding operation unit 400 in the above embodiment, the case where the tip side of the base-side displacement member 450 protrudes toward the decorative member 480 side (upper side in FIG. 17(b)) more than the tip side of the relative displacement member 450 in a state where the base-side displacement member 440 is arranged at the retracted position (see FIG. 17(b)) has been described. However, it is not necessarily limited to this, and conversely, a configuration may be adopted in which the tip side of the relative displacement member 450 protrudes toward the decorative member 480 side (upper side in FIG. 17(b)) more than the tip side of the base-side displacement member 450.

[0301] Even with this configuration, the rotation trajectories of the two displacement members 440 and 450 can intersect the decorative member 480, and when they intersect, the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be visually recognized by passing through the decorative member 480. Therefore, the production effect obtained by displacing the two displacement members 440 and 450 can be enhanced. Further, according to this configuration, when the relative displacement member 450 is protruded (see FIG. 15), the area of the decorative portion 454 located in the front (front side) can be further enlarged, and a further improvement in the impact can be achieved.

[0302] In the composite operation unit 500 in the above embodiment, the case where the connection groove 552a of the driven member 550 is formed in an elongated hole shape and the driven member 550 (connection groove 552a) is connected to the driven member 560 (connection shaft 561b) in a rotatable and slidable state has been described. However, it is not necessarily limited to this. By forming the connection groove 552a in a circular shape, a configuration in which the sliding displacement of the driven member 560 (connection shaft 561b) with respect to the driven member 550 (connection groove 552a) is disabled (that is, a configuration in which only rotation is allowed) may be adopted. Even with this configuration, when the driven member 560 is relatively displaced along with the displacement of the driven member 550, the relative angle of the driven member 560 with respect to the driven member 550 can be changed. Therefore, a change can be imparted to the trajectory of the driven member 560 to enhance the production effect.

[0303] In this case, the displacement regulating means constituted by the first guide groove 513 and the first pin 561a may be constituted by a gear disposed concentrically with the connection shaft 561b on the driven member 560 and a curved rack gear that meshes with the gear and is formed along an arc centered on the drive shaft 551a of the driven member 550 and is disposed on the front case body 510 or the rear case body 520. Thereby, when the driven member 560 is relatively displaced along with the displacement of the driven member 550, the relative angle of the driven member 560 with respect to the driven member 550 can be changed by the gear rolling on the rack gear.

[0304] In the composite operation unit 500 in the above embodiment, although the case where the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523 are formed in the front case body 510 and the rear case body 520, and the first pin 561a and the connection shaft 561b inserted into these two guide grooves 513, 523 are formed on the driven member 560 has been described, it is not necessarily limited to this. Conversely, the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523 may be provided on the driven member 560, and a configuration may be adopted in which the portions inserted into these two guide grooves 513, 523 (members corresponding to the first pin 561a and the connection shaft 561b) are provided on the front case body 510 and (or) the rear case body 520. Also with this configuration, as the driven member 550 is displaced, a motion combining linear motion and rotational motion can be made to occur in the driven member 560. Therefore, a change can be imparted to the trajectory of such a driven member 560 to enhance the production effect.

[0305] In the composite operation unit 500 in the above embodiment, although the case where the first guide groove 513 is formed (opening formed) in the front case body 510 has been described, it is not necessarily limited to this. Such a first guide groove 513 may be formed, for example, as a concave groove having a U-shaped cross section. That is, the first guide groove 513 only needs to be shaped so as to be able to guide the first pin 561a along its extending direction.

[0306] In the composite operation unit 500 in the above embodiment, although the case where the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523 are curved and extend while the connection groove 551a extends linearly has been described, it is not necessarily limited to this. Conversely, a configuration may be adopted in which the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523 extend linearly while the connection groove 551a extends in a curved manner. In particular, although the case where the first guide groove 513 and the second guide groove 523 are set to an arc shape with a constant radius of curvature has been described, it is not limited to this. It is of course possible to adopt a shape combining arc shapes with a plurality of radii of curvature (for example, an S-shaped etc.). Thereby, the trajectory of the driven member 560 can be changed more complexly, so the production effect can be enhanced.

[0307] Specifically, for example, when setting the first guide groove 513 or the second guide groove 523 to an arc shape, it is preferable to make the radius of the arc shape larger (reduce the curvature) when the driven member 550 is disposed near the rotation start end or the rotation end in the rotation direction centered on the shaft portions 553 and 554. That is, it is preferable to make the radius in the first range near the start end and its vicinity or the second range near the end and its vicinity in the first guide groove 513 or the second guide groove 523 larger than the reference value, or larger than the radius in the third range located between the first range and the second range. Thereby, in the initial stage of starting the drive of the driven member 550 in the stopped state by the drive motor 530, the load can be reduced and the drive can be started smoothly.

[0308] Alternatively, while the driven member 560 is made invisible by the front case body 510, the radius of the first guide groove 513 or the second guide groove 523 is set to a value larger than the reference value, and after a part of the driven member 560 starts to be exposed outside the area of the front case body 510 (becomes visible) until the entire driven member 560 is exposed outside the area of the front case body 510 (becomes visible), the radius of the first guide groove 513 or the second guide groove 523 may be set to a value smaller than the reference value. According to this, in the former case, since the operation of the driven member 560 is not visible to the player, the load of the drive motor 530 can be reduced without affecting the production effect. In the latter case, in the range where a part of the driven member 560 is shielded by the front case body 510, the movement of the driven member 560 can be accelerated, so that an effect where the driven member 560 suddenly appears from the front case body 510 or an effect where the driven member 560 quickly hides behind the front case body 510 can be achieved.

[0309] Alternatively, while the driven member 560 is in the horizontal position (the center of gravity position of the decoration part 562 is positioned within a range defined by a pair of virtual lines that are inclined 45 degrees upward and downward with respect to a horizontal line passing through the connection axis 561b when viewed in the direction of the connection axis 561b (see FIG. 30)), the radius of the first guide groove 513 or the second guide groove 523 may be set to a value larger than the reference value, and while the driven member 560 exceeds the horizontal position, the radius of the first guide groove 513 or the second guide groove 523 may be set to a value smaller than the reference value. According to this, in a region where it is relatively necessary to support the own weight (action of gravity) of the driven member 560 with the driving force of the drive motor 530, by increasing the radius, the influence of the frictional resistance at each guide groove 513, 514 and the inertial force due to the change in the posture of the driven member 560 can be reduced, and the load on the drive motor 530 can be reduced. On the other hand, in a region where it is relatively unnecessary to support the own weight (action of gravity) of the driven member 560 with the driving force of the drive motor 530, by reducing the radius, the change in the operation of the driven member 560 can be increased, and the production effect can be enhanced.

[0310] In the rotational operation unit 600 in the above-described embodiment, in the first rotating body 650, the case where the main body portion 651 and the front production portion 652 are integrated and the storage flange portion 653 is separate has been described, but it is not necessarily limited to this. A configuration may be adopted in which the first rotating body 650 is formed by integrating the main body portion 651 and the storage flange portion 653 and separating the front production portion 652. Also with this configuration, similar to the case of the above-described embodiment, the structure and the assembly process for rotatably holding a plurality of rotating bodies can be simplified, and the product cost can be reduced.

[0311] In the rotating operation unit 600 in the above-described embodiment, the case where the inner peripheral side portion 662b in the front effect portion 662 of the second rotating body 660 is formed with its front (front surface) as a flat surface has been described. However, it is not necessarily limited to this, and a part or all of the front surface may be replaced with a flat surface and have other shapes. Examples of other shapes include, for example, a surface having a plurality of concavities and convexities, a surface formed in a cross-sectional waveform, an inclined surface, a curved surface, or a surface combining these. When these other shapes are adopted, not only can the light emitted from the light-emitting element 682 and transmitted through the inner peripheral side portion 662b be diffusely reflected or refracted, but also, as the second rotating body 660 rotates, movement can be imparted in the direction of the diffuse reflection or refraction, so that the effect can be enhanced (see FIG. 39).

[0312] In the rotating operation unit 600 in the above-described embodiment, the case where the outer diameter dimension of the front effect portion 662 of the second rotating body 660 is set to a size that overlaps only a part of the front gear 646 in a front view has been described (see FIG. 36). However, it is not necessarily limited to this, and the outer diameter dimension of the front effect portion 662 of the second rotating body 660 may be set to a size that overlaps the entire front gear 646 in a front view. Thereby, since the front gear 646 can be shielded by the front effect portion 662, it is not necessary to separately provide a member for making the front gear 646 invisible to the player. Note that if the front gear 646 can be made invisible to the player, such a front gear 646 can be made into a larger-diameter gear, so that the degree of freedom in setting the gear ratio can be increased. Therefore, the change in the rotation of the second rotating body 660 with respect to the first rotating body 650 can be increased.

[0313] In the rotation operation unit 600 in the above embodiment, the description of the stop positions of the first rotating body 650 and the second rotating body 660 was omitted, but it may be configured as follows. That is, the shape of the peak in at least one or both of the front effect portions 652 and 662 of the first rotating body 650 or the second rotating body 660 is formed to be large enough to shield the front gear 646 in a front view, and the rotation of the first rotating body 650 or the second rotating body 660 may be stopped at the phase position where the peak-shaped portion is disposed in front of the front gear 646. Thereby, the front gear 646 can be made invisible to the player when the rotation of the first rotating body 650 or the second rotating body 660 stops.

[0314] The present invention may be implemented in a pachinko machine or the like of a type different from the above embodiments. For example, it may be implemented as a pachinko machine (commonly referred to as a double jackpot prize or a triple jackpot prize) in which the jackpot expectation value is increased until a jackpot occurs once and a plurality of (for example, two or three) jackpot states including that occur. Further, it may be implemented as a pachinko machine that generates a special game that gives a predetermined game value to the player on the condition that a ball is won in a predetermined area after a jackpot symbol is displayed. Further, it may be implemented in a pachinko machine having a winning device having a special area such as a V zone, and a special game state is entered on the condition that a ball is won in the special area. Furthermore, in addition to pachinko machines, it may be implemented as various gaming machines such as arepachi, bird pachinko, slot machines, and gaming machines in which a so-called pachinko machine and a slot machine are combined.

[0315] Incidentally, a slot machine is a well-known device in which, for example, when a coin is inserted to determine a symbol valid line and the operation lever is operated, the symbols are changed, and when the stop button is operated, the symbols are stopped and determined. Therefore, as the basic concept of a slot machine, it is "equipped with a display device that variably displays an identification information string composed of a plurality of identification information and then fixedly displays the identification information, and the variable display of the identification information is started due to the operation of a start operation means (for example, an operation lever), and due to the operation of a stop operation means (for example, a stop button), or when a predetermined time has elapsed, the variable display of the identification information stops and is fixedly displayed, and a special game that gives a predetermined game value to the player is generated on the condition that the combination of the identification information at the time of the stop is a specific one. In this case, game media such as coins and medals are representative examples."

[0316] Also, as a specific example of a gaming machine that combines a pachinko machine and a slot machine, there is one that is equipped with a display device that variably displays a symbol string composed of a plurality of symbols and then fixedly displays the symbols, and does not have a handle for hitting the balls. In this case, after a predetermined amount of balls are inserted based on a predetermined operation (button operation), for example, the variation of the symbols is started due to the operation of the operation lever, and due to the operation of the stop button, for example, or when a predetermined time has elapsed, the variation of the symbols stops, and a special game that gives a predetermined game value to the player is generated on the condition that the determined symbol at the time of the stop is a so-called jackpot symbol, and a large amount of balls are paid out to the lower tray for the player. If such a gaming machine is used instead of a slot machine, since only balls can be treated as game values in a game hall, problems such as the equipment burden due to the separate handling of medals and balls as game values and the restrictions on the installation locations of gaming machines, which are seen in the current game halls where pachinko machines and slot machines are mixed, can be solved.

[0317] <Second Embodiment> Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 40 to 97. In this second embodiment, control processes (processes related to the control of games such as display effects) executed in the pachinko machine 10 described in the first embodiment will be described.

[0318] <Regarding the mechanical configuration in the second embodiment> Next, with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the configuration of the pachinko machine 10 in the second embodiment will be described. FIG. 1 is a front view, FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board 13 of the pachinko machine 10, and FIG. 3 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

[0319] As shown in FIG. 1, the pachinko machine 10 includes an outer frame 11 whose outer shell is formed by a wooden frame combined in a substantially rectangular shape, and an inner frame 12 formed in substantially the same outer shape as the outer frame 11 and supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the outer frame 11. On the outer frame 11, metal hinges 18 are attached at two upper and lower positions on the left side in a front view (see FIG. 1) to support the inner frame 12, and the inner frame 12 is supported so as to be openable and closable to the front side with the side where the hinge 18 is provided as the axis of opening and closing.

[0320] A game board 13 (see FIG. 2) having a large number of nails and winning holes 63, 64, etc. is detachably attached to the inner frame 12 from the back side. A pinball game is performed by the balls flowing down the front surface of this game board 13. Note that the inner frame 12 is provided with a ball launch unit 112a (see FIG. 49) for launching balls into the front area of the game board 13, a launch rail (not shown) for guiding the balls launched from the ball launch unit 112a to the front area of the game board 13, and the like.

[0321] On the front side of the inner frame 12, a front frame 14 that covers the upper front surface thereof and a lower dish unit 15 that covers the lower side thereof are provided. In order to support the front frame 14 and the lower dish unit 15, metal hinges 19 are attached at two upper and lower positions on the left side in the front view (see Fig. 1), and the front frame 14 and the lower dish unit 15 are supported so as to be openable and closable toward the front side with the side where the hinge 19 is provided as the axis of opening and closing. Note that the locking of the inner frame 12 and the locking of the front frame 14 are each released by inserting a dedicated key into the keyhole 21 of the cylinder lock 20 and performing a predetermined operation.

[0322] The front frame 14 is assembled with decorative resin parts, electrical parts, etc., and a window portion 14c formed in a substantially elliptical shape is provided at a substantially central portion thereof. On the back side of the front frame 14, a glass unit 16 having two plate glasses is disposed, and the front surface of the game board 13 can be visually recognized on the front side of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 16.

[0323] On the front frame 14, an upper dish 17 for storing balls is formed in a substantially box shape that projects forward and has an open upper surface, and prize balls, lent balls, etc. are discharged onto this upper dish 17. The bottom surface of the upper dish 17 is formed to slope downward on the right side in the front view (see Fig. 1), and the balls put into the upper dish 17 are guided to the ball launching unit 112a by this slope. Further, a frame button 22 is provided on the upper surface of the upper dish 17.

[0324] The frame button 22 is operated by a player, for example, when changing the background mode of the effect displayed by the third symbol display device 81 (see Fig. 2) described later or when changing the content of the preview effect. Further, the frame button 22 may be configured to be used as a switch for driving a driving accessory or the like provided in the gaming machine, for example.

[0325] On the front frame 14, light-emitting means such as various lamps are provided around it (for example, at the corner portions). These light-emitting means are controlled to change their light-emitting modes by lighting up or blinking in response to changes in the gaming state during a big win or at a predetermined reach, etc., and play a role in enhancing the production effects during the game. Around the periphery of the window portion 14c, decorative parts 29 to 33 incorporating light-emitting means such as LEDs are provided. In the pachinko machine 10, these decorative parts 29 to 33 function as production lamps such as big win lamps, and during a big win or a reach production, etc., each of the decorative parts 29 to 33 lights up or blinks by lighting up or blinking the built-in LEDs, and it is notified that it is during a big win or during a reach just before a big win. Also, on the upper left part of the front frame 14 in a front view (see FIG. 1), a display lamp 34 incorporating light-emitting means such as LEDs is provided, which can display during the payout of prize balls and when an error occurs.

[0326] Further, on the lower side of the right decorative part 32, a small window 35 is formed by attaching a transparent resin from the back side so that the back side of the front frame 14 can be visually recognized, and a certificate or the like attached to the sticking space K1 (see FIG. 2) in front of the game board 13 is made visible from the front of the pachinko machine 10. Also, in the pachinko machine 10, in order to create a more magnificent atmosphere, a plating member 36 made of ABS resin plated around the decorative parts 29 to 33 is attached.

[0327] Below the window portion 14c, a ball rental operation unit 40 is disposed. The ball rental operation unit 40 is provided with a credit display unit 41, a ball rental button 42, and a return button 43. When the ball rental operation unit 40 is operated with a bill, a card, or the like inserted into a card unit (ball rental unit) (not shown) disposed on the side of the pachinko machine 10, balls are rented out according to the operation. Specifically, the credit display unit 41 is an area where balance information of a card or the like is displayed, and the built-in LED lights up and the balance is displayed numerically as the balance information. The ball rental button 42 is operated to obtain rented balls based on information recorded on a card or the like (recording medium), and rented balls are supplied to the upper tray 17 as long as there is a balance on the card or the like. The return button 43 is operated when requesting the return of a card or the like inserted into the card unit. In the case of a pachinko machine, so-called a cash machine, in which balls are directly rented out from a ball rental device or the like to the upper tray 17 without passing through the card unit, the ball rental operation unit 40 is not required. In this case, a decorative sticker or the like may be added to the installation portion of the ball rental operation unit 40 so that the component configuration is common. It is possible to make the pachinko machine using the card unit and the cash machine common.

[0328] In the lower dish unit 15 located below the upper dish 17, a lower dish 50 for storing the balls that could not be completely stored in the upper dish 17 is formed in a substantially box shape with an open upper surface at its central part. On the right side of the lower dish 50, an operation handle 51 operated by the player to drive the balls into the front surface of the game board 13 is provided. Inside such an operation handle 51, there are a touch sensor 51a for permitting the driving of the ball launching unit 112a, a push-button type stop switch 51b for stopping the ball launch during the period of the pressing operation, and a variable resistor (not shown) for detecting the amount of rotational operation of the operation handle 51 by the change in the electrical resistance. When the operation handle 51 is rotated clockwise by the player, the touch sensor 51a is turned on and the resistance value of the variable resistor changes corresponding to the amount of operation. The balls are launched with a strength corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor that changes according to the amount of rotational operation of the operation handle 51, and thus the balls are driven into the front surface of the game board 13 with a jumping amount corresponding to the player's operation. Also, when the operation handle 51 is not being operated by the player, the touch sensor 51a and the stop switch 51b are turned off.

[0329] At the front lower part of the lower dish 50, a ball removal lever 52 for operating when discharging the balls stored in the lower dish 50 downward is provided. This ball removal lever 52 is constantly biased in the right direction, and by sliding it leftward against the bias, the bottom surface opening formed on the bottom surface of the lower dish 50 opens, and the balls naturally fall and are discharged from the bottom surface opening. The operation of such a ball removal lever 52 is usually performed with a box (generally called a "senryo box") placed below the lower dish 50 to receive the balls discharged from the lower dish 50. On the right side of the lower dish 50, the operation handle 51 is provided as described above, and an ashtray 53 is attached to the left side of the lower dish 50.

[0330] As shown in FIG. 2, the game board 13 is configured by assembling a wooden base board 60 that has been machined by cutting into a substantially square shape when viewed from the front, a number of pins, windmills, and rails 61 and 62 for guiding balls, a general winning opening 63, a first winning opening 64, a second winning opening 640, an electric accessory 640a, a variable winning device 65, a variable display device unit 80, etc., and the peripheral portion thereof is attached to the back side of the inner frame 12. The general winning opening 63, the first winning opening 64, the second winning opening 640, the variable winning device 65, and the variable display device unit 80 are disposed in through holes formed in the base board 60 by routing and are fixed from the front side of the game board 13 with wood screws or the like. Also, the central portion of the front surface of the game board 13 can be visually recognized from the front side of the inner frame 12 through the window portion 14c (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14. Hereinafter, the configuration of the game board 13 will be mainly described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0331] On the front surface of the game board 13, an outer rail 62 formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate into a substantially arc shape is planted, and at an inner position of the outer rail 62, an arc-shaped inner rail 61 formed of a strip-shaped metal plate similar to the outer rail 62 is planted. The front outer periphery of the game board 13 is surrounded by the inner rail 61 and the outer rail 62, and the front and back are surrounded by the game board 13 and the glass unit 16 (see FIG. 1), so that a game area where the game is played by the behavior of the balls is formed on the front surface of the game board 13. The game area is a substantially circular area (an area where winning openings and the like are disposed and the launched balls flow down) defined by the two rails 61 and 62 and the arc member 70 on the front surface of the game board 13.

[0332] The two rails 61 and 62 are provided to guide the balls launched from the ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 49) to the upper part of the game board 13. A return ball prevention member 68 is attached to the tip portion of the inner rail 61 (the upper left part in FIG. 2), preventing a situation where a ball once guided to the upper part of the game board 13 returns into the ball guiding passage again. A return rubber 69 is attached to the tip portion of the outer rail 62 (the upper right part in FIG. 2) at a position corresponding to the maximum flight portion of the ball. A ball launched with a momentum above a predetermined level hits the return rubber 69 and bounces back toward the central part while its momentum is attenuated. Also, between the lower right tip portion of the inner rail 61 and the upper right tip portion of the outer rail 62, a resin arc member 70 formed by providing an arc connecting the rails on the inner surface side is driven into and fixed to the base plate 60.

[0333] In this pachinko machine 10, when a ball enters the first winning hole 64, a lottery for the special symbol 1 (the first symbol) is conducted. When a ball enters the second winning hole 640, a lottery for the special symbol 2 (the second symbol) is conducted. When a ball passes through the through gate 67, a lottery for the normal symbol (the second symbol) is conducted. In the lottery for the special symbol 1 or the special symbol 2 (hereinafter, the special symbol 1 or the special symbol 2 is referred to as the special symbol) conducted for a ball entering the first winning hole 64 or the second winning hole 640, a winning determination as to whether or not it is a big win of the special symbol is made, and when it is determined to be a big win of the special symbol, a determination of the big win type is also made. When a big win of the special symbol occurs, the pachinko machine 10 shifts to a special game state, and a specific winning hole 65a that is normally closed is opened for a predetermined time (for example, until 30 seconds elapse, or until 10 balls win), and this opening is repeated 16 times (16 rounds). As a result, a large number of balls win in the specific winning hole 65a, so a larger number of prize balls are paid out than in normal times. As the big win types of the special symbol, two types, "big win A" and "big win B", are provided, and after the end of the special game state, as an added value after the big win, a game value (game value) corresponding to these big win types is given to the player.

[0334] Also, when the lottery for the special symbol 1 (the first symbol) or the special symbol 2 (the first symbol) is conducted, the variable display of the special symbol is started on the first symbol display device 37, and after a predetermined time (for example, 8 seconds to 30 seconds, etc.) has elapsed, the special symbol indicating the lottery result is stopped and displayed. When a ball enters the first winning opening 64 while the variable display of the special symbol is being performed on the first symbol display device 37, the number of times of entering the ball is held up to a maximum of 4 times, and the number of held-up balls is indicated by the first symbol display device 37 and also indicated on the third symbol display device 81. Similarly, when a ball enters the second winning opening 640 during the variable display of the special symbol, the number of times of entering the ball is held up to a maximum of 4 times, and the number of held-up balls is indicated on the first symbol display device 37 and also indicated for the third symbol display device 81. Note that the number of held-up balls for the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2 are indicated on the first symbol display device 37 and the third symbol display device 81 in a distinguishable display mode. Although details will be described later, for the player, the third symbol display device 81 is configured to be easier to identify the number of held-up balls, the variable display mode of the special symbol, the determination result, etc. than the first symbol display device 37, and usually the player is configured to play the game by looking at the display mode of the third symbol display device 81.

[0335] When the variable display ends on the first symbol display device 37, if there are still held-up balls for the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 640, the next lottery for the special symbol is conducted and the variable display corresponding to the lottery is started. Although details will be described later, in this embodiment, the lottery for the special symbol 2 is preferentially conducted with respect to the number of held-up balls of the second winning opening 640 rather than the number of held-up balls of the first winning opening 64, and the variable display corresponding to the lottery is started. Therefore, the lottery for the held-up balls of the first winning opening 64 is configured to be executed when there are no held-up balls in the second winning opening 640. While the variable display of the special symbol 2 is being executed, the variable display of the special symbol 1 is not executed. That is, the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2 are configured so that there is no period in which they vary simultaneously.

[0336] In addition, in this embodiment, the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2 are configured not to change simultaneously, but it is not limited thereto, and they may be configured to change simultaneously. By configuring in this way, more lottery draws of the game can be executed in a short time, and the judgment result can be displayed, so that the game can be played with higher time efficiency.

[0337] Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the second winning port 640 has an electric accessory 640a provided with a blade member that can rotate between an open state in which a game ball can be guided to the ball entry port where the game ball enters and a closed state in which entry of the game ball into the ball entry port is restricted. This electric accessory 640a is operated for a predetermined time from the closed state to the open state based on the winning (hitting) of a normal symbol (second symbol) described later. Also, normally, it is held in an upright state so as to prevent the entry of game balls from both sides of the ball entry port, and the first winning port 64 is arranged so as to prevent the game ball from entering through between the blade members. Therefore, the second winning port 640 is normally configured to be able to receive balls only when the electric accessory 640a is operated to the open state. Therefore, normally, the game ball is likely to enter the first winning port 64, and the player will play the game by firing the game ball trying to make the game ball enter the first winning port 64.

[0338] In addition, the special winning port 65a that is opened and closed when the pachinko machine 10 shifts to the special game state is provided directly below the second winning port 640. Therefore, during the special game state, since the player hits the ball trying to win at the special winning port 65a, many balls also enter the first winning port 64. Therefore, in most cases, while the pachinko machine 10 is in the special game state, the number of reserved balls for the first winning port 64 reaches the maximum (4 times).

[0339] On the other hand, in the lottery of the normal symbol performed for the passage of the ball through the through gate 67, a winning or losing determination as to whether or not the normal symbol wins is made. For the win of the normal symbol, two types are set: a normal win and a long-time win in which the opening time and the number of openings are each increased compared to the normal win. When the normal symbol wins or the long-time win occurs, the electric accessory associated with the second winning port 640 is opened a predetermined number of times for a predetermined time (for example, 0.2 seconds or 2 seconds), and the ball is likely to enter the second winning port 640. That is, when the normal symbol wins, the ball is likely to enter the second winning port 640, and as a result, the lottery of the special symbol is likely to be performed.

[0340] Also, when the lottery of the normal symbol (second symbol) is performed, the variable display of the normal symbol is started on the second symbol display device 83, and after a predetermined time (for example, 3 seconds or 30 seconds) has elapsed, the normal symbol indicating the lottery result is stopped and displayed. When the ball passes through the through gate 67 while the variable display is being performed on the second symbol display device 83, the number of passes is held up to a maximum of 4 times, and the number of held balls is displayed by the first symbol display device 37 and is also shown on the second symbol hold lamp 84. When the variable display ends on the second symbol display device 83, if the number of held balls for the through gate 67 remains, the lottery of the next normal symbol is performed and the variable display corresponding to the lottery is started.

[0341] As described above, as the big win types of the special symbol, two types, "big win A" and "big win B", are provided. When either "big win A" or "big win B" occurs, a special game state with 16 rounds (16R big win) is entered. After that, in the case of "big win A", as an added value after the big win, the pachinko machine 10 transitions to a high-probability state of the special symbol (during the probability change of the special symbol) from after the end of the big win until the start of the next big win game of the special symbol. On the other hand, for "big win B", the winning probability of the normal symbol increases until 100 lotteries of the special symbol are completed after the end of the big win. Note that even in the high-probability state, the winning probability of the normal symbol is similarly increased and set.

[0342] Here, the "high-probability state of the special symbol" refers to a state where the probability of a big win on the special symbol has increased, that is, the so-called probability state of the special symbol (during the probability variation of the special symbol). In other words, it is the state of the game that is likely to shift to the special game state (16R big win). On the contrary, the case where it is not in the "high-probability state of the special symbol" is called the "low-probability state of the special symbol", which means a state where the big win probability is lower than that in the probability variation state of the special symbol, that is, it indicates that the big win probability of the special symbol is in the normal state (the normal state of the special symbol or the low-probability game state). Also, the "short-time state of the normal symbol" (during the short-time of the normal symbol or the short-time game state) refers to the state of the game where the winning probability of the normal symbol has increased and it is easy for the ball to enter the second winning port 640. On the contrary, when it is not in the "short-time state of the normal symbol", it is called the "normal state of the normal symbol" (normal game state), which means that the winning probability of the normal symbol is in the normal state, that is, the winning probability is lower than that during the short-time. Hereafter, the period from after the end of the big win of the special symbol until the pachinko machine 10 is in the high-probability state of the special symbol is called the probability variation period of the special symbol.

[0343] Also, in this embodiment, when the big win type becomes "big win A", the period from after the end of the "big win A" until the start of the next big win is set as the probability variation period. However, it is not limited to this, and the period during which a special symbol lottery is executed a predetermined number of times (for example, 20 times, 100 times, etc.) may be set as the probability variation period. Also, both "big win A" and "big win B" may be configured to be set as the probability variation period for a predetermined number of times. Also, the probability variation period may naturally be the probability variation period during a predetermined time (2 minutes, 5 minutes, etc.).

[0344] In this pachinko machine 10, when the initial setting is performed by turning on the power or the like, it is always set to the "low-probability state of the special symbol". After that, when there is a big win on the special symbol, it shifts to the "high-probability state of the special symbol" and also shifts to the "short-time state of the normal symbol".

[0345] While the "high-probability state of the special symbol" continues, if a new jackpot occurs in the special symbol and the jackpot type is "Jackpot A", the "high-probability state of the special symbol" continues further from after the end of that new special symbol jackpot until the start of the next jackpot game.

[0346] On the upper right side of the front view of the game area (the upper right side in FIG. 2), a first symbol display device 37 is provided, which includes a plurality of light-emitting diodes (hereinafter abbreviated as "LEDs") 37a as light-emitting means and a 7-segment display 37b. The first symbol display device 37 makes a display according to each control performed by a main control device 110 described later, and mainly displays the game state of the pachinko machine 10. The plurality of LEDs 37a perform a variable display by indicating whether or not the lottery of the special symbol 1 or the special symbol 2 accompanying the ball entry (start winning) into the first winning port 64 or the second winning port 640 is in progress by a lighting state, or as a stop symbol after the variable display ends, indicates the special symbol 1 (first symbol) or the special symbol 2 (first symbol) according to the lottery result of the special symbol by a lighting state, and indicates the number of held balls, which is the number of balls among the balls that have entered the first winning port 64 or the second winning port 640 and for which the variable display has not been executed, by a lighting state respectively.

[0347] When a ball enters the first winning port 64 or the second winning port 640 while the variable display of the special symbol 1 (first symbol) or the special symbol 2 (first symbol) is being performed in this first symbol display device 37, the number of ball entries is held up to a maximum of 4 times respectively, and the number of held balls is indicated by the first symbol display device 37 and also by the third symbol display device 81 respectively. In this embodiment, the ball entry into the first winning port 64 and the second winning port 640 is configured to be held up to a maximum of 4 times respectively, but the maximum holding times are not limited to 4 times, and may be set to 3 times or less, or a number of times of 5 times or more (for example, 8 times).

[0348] The 7-segment display 37b indicates the number of rounds during a big win or error messages. The LEDs 37a are configured such that the emission colors of the respective LEDs (e.g., red, green, blue) are different, and by combining the emission colors, various game states of the pachinko machine 10 (such as a high-probability state of a special symbol or a time-shortened state of a normal symbol) can be displayed with a small number of LEDs. Further, the LEDs 37a not only indicate whether the lottery result of the special symbol 1 or the special symbol 2 as the stop symbol after the variation ends is a big win, but also show the special symbol (first symbol) corresponding to the type of big win (big win A, big win B) when it is a big win.

[0349] Note that dedicated LEDs 37a for the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2 are respectively assigned for displaying the symbol and the number of hold balls. By configuring in this way, the player can more easily distinguish between the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2.

[0350] In the game area, a plurality of general winning holes 63 are provided, where 5 to 15 balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball wins. In the central part of the game area, a variable display device unit 80 is provided. The variable display device unit 80 is provided with a third symbol display device 81 composed of a liquid crystal display (hereinafter simply abbreviated as "display device") and a second symbol display device 83 composed of LEDs. A center frame 86 is provided around the outer periphery of the third symbol display device 81 in the variable display device unit 80.

[0351] The third symbol display device 81 performs a decorative display corresponding to the display of the first symbol display device 37. For example, when a ball enters the first winning hole 64 or the second winning hole 640 (starting winning), as a trigger, a variable display of a special symbol (first symbol) corresponding to the starting hole where the ball entered is executed in the first symbol display device 37. Further, in the third symbol display device 81, a variable display of the third symbol corresponding to the variable display of the special symbol is performed in synchronization with the variable display of the special symbol.

[0352] The third symbol display device 81 is composed of a large liquid crystal display with an 8-inch size, and the display content is controlled by a display control device 114 described later, so that, for example, three symbol columns of left, middle, and right are displayed. Each symbol column is composed of a plurality of symbols, and these symbols scroll vertically for each symbol column so that the third symbol is variably displayed on the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. In the present embodiment, the display of the game state accompanying the control of the main control device 110 is performed by the first symbol display device 37, while the third symbol display device 81 performs a decorative display corresponding to the display of the first symbol display device 37. Note that, instead of the display device, for example, the third symbol display device 81 may be configured using a reel or the like.

[0353] Here, referring to FIG. 40, the display content of the third symbol display device 81 will be described. FIG. 40 is a drawing for explaining the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. FIG. 40(a) is a diagram schematically showing the area division setting and the effective line setting of the display screen, and FIG. 40(b) is a diagram illustrating an actual display screen.

[0354] The third symbol is composed of main symbols of numbers from "0" to "9". Further, in the pachinko machine 10 of the present embodiment, when the lottery result of a special symbol performed by a main control device 110 (see FIG. 49) described later is a big win, a variable display in which the same main symbols are aligned is performed, and a big win occurs after the variable display ends. On the other hand, when the lottery result of the special symbol is a miss, a variable display in which the same main symbols are not aligned is performed.

[0355] For example, if the lottery result of the special symbol is "big win A", a variable display in which the main symbols of odd numbers "1, 3, 5, 7, 9" are aligned and stopped is performed. Also, if it is "big win B", a variable display in which the main symbols of even numbers "0, 2, 4, 6, 8" are aligned is performed.

[0356] As shown in FIG. 40(a), the display screen of the third symbol display device 81 is roughly divided into two parts vertically. The upper 2 / 3 is the main display area Dm for variably displaying the third symbol, and the remaining lower 1 / 3 is the sub-display area Ds for displaying preview effects, characters, the number of hold balls, etc.

[0357] The main display area Dm is divided into three display areas Dm1 to Dm3 on the left, middle, and right. Three symbol columns Z1, Z2, and Z3 are respectively displayed in these three display areas Dm1 to Dm3. In each symbol column Z1 to Z3, the above-mentioned third symbol is displayed in a specified order. That is, in each symbol column Z1 to Z3, the main symbols are arranged in ascending order of numbers, and each symbol column Z1 to Z3 scrolls from top to bottom periodically for variable display. The approximate center of this main display area Dm is set as the effective line L1. In each game, the third symbol stops and is displayed on the effective line L1 in the order of the left symbol column Z1 → the right symbol column Z3 → the middle symbol column Z2. If the combination of jackpot symbols (in this embodiment, the combination of the same main symbols) is aligned on the effective line L1 when the third symbol stops, a jackpot video is displayed as a jackpot.

[0358] On the other hand, the sub-display area Ds is provided horizontally and longer below the main display area Dm, and is further equally divided into three small areas Ds1 to Ds3 in the left-right direction. Among them, the small area Ds1 is an area for displaying the number of hold balls, which is the number of balls (hold balls) among the balls that have entered the first winning port 64 and whose variation has not been executed. The small area Ds2 is an area for displaying a preview effect image. The small area Ds3 is an area for displaying the number of hold balls, which is the number of balls (hold balls) among the balls that have entered the second winning port 640 and whose variation has not been executed.

[0359] On the actual display screen, as shown in FIG. 40(b), a total of three main symbols of the third symbol stop and are displayed in the main display area Dm. When they are variably displayed, in addition to the main symbol displayed in the center, the main symbols arranged before and after it are also visibly displayed, so there may be a case where a total of nine main symbols are displayed at most. In the sub-display area Ds, one "●" symbol is displayed for each hold ball, and hold symbols are displayed corresponding to up to four hold balls for each of the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2. That is, a maximum of eight hold symbols are displayed in the sub-display area Ds.

[0360] In this embodiment, the same hold symbol (design) is used for the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2. However, it is not limited to this, and they may be configured to be displayed with different symbols (for example, a "●" symbol for the special symbol 1 and a "□" symbol for the special symbol 2).

[0361] Thereby, it is possible to easily identify the hold balls of the first winning port 64 and the second winning port 640, that is, the hold balls of the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2. In addition, since the display mode of the hold balls that have entered the second winning port 640 is made different according to the winning type of the normal symbol, the player can easily determine that they are hold balls generated with a long hit rate.

[0362] In this embodiment, in the main display area Dm and the sub-display area Ds of the third symbol display device 81, in addition to the above-mentioned main symbols, hold symbols, etc., character displays, preview performance displays such as characters, and displays of the total number of variable times are appropriately displayed. Also, when no hold symbol is displayed, it indicates that the number of hold balls is zero, that is, there are no hold balls.

[0363] In addition, in the present embodiment, the entry of balls into the first winning opening 64 is configured to be held up to a maximum of 4 times. However, the maximum number of held balls is not limited to 4 times, and it may be set to 3 times or less, or 5 times or more (for example, 8 times). Further, instead of displaying the number-of-held-balls symbol in the small area Ds1 or the small area Ds3, the number of held balls may be displayed numerically on a part of the third symbol display device 81, or the areas partitioned into four may be made different in a manner corresponding to the number of held balls (for example, color or lighting pattern). Also, since the number of held balls is indicated by the first symbol display device 37, the third symbol display device 81 may not display the number of held balls. Furthermore, four holding lamps indicating the number of held balls may be provided in the variable display device unit 80 up to the maximum number of held balls, and the number of held balls may be displayed according to the number of lit holding lamps.

[0364] Subsequently, with reference to FIGS. 41 to 44, the display mode of the holding effect performed on the third symbol display device 81 will be described. In the present second embodiment, it is configured to notify the game win / loss determination result and the selected variable pattern type by variably displaying the display mode of the holding symbol of the special symbol 1 or the special symbol 2. In the present embodiment, a normal holding effect as shown in FIG. 41 and an eight-effect as shown in FIG. 42 are respectively set. Regarding the normal holding effect, as shown in FIGS. 41(a) to (b), when the number of held symbols is less than 8, one of the holding symbols is variably displayed as a symbol displayed as "push" (FIG. 41(a)). After being variably displayed as the symbol displayed as "push", when the player presses the frame button 22, the symbol is variably displayed as a "△" symbol (see FIG. 41(b)).

[0365] In this embodiment, when a hold symbol for which a super reach is selected among the stored hold symbols is stored, or when a hold symbol for which the win / loss determination result is a win is stored, if it is selected by lottery that a normal hold symbol is to be executed, the hold symbol is variably displayed as a "push" symbol as shown in Fig. 41(a). Note that this "push" symbol is a notification hold symbol that notifies the player to press (operate) the frame button 22. The notification hold symbol is displayed while maintaining its display mode until the hold symbol starts to vary, as long as the frame button 22 is not pressed.

[0366] In this embodiment, it is configured to be displayed as a notification hold symbol until the start of variation. However, it is not limited to this, and it may be configured to be displayed as a notification hold symbol only for a certain period of time. Also, the normal hold effect is configured to be executed by lottery when a hold symbol for which a super reach is stored and when a hold symbol for which a big win is stored. However, it is not limited to this, and it may be configured to be executed by lottery even in other cases (for example, normal reach, non-winning, etc.). Various symbols that are variably displayed from the notification hold symbol may be set, and the win / loss determination result, reach type, etc. may be notified according to the symbol type, color, etc. Also, by configuring the normal hold effect to be more likely to be selected when the win / loss determination result is a big win, it is possible to make the player more expect a big win when the normal hold effect is displayed.

[0367] Next, the eight-symbol effect will be described with reference to Fig. 42. In this embodiment, when the maximum number of holds reaches eight, it is determined by lottery whether to execute an eight-symbol effect (see Figs. 42(a) and 42(b)) using all eight hold symbols. If it is determined that the eight-symbol effect is to be executed, as shown in Fig. 42(a), all the hold symbols are variably displayed as notification hold symbols of "push" symbols. And at the right end, a notification mode (a notification mode that is not a hold symbol) with the characters "Please press!" is displayed, and it is configured to prompt the player to press the frame button 22.

[0368] When the player presses the frame button 22 during the period when these eight effects are being executed, as shown in Fig. 42(b), the notified pending symbols are variably displayed as characters one by one. Here, each time the frame button 22 is pressed once, one notified pending symbol is variably displayed. The variable order is configured to vary in order from the notified pending symbols displayed on the left.

[0369] Whether to execute the eight effects by lottery is determined when there is a pending memory for a super hit or a pending memory for a winning determination result that is a big win among the eight stored pending symbols.

[0370] In the eight-pending effect, notifications are executed for the player by characters using the eight pending symbols. Specifically, when the characters "Big win!!!!" are displayed, it notifies that there is a pending memory for a winning determination result that is a big win among the eight pending memories (it is certain to be a big win). On the other hand, when the characters "Big win!!!?" are displayed, it notifies that there may be a pending memory for a big win among the eight pending memories (it is not yet determined that there is a pending memory for a big win among the eight pending memories).

[0371] By configuring it in this way, after the notified pending symbols of the eight effects are displayed, when the player presses the frame button 22 once, the leftmost notified pending symbol is variably displayed as "Big". When this character is displayed, the player first anticipates the character "Big win", and then presses the frame button 22. Here, when "Win" is displayed, then the player presses the frame button 22 and anticipates that the character "ning" will be displayed. In this way, the seven notified pending symbols are variably displayed. When the characters "Big win!!!" are displayed, the expectation of a big win increases as it is thought that the last remaining notified pending symbol (the rightmost pending symbol) will be variably displayed as "!". After that, by the player operating the frame button 22, the player can determine the notification result. In this way, in the eight-pending effect, each time the frame button 22 is pressed, the player can play the game while anticipating the next character to be displayed, and can enjoy the game.

[0372] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, even if the held balls are digested and the variation is started, the remaining notification held symbols that have been variable in the eight-symbol presentation are maintained and displayed. Therefore, the player can predict which characters (notification modes) were set from the characters of the remaining notification held symbols.

[0373] In the present embodiment, since the presentation that is advantageous to the player is configured to be executed by storing eight holds, the player can be made to play the game so that more held balls are stored. Specifically, usually, when a variation pattern with a long variation time such as a super reach (with a high expectation of a big win) is selected, the player may stop firing the game balls and play the game. During that time, it is also a period when held balls are likely to accumulate. Therefore, even if it misses, the eight-symbol presentation can be executed, and the player can be made to play the game without stopping the firing of the game balls.

[0374] Also, for a certain period after the eight-symbol presentation is executed, it may be configured to execute the eight-symbol presentation when eight held balls are stored. By configuring in this way, the player can be made to continue playing the game by continuing to fire the game balls in an attempt to generate more held balls.

[0375] Also, the notification mode (displayed characters) determined at the timing when the eight-symbol presentation is executed may be configured to be variable according to the determination result when a new held ball is generated. By configuring in this way, the fun of allowing the player to decide the timing to vary the notification held symbols can be provided.

[0376] Next, with reference to FIGS. 43 to 44, the composite display effect displayed on the third symbol display device 81 in the second embodiment will be described. The composite display effect is such that when the reach display mode is entered, after the main symbol that will be a miss in the middle symbol is temporarily stopped, the sub-symbol (blank symbol "△") is variably displayed as a "push" symbol, and then the "push" symbol moves to the center of the third symbol display device 81 and is variably displayed as a larger combined "push" symbol. Thereafter, when the player presses the frame button 22, the combination of the main symbols indicating the win / loss determination result is displayed again. Specifically, if the win / loss determination result is a win, it is displayed as a combination indicating a big win such as "777". On the other hand, if it is a miss, it is displayed as a symbol indicating a miss such as "717".

[0377] FIG. 43(a) shows a state where the variation pattern of the composite display mode is displayed, the reach display mode with the "7" symbol is entered, and the middle symbol is variably displayed. Except for the variation pattern of the composite display mode, when a reach occurs, the middle symbol is variably displayed (dynamically displayed) beyond the symbol that has reached. That is, the reach symbol is once scrolled and displayed after passing through the effective line of the reach. However, in the variation pattern of the composite display mode, the reach symbol is set to temporarily stop before passing through the effective line of the reach. That is, the reach period is set shorter than the normal reach display mode.

[0378] As shown in FIG. 43(b), after the "5" symbol before the reach symbol stops at the reach effective line, after 3 seconds, the sub-symbol (blank symbol "△") arranged between the main symbols in the left symbol column and the right symbol column is variably displayed as a small "push" symbol notification symbol. Among the variation patterns of the composite display mode, in the variation pattern of the pseudo-composite display mode, it is configured not to change to the composite display mode when it is variably displayed as this notification symbol. In this case, by pressing the frame button 22, an effect is executed to try to re-vary the stopped "5" symbol of the middle symbol.

[0379] On the other hand, in the variable pattern that can be changed to the composite display mode, as shown in Fig. 44(a), the "push" symbol moves toward and is displayed on the "5" symbol in the middle symbol row where the "push" symbol is displayed in the central part of the third symbol display device 81. Then, as shown in Fig. 44(b), the "5" symbol is covered and a large "push" symbol is displayed. Since the variable pattern of the composite display mode in which this large "push" symbol is displayed is configured to be extremely likely to be selected when the winning or losing determination result is a big win, the player can have high expectations of a big win when this composite display mode is displayed.

[0380] Next, with reference to Figs. 45 to 48, the time effect in this embodiment will be described. The time effect is an effect mode that is executed by changing to a dedicated background image set in advance for a predetermined time (in this embodiment, 5 minutes) every certain time (certain period) after the pachinko machine 10 is powered on. In this embodiment, a timekeeping means 292 composed of an RTC (Real Time Clock) is provided, and an internal power source dedicated to the timekeeping means 292 (in this embodiment, a battery) is provided, so that timekeeping can be continued even when the pachinko machine 10 is not powered. Here, when manufacturing the pachinko machine 10, by setting the same time (for example, the current time) in the timekeeping means for manufacturing and configuring to supply power to the plurality of pachinko machines 10 at the same time, the same power-on time information can be obtained among the pachinko machines 10. By configuring in this way, the time effect can be executed synchronously among the plurality of pachinko machines 10.

[0381] FIG. 45 is a timing chart showing the timing for executing the time production period. When the pachinko machine 10 is powered on, current time information is acquired from the time measuring means 292 by a time setting process (FIG. 69, S1214) in a startup process (see FIG. 68) executed by the MPU 221 of the voice lamp control device 113 described later. Based on the acquired time information, when 55 minutes have elapsed, a time production period (production mode B) is set. Note that until this time production period is set, a normal gaming machine period (production mode A) is set. The time production period is usually set for 5 minutes, and when these 5 minutes have elapsed, a normal gaming period is set.

[0382] Here, when 5 minutes of the time production period have elapsed, it is determined whether there is a setting in which the winning determination result is a big win with the held memory or the special symbol in fluctuation stored at that time. If there is a setting in which the result is a big win, a time production extension period (production mode C) is set for the time until the fluctuation ends.

[0383] FIG. 46(a) is a diagram showing an example of the display mode of the time production displayed on the third symbol display device 81 when the remaining time in the time production period is 180 seconds. During the time production period, the background image has a display mode in which a dedicated fish school is displayed.

[0384] FIG. 46(b) is a diagram showing an example of a display mode displayed on the third symbol display device 81 when the remaining time during the time effect period reaches 3 seconds. In the example of FIG. 46(b), the actual third symbol is reduced and variably displayed at the lower right of the display area of the third symbol display device 81. And, an effect symbol similar to the third symbol is stopped and displayed in a display mode indicating a miss. In this case, the effect symbol is displayed with a slight shake to notify that it is not completely stopped and displayed. As described above, it is rare for the end timing of the time effect period to match the variable stop timing of the third symbol. However, by switching to the effect symbol and displaying it so that the third symbol appears to be stopped and displayed, it is possible to make the player think that the third symbol is stopped and displayed at the same timing as other pachinko machines 10. Note that the effect symbol is also displayed when the stop timing of the third symbol matches the time effect period. By configuring in this way, it is possible to suppress the display mode at the end of the time effect period from becoming constant and giving the player a sense of discomfort.

[0385] When the remaining period is 3 seconds before and the effect symbol is stopped and displayed, as shown in FIG. 47(a), a precursor display mode in which the effect symbol is slightly shaken for the remaining 3 seconds is displayed. Then, after the characters "SUPER FISH SCHOOL TIME" indicating that it is the time effect period, a notification mode at the timing of the fork indicating whether or not it will be extended, "END?" is displayed. After that, when the time effect extension period is set, as shown in FIG. 47(b), the characters "SUPER FISH SCHOOL TIME EXTENDED!!" notifying that the time effect period has been extended are displayed, and the background image of the fish school is displayed again. In this case, at the same time as the extension starts, the effect symbol starts variable display and is configured to notify the player that a new special symbol variable display has started. Also, since the extension period is the period until the variable display for a big win ends, the remaining time (115 seconds in the example of FIG. 47(b)) is displayed during that period.

[0386] In this embodiment, when the time effect period is extended, it is either when a jackpot hold memory is set or when the variation has already started (during variation). Therefore, when the time effect is extended, it means that a jackpot is notified to the player 4a. Here, the time effect period is synchronized among the same pachinko machines 10 so that the same effect is executed, and an effect (see Fig. 47(a)) indicating whether the extension period is set at the same timing is displayed. As a result, it can be determined that the pachinko machine 10 with the extension period set has won a jackpot for other players as well, and the gambling mentality of other players can be stimulated.

[0387] On the other hand, as shown in Fig. 48, when the extension effect is not set, the characters "Super Fish School Time End!!" notifying the end of the time effect period are displayed. After that, when the third symbol is in the process of variation, the effect symbol is variably displayed for the same time as the remaining variation time of the third symbol and then stops being displayed. From the next variation, the reduced display of the third symbol is released, and the third symbol is variably displayed in the normal size. By configuring it in this way, it is possible to suppress giving a sense of discomfort to the player even when the time effect period ends. On the other hand, when the timing at which the third symbol stops being displayed coincides with the end timing of the time effect period, the reduced display of the third symbol is released and displayed starting from the next variation start.

[0388] Note that when the variation has already ended and no hold memory is stored at the end timing of the time effect period, the omen effect is not executed.

[0389] In this embodiment, the condition for setting the extension is set to be a jackpot, but it is not limited to this. It may also be the case where a hold memory in which a variation pattern resulting in a super reach is selected is set, or it may be configured to be set when a win is obtained by executing a lottery.

[0390] Returning to FIG. 2, the description will continue. The second symbol display device 83 variably displays by indicating whether or not the normal symbol lottery being executed as the ball passes through the through gate 67 by a lighting state, and as the stop symbol after the variable display ends, it indicates the normal symbol (second symbol) corresponding to the lottery result of the normal symbol by a lighting state.

[0391] More specifically, in the second symbol display device 83, every time the ball passes through the through gate 67, a variable display is performed in which the symbols of "〇" and "×" as the second symbol are alternately lit. When the variable display in the second symbol display device 83 stops at a predetermined symbol (the symbol of "〇" in this embodiment), the electric accessory 640a associated with the second winning opening 640 is in an operating state (opened) for a predetermined time, and as a result, the second winning opening 640 is configured to be in a state where it is easy for the ball to enter. The number of times the ball has passed through the through gate 67 is held up to a maximum of 4 times, and the held ball number is displayed by the first symbol display device 37 described above and is also lit and displayed on the second symbol hold lamp 84. Four second symbol hold lamps 84 are provided corresponding to the maximum hold number, and are arranged symmetrically left and right below the third symbol display device 81.

[0392] Note that the variable display of the normal symbol (second symbol) may be performed by switching the lighting and non-lighting of a plurality of lamps in the second symbol display device 83 as in this embodiment, or may be performed using a part of the first symbol display device 37 and the third symbol display device 81. Similarly, the lighting of the second symbol hold lamp 84 may be performed by a part of the third symbol display device 81. Also, the passage of the ball through the through gate 67 is not limited to a maximum hold ball number of 4 times as in the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 640, and may be set to 3 times or less, or 5 times or more (for example, 8 times). Also, since the hold ball number is indicated by the first symbol display device 37, it may not be lit and displayed by the second symbol hold lamp 84.

[0393] Below the variable display device unit 80, a first winning port 64 and a second winning port 640 into which balls can enter are provided. When a ball enters the first winning port 64 or the second winning port 640, a first ball entry port switch and a second ball entry port switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 are turned on. Due to the turning on of the first ball entry port switch and the second ball entry port switch, the main control device 110 conducts a lottery for the special symbol 1 and the special symbol 2, and the display according to the lottery result is shown by the LED 37a of the first symbol display device 37. Also, when a ball enters the first winning port 64 or the second winning port 640, each of them also serves as one of the winning ports from which five balls are paid out as bonus balls.

[0394] In this embodiment, the number of bonus balls when a ball enters the first winning port 64 and the second winning port 640 respectively is the same, but it is not limited to this, and different numbers of bonus balls may be set. For example, when a ball enters the first winning port 64, three bonus balls are provided, and when a ball enters the second winning port 640, four bonus balls are provided, and the number of bonus balls for the second winning port 640 may be set to be more than the number of bonus balls for the first winning port 64.

[0395] On the other hand, when the number of bonus balls for the second winning port 640 is set to be less than that for the first winning port 64, it is possible to design so that more game balls enter the second winning port 640 during the probability variable period or the time shortening period. The number of reserved balls for the special symbol 2 can be maintained at a larger number, and an efficient game can be carried out. Therefore, during the time shortening period and the probability variable period, the game time can be shortened, and the sales of the game parlor side can be increased.

[0396] Below the second winning opening 640, a variable winning device 65 is arranged, and a horizontally long rectangular specific winning ope...

Claims

【Claim 1】 Display means capable of displaying a performance mode, Information acquisition means for acquiring information based on the fulfillment of acquisition conditions, Storage means for storing the information acquired by the information acquisition means, Discrimination means for performing discrimination based on the information stored in the storage means, Identification information display means for causing the display means to display identification information indicating the discrimination result by the discrimination means, Privilege granting means capable of granting a privilege advantageous to a player, In a gaming machine having determination means for determining whether or not a predetermined condition is satisfied, When discriminated as a specific discrimination result by the discrimination means and determined as a specific determination result by the determination means, specific identification information can be displayed by the identification information display means, When the specific identification information is displayed, it is configured to be able to execute the granting of the privilege, It is configured such that a specific performance mode can be displayed on the display means when a predetermined trigger is established, When the privilege is granted, it is configured such that a notification performance for notifying that the granting of the privilege is being executed can be performed, It is configured such that the notification performance can be performed at a timing after the specific performance mode is displayed, It is configured such that numerical information can be displayed during the period in which the specific performance mode is being displayed, It is configured to be able to display first numerical information as the numerical information, The first numerical information is configured to be able to reach second numerical information as the game progresses, When the numerical information reaches the second numerical information, it is configured to be able to enable the player to grasp that the specific performance mode ends, The notification performance is executed at a timing before the specific identification information is displayed, and third numerical information obtained by adding a predetermined value to the value of the second numerical information can be displayed in a situation where the granting of the privilege is being executed. A gaming machine characterized by this.

Images