Gaming machine

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of suitably switching a game state.SOLUTION: A Pachinko machine includes a pattern display device 43A and the like capable of executing a variation game of a pattern, and a start winning part 33WA and the like capable of generating a starting condition of a variation game on the basis of entry of game balls, and is configured so as to be capable of executing a jackpot game when a variation game results in a special pattern jackpot and capable of executing a time-shortening B mode when the number of execution times of a variation game becomes a predetermined number of times without generating a jackpot. The Pachinko machine opens a second variable winning device 32B when game balls enter a third start winning part 33WC provided in a game region right inner area EC and executes a particular jackpot differing from a special pattern jackpot as a profit game and performs a ceiling reset when game balls entering during this time enter a specific ball entry part 320c in a normal mode in which a time-shortening B mode has already been activated.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 246

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Traditionally, as a type of gaming machine, Pachinko machines are known in which a game is played by shooting a game ball into a game area. For example, a lottery is held based on the game ball entering a predetermined ball entry means, and if a predetermined result is obtained by the lottery, a game state advantageous to the player is generated. Pachinko machines are known. Some of these pachinko machines create excitement by rotating the rotating means. (See, for example, Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-100385 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in conventional gaming machines, the structure of the rotating means tends to be complicated and there is little visual variation.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its objects are to: To provide a gaming machine in which interest can be easily changed by a rotation means provided in a gaming area provided on a gaming board, and visibility can be changed by the relative positional relationship between two rotation means. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above object, the gaming machine according to the present invention comprises: A game board having a game area on the front side; a lottery means for holding a lottery when a predetermined opportunity is realized based on a predetermined game played by a player; a game value granting means for granting a predetermined game value when a winning result is obtained by the lottery; A first rotation means that is rotatable around the front-rear direction as an axial direction in a predetermined area of the game area and is configured to be able to change its state between at least a predetermined rotation state and a predetermined stop state, and has a visual confirmation part that allows the rear side to be seen; In the gaming machine, a predetermined decorative means is provided on the rear side of the first rotating means in the gaming area, the first rotation means is configured to change from the predetermined stopped state to the predetermined rotation state when a predetermined condition is satisfied based on the predetermined game by the player; This gaming machine is The relative positional relationship between the first rotation means in a front view of the predetermined area and the second rotation means that is movable in the game area and rotatable in a predetermined manner is configured to be changeable between a first positional relationship in which at least a part of the first rotation means and at least a part of the second rotation means do not overlap in the front view, and a second positional relationship in which at least a part of the first rotation means and at least a part of the second rotation means overlap in the front view, In the first positional relationship, At least a part of the predetermined decorative means is visible through the visible portion of the first rotating means when viewed from the front, In the second positional relationship, At least a part of the second rotating means that overlaps with the visible portion of the first rotating means in the front view is visible through the visible portion of the first rotating means, and an area of at least a part of the predetermined decorative means that is blocked by the second rotating means is not visible through the visible portion of the first rotating means, At least a part of the rear area of the game board is visible from the front, The first rotation means is configured to be rotatable in a front region of the game board, The second rotation means is configured to be movable from the front region to the rear region of the game board, This gaming machine is configured such that the probability of a predetermined advantageous state being achieved that is advantageous to a player is higher when the first rotation means and the second rotation means are in a specific second positional relationship than when the first rotation means and the second rotation means are in a predetermined second positional relationship; This gaming machine is The second rotation means is configured to be individually movable in the predetermined region, the plurality of second rotation means are configured to be individually approachable to the first rotation means, This gaming machine is In the front view of the predetermined area Circular when viewed from the front The diameter of the first rotating means is at least Circular when viewed from the front The gist of the invention is that the first rotating means is configured to have a diameter larger than that of the second rotating means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the gaming machine of the present invention, In the game area provided on the game board, the interest can be easily changed by the rotation means provided in the game area, and the visibility can be changed by the relative positional relationship of the two rotation means. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a pachinko machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine. [Figure 3] An oblique view showing the inner frame and front frame set in an open state. [Figure 4] This is a front view showing the configuration of the inner frame, game board, etc. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 6] This is an oblique view showing the inner frame, back pack unit, etc. in an open state. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a front view of the variable display unit. [Figure 8] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a variable display unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a front view of the variable display unit with the prop unit appearing. [Figure 10] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 11] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used in game control. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart showing main processing by the main control device. [Figure 13] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing by the main control device. [Figure 14] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 15] A flowchart showing the start winning processing. [Figure 16] 10 is a flowchart showing a jackpot determination process. [Figure 17] 10 is a flowchart showing reach determination processing. [Figure 18] 10 is a flowchart showing a through gate passing process. [Figure 19] 10 is a flowchart showing a game status check process. [Figure 20] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the lottery mode flag, the support mode flag, the game state identification counter, and the game state determination value. FIG. [Figure 21] 10 is a flowchart showing a first display control process. [Figure 22] 10 is a flowchart showing the setting process at the end of fluctuation. [Figure 23] 10 is a flowchart showing a variable display setting process. [Figure 24] A flowchart showing the variable prize-winning device control process. [Figure 25] 10 is a flowchart showing a second display control process. [Figure 26] 10 is a flowchart showing the opening and closing device control process. [Figure 27] 10 is a flowchart showing a reception interrupt process. [Figure 28] 10 is a flowchart showing the main processing of the dispensing control device. [Figure 29] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 30] 10 is a flowchart showing a command determination process. [Figure 31] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing of the sub-control device. [Figure 32] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used to determine decorative symbols. FIG. [Figure 33]10 is a flowchart showing a counter update process. [Figure 34] 10 is a flowchart showing a command determination process of the sub-control device. [Figure 35] 10 is a flowchart showing a variable display setting process. [Figure 36] 10 is a flowchart showing a hold display setting process. [Figure 37] A diagram to explain the types of jackpots. [Figure 38] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a first big win type determination table. [Figure 39] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second big win type determination table. [Figure 40] 10A is a diagram showing the storage configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a special jackpot occurs, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the storage configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a complete miss occurs. [Figure 41] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a special jackpot occurs under normal conditions. [Figure 42] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an opening and closing pattern control table. [Figure 43] A schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the decorative pattern display device in a normal state. [Figure 44] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of a decorative pattern display device when a jackpot occurs. FIG. [Figure 45] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the decorative pattern display device during the chance mode. FIG. [Figure 46] A schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the decorative pattern display device during gold mode. [Figure 47] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display mode of a decorative pattern display device during a roulette effect. FIG. [Figure 48] A schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the decorative pattern display device when a pending display change process is performed. [Figure 49] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the role object performance setting process. [Figure 50]This is a flowchart showing part of the role object performance setting process, which is a continuation of Figure 49. [Figure 51] 10A is a diagram showing the configuration of a device performance pattern determination table for "end", and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the configuration of a device performance pattern determination table for "until next time". [Figure 52] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the upper rotor and other components in a reduced diameter state. [Figure 53] FIG. 10 is a rear view showing a part of the upper rotor in a diameter-reduced state. [Figure 54] FIG. 4 is a front view showing the upper rotor and other components in an expanded diameter state. [Figure 55] FIG. 10 is a rear view showing a part of the upper rotating body in an expanded diameter state. [Figure 56] 53 is a cross-sectional view taken along line KK in FIG. 52. [Figure 57] This is a front view showing some of the lower movable parts (both left and right lower rotating bodies, etc.). [Figure 58] This is a side view showing some of the lower movable parts (both left and right lower rotating bodies, etc.). [Figure 59] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a performance using an upper rotating body. [Figure 60] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a stopped state (stopped state without enlarged display) of the upper rotating body and the left and right lower rotating bodies according to the first development performance pattern. [Figure 61] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the stopped state (weak / SMALL expansion stopped state) of the upper rotating body and the left and right lower rotating bodies related to the second development performance pattern. [Figure 62] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the stopped state of the upper rotating body and the left and right lower rotating bodies (strong / small expansion stopped state) related to the third development performance pattern. [Figure 63] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the stopped state (weak / BIG expansion stopped state) of the upper rotating body and the left and right lower rotating bodies related to the fourth development performance pattern. [Figure 64] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the stopped state of the upper rotating body and the left and right lower rotating bodies (strong / BIG expansion stopped state) related to the fifth development performance pattern. [Figure 65]FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing a rotating body according to another embodiment. [Figure 66] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a pachinko machine. [Figure 67] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine. [Figure 68] This is an oblique view showing the state in which the inner frame and front frame are open. [Figure 69] This is a front view showing the configuration of the inner frame, game board, etc. [Figure 70] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 71] This is an oblique view showing the inner frame, back pack unit, etc. in an open state. [Figure 72] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 73] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used in game control. [Figure 74] 4 is a flowchart showing main processing by the main control device. [Figure 75] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing by the main control device. [Figure 76] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 77] 10 is a flowchart showing an NMI interrupt process. [Figure 78] A flowchart showing the start winning processing. [Figure 79] 10A is a flowchart showing the first pass / fail judgment process, FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the second pass / fail judgment process, and FIG. 10C is a flowchart showing the time-saving pass / fail judgment process. [Figure 80] 10 is a flowchart showing a type determination process. [Figure 81] 10 is a flowchart showing reach determination processing. [Figure 82] 10 is a flowchart showing a through gate passing process. [Figure 83] 10 is a flowchart showing a launch permission command setting process. [Figure 84] 10 is a flowchart showing a first special display control process. [Figure 85] A flowchart showing the first variable display setting process. [Figure 86] A flowchart showing the special diagram 1 discrimination information setting process. [Figure 87] 10 is a flowchart showing a second special display control process. [Figure 88] A flowchart showing the second variable display setting process. [Figure 89] A flowchart showing the special chart 2 discrimination information setting process. [Figure 90] A flowchart showing the variable prize-winning device control process. [Figure 91] 10 is a flowchart showing a specific prize winning process. [Figure 92] 10 is a flowchart showing an end setting process. [Figure 93] 10 is a flowchart showing a remaining ball monitoring process. [Figure 94] 10 is a flowchart showing a normal display control process. [Figure 95] 10 is a flowchart showing the general map change setting process. [Figure 96] 10 is a flowchart showing a general map discrimination information setting process. [Figure 97] A flowchart showing the start-up prize section control processing. [Figure 98] 10 is a flowchart showing a reception interrupt process. [Figure 99] 10 is a flowchart showing the main processing of the dispensing control device. [Figure 100] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 101] 10 is a flowchart showing a command determination process. [Figure 102] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing of the sub-control device. [Figure 103] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used to determine decorative patterns, etc. [Figure 104] 10 is a flowchart showing a counter update process. [Figure 105] 10 is a flowchart showing a hold information storage process. [Figure 106] 10 is a flowchart showing a hold process. [Figure 107] 10 is a flowchart showing a winning display process. [Figure 108] 10 is a flowchart showing a variable display setting process. [Figure 109] 10 is a flowchart showing a fluctuation stop process. [Figure 110] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 111] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 112] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 113] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 114] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 115] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 116] 10(a) and 10(b) are time charts for explaining the flow of variable displays in the first special pattern display device, the second special pattern display device, and the performance display device. [Figure 117] 1 is a front view showing a pachinko machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 118] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine. [Figure 119] An oblique view showing the inner frame and front frame set in an open state. [Figure 120] This is a front view showing the configuration of the inner frame, game board, etc. [Figure 121] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 122] This is an oblique view showing the inner frame, back pack unit, etc. in an open state. [Figure 123] FIG. 2 is a front view of the variable display unit. [Figure 124] FIG. 10 is a front view of the variable display unit with the prop unit appearing. [Figure 125] (a) is a diagram showing the movable props and up / down drive mechanism in a standby state, and (b) is a diagram showing the movable props and up / down drive mechanism in an operating state. [Figure 126] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 127] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used in game control. [Figure 128] 4 is a flowchart showing main processing by the main control device. [Figure 129] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing by the main control device. [Figure 130] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 131] A flowchart showing the start winning processing. [Figure 132] 10 is a flowchart showing a jackpot determination process. [Figure 133] 10 is a flowchart showing reach determination processing. [Figure 134] 10 is a flowchart showing a through gate passing process. [Figure 135] 10 is a flowchart showing a game status check process. [Figure 136] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the lottery mode flag, the support mode flag, the game state identification counter, and the game state determination value. FIG. [Figure 137] 10 is a flowchart showing a first display control process. [Figure 138] 10 is a flowchart showing a variable display setting process. [Figure 139] 10 is a flowchart showing the setting process at the end of fluctuation. [Figure 140] A flowchart showing the variable prize-winning device control process. [Figure 141] 10 is a flowchart showing a second display control process. [Figure 142] 10 is a flowchart showing the opening and closing device control process. [Figure 143]10 is a flowchart showing a reception interrupt process. [Figure 144] 10 is a flowchart showing the main processing of the dispensing control device. [Figure 145] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 146] 10 is a flowchart showing a command determination process. [Figure 147] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing of the sub-control device. [Figure 148] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used to determine decorative symbols. FIG. [Figure 149] 10 is a flowchart showing a counter update process. [Figure 150] 10 is a flowchart showing a command determination process of the sub-control device. [Figure 151] 10 is a flowchart showing a variable display setting process. [Figure 152] 10 is a flowchart showing a hold display setting process. [Figure 153] 10 is a flowchart showing the display setting process during a win. [Fig. 154] A diagram to explain the types of jackpots. [Figure 155] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a first big win type determination table. [Figure 156] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second big win type determination table. [Figure 157] 10A is a diagram showing the storage configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a special jackpot occurs, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the storage configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a complete miss occurs. [Figure 158] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a special jackpot occurs under normal conditions. [Figure 159] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an opening and closing pattern control table. [Figure 160] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) in a normal state. [Figure 161]This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the effect display device (liquid crystal display unit) when a jackpot occurs. [Figure 162] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the effect display device (liquid crystal display unit) during chance mode. FIG. [Figure 163] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) during gold mode. [Fig. 164] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the effect display device (liquid crystal display unit) during the roulette effect. FIG. [Figure 165] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) when a hold display change process is performed. [Figure 166] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the rotor and other components in a reduced diameter state. [Figure 167] FIG. 10 is a rear view showing a part of the rotating body in a reduced diameter state. [Figure 168] FIG. 2 is a front view showing the rotor and other components in an expanded diameter state. [Figure 169] FIG. 10 is a rear view showing a part of the rotating body in an expanded diameter state. [Figure 170] This is a cross-sectional view of line KK in Figure 166. [Figure 171] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a performance using a rotating body. [Fig. 172] 10 is a flowchart showing a part of the role object performance setting process. [Figure 173] This is a flowchart showing part of the special effect setting process, which is a continuation of Figure 172. [Fig. 174] 10A is a diagram showing the configuration of a device performance pattern determination table for "end" time, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the configuration of a device performance pattern determination table for "until next time". [Figure 175] 10 is a flowchart showing the reel appearance setting process. [Figure 176] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a reel appearance operation control table. [Figure 177] This is an operation process diagram for explaining the operation mode of the reel appearance operation. [Figure 178]A diagram showing the configuration of a reel appearance operation control table according to another embodiment. [Figure 179] FIG. 10 is an operational process diagram for explaining the operational modes of the reel appearance operation according to another embodiment. [Figure 180] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a conventional reel appearance operation control table. [Figure 181] 1 is a front view showing a pachinko machine according to an embodiment. [Figure 182] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine. [Figure 183] An oblique view showing the inner frame and front frame set in an open state. [Figure 184] This is a front view showing the configuration of the inner frame, game board, etc. [Figure 185] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 186] This is an oblique view showing the inner frame, back pack unit, etc. in an open state. [Figure 187] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 188] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used in game control. [Figure 189] 4 is a flowchart showing main processing by the main control device. [Figure 190] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing by the main control device. [Figure 191] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 192] A flowchart showing the start winning processing. [Figure 193] 10 is a flowchart showing a jackpot determination process. [Figure 194] 10 is a flowchart showing reach determination processing. [Figure 195] 10 is a flowchart showing a through gate passing process. [Figure 196] 10 is a flowchart showing a game status check process. [Figure 197]10 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence relationship between the lottery mode flag, the support mode flag, the game state identification counter, and the game state determination value. FIG. [Figure 198] 10 is a flowchart showing a first display control process. [Figure 199] 10 is a flowchart showing a variable display setting process. [Figure 200] 10 is a flowchart showing the setting process at the end of fluctuation. [Figure 201] A flowchart showing the variable prize-winning device control process. [Figure 202] 10 is a flowchart showing a second display control process. [Figure 203] 10 is a flowchart showing the opening and closing device control process. [Figure 204] 10 is a flowchart showing a reception interrupt process. [Figure 205] 10 is a flowchart showing the main processing of the dispensing control device. [Figure 206] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 207] 10 is a flowchart showing a command determination process. [Figure 208] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing of the sub-control device. [Figure 209] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used to determine decorative symbols. FIG. [Figure 210] 10 is a flowchart showing a counter update process. [Figure 211] 10 is a flowchart showing a command determination process of the sub-control device. [Figure 212] 10 is a flowchart showing a variable display setting process. [Figure 213] 10 is a flowchart showing a hold display setting process. [Figure 214] 10 is a flowchart showing the display setting process during a win. [Figure 215] A diagram to explain the types of jackpots. [Figure 216] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a first big win type determination table. [Figure 217] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of a second big win type determination table. [Figure 218] 10A is a diagram showing the storage configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a special jackpot occurs, and FIG. 10B is a diagram showing the storage configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a complete miss occurs. [Figure 219] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the fluctuation pattern table when a special jackpot occurs under normal conditions. [Figure 220] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the configuration of an opening and closing pattern control table. [Figure 221] 1 is a schematic diagram showing the electrical configuration of an amusement hall in which pachinko machines are installed. [Figure 222] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of one pachinko machine configured via a hall computer and its corresponding game data display device. [Figure 223] Schematic diagrams for explaining the display content displayed on the liquid crystal display unit of a game data display device, where (a) is a diagram showing an example of the display content in normal display mode, (b) is a diagram showing an example of the display content in active display mode, and (c) is a diagram showing an example of the display content in performance display mode. [Figure 224] 10 is a flowchart showing the jackpot signal 1 output process. [Figure 225] 10 is a flowchart showing a jackpot signal 2 output process. [Figure 226] (a) is a timing chart for explaining the change in the output state of conventional jackpot signals 1 and 2, and (b) and (c) are timing charts for explaining the change in the output state of jackpot signals 1 and 2 in this embodiment. [Figure 227] This is a diagram for explaining the decorative patterns displayed on the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit). [Figure 228] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) on the "normal stage" in "normal mode." [Figure 229]This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) on the "lively stage" in "normal mode." [Figure 230] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) in the "slightly lively stage" in "normal mode." [Figure 231] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) in the ``zone entry stage'' of ``normal mode.'' [Figure 232] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) in the "chance mode." [Figure 233] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) in "gold mode." [Figure 234] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) in "dark mode." [Figure 235] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) during the opening performance. FIG. [Figure 236] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) during a round. [Figure 237] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) in the ending performance. FIG. [Figure 238] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the performance display device (liquid crystal display unit) in a demonstration performance. FIG. [Figure 239] This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the effect display device (liquid crystal display unit) in the ``normal reach'' effect. [Figure 240] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the effect display device (liquid crystal display unit) in the "Super Reach" effect. [Figure 241] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the effect display device (liquid crystal display unit) in the "special reach" effect. [Figure 242] 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the display mode of the effect display device (liquid crystal display unit) during the roulette effect. FIG. [Figure 243] FIG. 1 is a front view showing a pachinko machine. [Figure 244] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a pachinko machine. [Figure 245] This is an oblique view showing the state in which the inner frame and front frame are open. [Figure 246] This is a front view showing the configuration of the inner frame, game board, etc. [Figure 247] FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 248] This is an oblique view showing the inner frame, back pack unit, etc. in an open state. [Figure 249] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the main electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 250] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used in game control. [Figure 251] 4 is a flowchart showing main processing by the main control device. [Figure 252] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing by the main control device. [Figure 253] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 254] 10 is a flowchart showing an NMI interrupt process. [Figure 255] A flowchart showing the third start-up winning process. [Figure 256] A flowchart showing the second start winning processing. [Figure 257] A flowchart showing the first start winning processing. [Figure 258] 10A is a flowchart showing the first correct / incorrect judgment process, FIG. 10B is a flowchart showing the second correct / incorrect judgment process, and FIG. 10C is a flowchart showing the third correct / incorrect judgment process. [Figure 259] 10(a) is a flowchart showing a first type determination process, and FIG. 10(b) is a flowchart showing a second type determination process. [Figure 260] 10 is a flowchart showing reach determination processing. [Figure 261] 10 is a flowchart showing a through gate passing process. [Figure 262] 10 is a flowchart showing a launch permission command setting process. [Figure 263] 10 is a flowchart showing a first special display control process. [Figure 264] A flowchart showing the first variable display setting process. [Figure 265] A flowchart showing the special diagram 1 discrimination information setting process. [Figure 266] 10 is a flowchart showing a second special display control process. [Figure 267] A flowchart showing the second variable display setting process. [Figure 268] A flowchart showing the special chart 2 discrimination information setting process. [Figure 269] 10 is a flowchart showing a third special display control process. [Figure 270] A flowchart showing the third variable display setting process. [Fig. 271] A flowchart showing the special chart 3 discrimination information setting process. [Fig. 272] A flowchart showing the variable prize-winning device control process. [Fig. 273] 10 is a flowchart showing a specific prize winning process. [Fig. 274] 10 is a flowchart showing an end setting process. [Figure 275] 10 is a flowchart showing a remaining ball monitoring process. [Figure 276] 10 is a flowchart showing a normal display control process. [Figure 277] 10 is a flowchart showing the general map change setting process. [Fig. 278] 10 is a flowchart showing a general map discrimination information setting process. [Figure 279] A flowchart showing the start-up prize section control processing. [Figure 280] 10 is a flowchart showing a reception interrupt process. [Figure 281] 10 is a flowchart showing the main processing of the dispensing control device. [Figure 282] 10 is a flowchart showing a timer interrupt process. [Figure 283] 10 is a flowchart showing a command determination process. [Fig. 284] 10 is a flowchart showing normal processing of the sub-control device. [Figure 285] 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an overview of various counters used to determine decorative patterns, etc. [Figure 286] 10 is a flowchart showing a counter update process. [Figure 287] 10 is a flowchart showing a hold information storage process. [Figure 288] 10 is a flowchart showing a hold process. [Figure 289] 10 is a flowchart showing a winning display process. [Figure 290] 10 is a flowchart showing a variable display setting process. [Figure 291] 10 is a flowchart showing a fluctuation stop process. [Figure 292] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 293] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Fig. 294] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 295] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 296] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 297] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 298] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 299] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 300] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 301] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 302] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a display mode of a performance display device. [Figure 303] 10 is a timing chart for explaining changes in the output states of jackpot signals 1 and 2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] [First embodiment] A pachinko gaming machine 10 according to the first embodiment (hereinafter simply referred to as "pachinko machine") will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, parts that overlap with the first embodiment (such as the same components and the same processing contents) will be described using the same component names and the same reference numerals. The gaming machine according to the present invention (pachinko machine 10 according to the first embodiment) is equipped with a "rotating body" as the "rotating means" of the present invention.

[0010] Fig. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10, Fig. 2 is a perspective view, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the state in which the inner frame 12 and front frame set 14 are open. Fig. 4 is a front view showing the configuration of the inner frame 12 and game board 30, etc. Fig. 5 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10, and Fig. 6 is a perspective view showing the state in which the inner frame 12 and back pack unit 203, etc. are open. However, for convenience, Fig. 3 omits nails and various gadgets as path changing means arranged on the surface of the game board 30, a glass unit 137 attached to the front frame set 14, etc.

[0011] As shown in FIG. 3 etc., the pachinko machine 10 has an outer frame 11 that forms the outer shell of the pachinko machine 10, and an inner frame 12 is supported on one side of the outer frame 11 so as to be able to open and close.

[0012] As shown in Figure 6, the outer frame 11 has an upper frame component 11a and a lower frame component 11b made of wooden boards, and a left frame component 11c and a right frame component 11d made of extruded aluminum alloy material, and these frame components 11a to 11d are assembled together into a rectangular frame shape as a whole using detachable fasteners such as screws.

[0013] An upper hinge 81 and a lower hinge 82 are attached to the upper and lower ends of the left-side frame-constituting portion 11c, respectively (see Figure 1). The upper and lower parts of the inner frame 12 are rotatably supported by the upper hinge 81 and the lower hinge 82, allowing the inner frame 12 to open and close. The inner frame 12 and other components are housed in a space formed inside the outer frame 11.

[0014] Further, the right-side frame-constituting portion 11d is formed with an extending wall portion 83 that protrudes from the vicinity of its rear end in the width direction toward the inside of the outer frame 11. The extending wall portion 83 covers the entire upper and lower sections corresponding to a locking device 600 (see FIG. 5) provided on the rear side of the right side of the inner frame 12 from the rear side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 5). In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, a pair of upper and lower receiving portions 84, 85 that engage with a locking member of the locking device 600 are provided on the front side of the extending wall portion 83. Furthermore, a pressing portion 86 that abuts against an inner frame opening detection switch 92 (described later) is provided on the lower receiving portion 85 and protrudes toward the inside of the outer frame 11.

[0015] Furthermore, a resin decorative panel 87 is attached to the lower frame component 11b. An upwardly protruding rib 88 is integrally formed on the innermost part of the upper surface of the decorative panel 87. This makes it less likely that a gap will form between the decorative panel 87 and the inner frame 12.

[0016] 3, the opening / closing axis of the inner frame 12 is set along the top and bottom on the left side when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10, and the inner frame 12 can be opened forward with this opening / closing axis as its axis. The inner frame 12 is mainly composed of a resin base 38 having a rectangular outer shape, and a substantially elliptical window hole 39 is formed in the center of the resin base 38.

[0017] In addition, a front frame set 14 is attached to the front side of the inner frame 12 so that it can be opened and closed. Like the inner frame 12, the front frame set 14 is designed to be able to open forward around an opening and closing axis set along the top and bottom on the left side when viewed from the front of the pachinko machine 10.

[0018] The front frame set 14 has a rectangular outer shape, similar to the inner frame 12, and covers almost the entire front side of the inner frame 12 when closed. An approximately oval window portion 101 is formed in the center of the front frame set 14. This makes it possible to view the game board 30 (play area) attached to the rear surface of the inner frame 12 from the outside through the window portion 101 of the front frame set 14 and the window hole 39 of the inner frame 12. The detailed structure of the game board 30 will be described later.

[0019] As shown in Figure 1, a lower tray 15 is provided at the center of the lower part of the front side of the front frame set 14 as a ball receiving tray, and game balls discharged from the discharge port 16 can be stored in the lower tray 15. In addition, a ball removal lever 25 for discharging game balls from the lower tray 15 is provided on the front side of the lower tray 15.

[0020] In addition, a performance button 125 is provided on the left side of the lower tray 15 as an operation means that can be operated by the player. The performance button 125 is configured so that it can be pressed (pushed downward) by the player. An operation detection switch (not shown) is provided inside the lower tray 15 as an operation detection means for detecting the pressing of the performance button 125. When the performance button 125 is pressed, an operation detection signal is output from the operation detection switch to the sub-control device 262, which will be described later. As a result, when the player presses the performance button 125, a predetermined performance is performed or the performance content is changed in the performance display device 42, etc., as will be described later.

[0021] A game ball launch handle (hereinafter simply referred to as "handle") 18 protruding forward is provided to the right of the lower tray 15. The handle 18, which serves as an operating means that can be operated by a player, includes, for example, a base fixed to the front frame set 14, a rotary operating unit serving as a first operating unit rotatably attached to the base, a variable resistor serving as an operating amount detection means for detecting the operating amount of the rotary operating unit, and a launch stop switch serving as a second operating unit that can select whether or not to launch game balls into the game area.

[0022] An upper tray 19 is provided above the lower tray 15. The upper tray 19 is a ball receiving tray that temporarily stores game balls, aligns them in a row, and guides them toward a game ball launching device (hereinafter simply referred to as the "launching device") 60, which serves as a launching means, as described below. When the upper tray 19 is full of game balls, the game balls that are dispensed are guided to the lower tray 15 via a lower tray connecting passage 71 and a discharge port 16, as described below.

[0023] The upper tray 19 is provided with a ball lending button 121 and a return button 122 as operating means operable by a player. Thus, when the ball lending button 121 is operated with bills, cards, etc. inserted into a card unit (ball lending unit) located to the side of the pachinko machine 10 in a gaming hall or the like, loaned balls are supplied to the upper tray 19 in response to the operation. To clarify ownership, gaming balls used in a gaming hall are marked with predetermined information that can identify the gaming hall, preventing fraudulent activities such as using gaming balls brought from other gaming halls. The return button 122 is operated to request the return of a card, etc., inserted into the card unit. However, the ball lending button 121 and the return button 122 are not necessary in pachinko machines in which gaming balls are directly loaned from a ball lending device, etc., to the upper tray 19 without going through a card unit, i.e., so-called cash machines.

[0024] Furthermore, the upper tray 19 is provided with a ball removal button 123 as an operating means that can be operated by the player. When the ball removal button 123 is pressed, a communication hole (not shown) that is provided downstream of the ball guide path of the upper tray 19 and communicates with the lower tray 15 opens, and the gaming balls stored in the upper tray 19 are guided (dropped) to the lower tray 15. In other words, by operating the ball removal button 123, the player can transfer the gaming balls in the upper tray 19 to the lower tray 15 at any time.

[0025] In addition, various light-emitting means such as lamps are provided around the front of the front frame set 14. These light-emitting means are controlled to change their light-emitting modes, such as lighting up or flashing, depending on changes in the game state, such as when a jackpot is hit or a predetermined reach is reached, thereby enhancing the presentation effect during play. For example, a frame lamp 102 incorporating a light-emitting means such as an LED is provided around the periphery of the window portion 101. In addition, error indicator lamps 104 are provided on both sides of the frame lamp 102, which light up when a predetermined error occurs. Furthermore, a number of small through-holes are formed in the upper portion of each error indicator lamp 104 of the frame lamp 102, corresponding to the speaker SP (see Figure 3) provided on the back of the front frame set 14.

[0026] A glass unit 137 is attached to the rear side of the front frame set 14. The glass unit 137 is not a conventional pair of rectangular glass plates attached separately at the front and rear, but is round overall and is attached as an assembly.

[0027] Also, as shown in Figure 3, a ball passage unit 70 is provided on the back side of the front frame set 14, below the window portion 101. The ball passage unit 70 is equipped with a lower tray connecting passage 71 that connects from the dispensing mechanism portion 352 described later to the discharge outlet 16 of the lower tray 15, and an upper tray connecting passage 73 that connects from the dispensing mechanism portion 352 to the upper tray 19.

[0028] In addition, the ball passage unit 70 is provided with a full detection switch (not shown) that detects gaming balls located in the lower tray connecting passage 71. The presence of this full detection switch makes it possible to know that the lower tray 15 is full of gaming balls (that the lower tray 15 is full of gaming balls and gaming balls are accumulating in the lower tray connecting passage 71).

[0029] Next, the inner frame 12 will be described with reference to Figure 4. A launching device 60 and a launching rail 61 that guides the game ball immediately after it is launched from the launching device 60 are attached to the lower front part of the inner frame 12 (resin base 38), i.e., below the window hole 39 (game board 30). In this embodiment, a solenoid-type launching device having a plunger as a movable member is used as the launching device 60.

[0030] In this embodiment, when the full detection switch detects game balls continuously for a predetermined time, control is performed to prohibit the launching device 60 from firing. On the other hand, when the accumulation of game balls in the lower tray communication passage 71 is eliminated and the full detection switch no longer detects game balls (when the full detection switch no longer detects game balls continuously for a predetermined time), the launching device 60 is permitted to fire.

[0031] A ball feeding device 63 is provided above the launching device 60. The ball feeding device 63 guides the game balls guided from the upper tray 19 to the launching position of the launching device 60 one by one using a driving means such as a solenoid.

[0032] In addition, symbol 67 in Figures 3 and 4 is a payout passage for guiding game balls paid out by the payout mechanism unit 352 described later to the front of the inner frame 12, and is divided into a passage leading to the upper tray connecting passage 73 (upper tray 19) and a passage leading to the lower tray connecting passage 71 (lower tray 15).

[0033] Furthermore, a shutter 68 is provided below the dispensing passage 67, and when the front frame set 14 is open, the shutter 68 protrudes forward due to the force of a spring or the like, thereby almost closing the exit of the dispensing passage 67.

[0034] On the other hand, when the front frame set 14 is closed, the shutter 68 is pushed open by the rear end portions of the entrances of the lower tray connecting passage 71 and the upper tray connecting passage 73. When the front frame set 14 is closed, the entrances of the lower tray connecting passage 71 and the upper tray connecting passage 73 are adjacent to the payout passage 67 at a predetermined distance apart, allowing game balls to pass through the gap between them.

[0035] In addition, since the entrance portion of the lower tray connecting passage 71 and the entrance portion of the upper tray connecting passage 73 are located adjacent to each other, when the upper tray 19 and the upper tray connecting passage 73 become full with game balls, the game balls to be paid out will flow toward the lower tray connecting passage 71 (overflowing into the entrance side of the lower tray connecting passage 71) and be paid out through the lower tray connecting passage 71 to the lower tray 15.

[0036] As described above, the game board 30 is attached to the inner frame 12 (resin base 38) behind the window hole 39. The game board 30 is attached with its peripheral edge abutting the back side of the inner frame 12 (resin base 38). Therefore, approximately the center of the front part of the game board 30, which becomes the playing area, is exposed to the front side of the inner frame 12 through the window hole 39 of the resin base 38.

[0037] The configuration of the gaming board 30 will now be described with reference to Figure 4. The gaming board 30 in this embodiment is configured with a transparent plate as the base (gaming board body), which is a light-transmitting member formed into a flat plate shape from a resin material having optical transparency (translucency), such as polycarbonate, acrylic resin, ABS resin, etc. Here, "transparent" does not only mean that objects present in the rear area of the gaming board 30 can be seen in a completely transparent state, but may also include a so-called translucent state in which at least a portion of light is transmitted so that the presence of objects can be detected.

[0038] With this configuration, a player can view various objects such as lamps and display devices arranged in the rear area of the gaming board 30 from the front of the gaming board 30 through the gaming board 30. For example, in this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 4, LED boards 48A, 48B, and 48C, each equipped with a plurality of LEDs as light-emitting means, are arranged at a rear position of a predetermined area within the gaming area, and a player can view the light emitted from the LEDs from the front of the gaming board 30 through the gaming board 30. The LED boards 48A and the like are controlled to light up and flash in a predetermined light-emitting mode in accordance with various game effects, and play a role in enhancing the effects during play.

[0039] Additionally, a rail 50 is attached to the game board 30, which is made up of an inner rail component 51 and an outer rail component 52 formed from a strip-shaped metal plate, and serves as a guide means for guiding game balls launched from the launching device 60 to the top of the game board 30. As a result, game balls launched in response to the rotation of the handle 18 are guided through the launch rail 61 and rail 50 into the game area formed between the game board 30 and the glass unit 137.

[0040] A return ball prevention member 53 is attached to the tip portion (upper left in FIG. 4) of the inner rail component 51. This prevents a game ball that has been guided from the rail 50 into the play area from returning back into the rail 50. In addition, a return rubber 54 is attached to approximately the tip portion (upper right in FIG. 4) of the outer rail component 52. This causes a game ball that is launched with more than a predetermined force to hit the return rubber 54, which serves as a movement restriction means, and be returned to approximately the center of the game board 30.

[0041] In this embodiment, the outer rail component 52 ends at the upper right of the gaming board 30, and the inner rail component 51 ends at the lower right of the gaming board 30. Therefore, the gaming area is defined by the rail 50 and the inner peripheral surface of the window hole 39 of the resin base 38. However, since gaming balls shot out by the launching device 60 may flow back up the rail 50 until they pass through the return ball prevention member 53 serving as return restriction means, the parallel portions of the inner and outer rail components 51, 52 are excluded from the gaming area.

[0042] In addition, there is a gap of a predetermined distance between the launch rail 61 provided on the inner frame 12 and the rail 50 (outer rail component 52), and the ball passage unit 70 is formed with a foul ball passage 72 that guides game balls that fall through the gap to the lower tray 15. As a result, if a game ball launched from the launch device 60 does not reach the return ball prevention member 53 and travels back up the rail 50 as a foul ball, the foul ball will be discharged to the lower tray 15 via the foul ball passage 72.

[0043] The game board 30 is arranged with a general winning opening (general winning section) 31, a variable winning device (large winning opening) 32, an upper starting winning opening 33YA, a lower starting winning opening 33YB, a through gate 34, a variable display device unit 35, a first special display device 43L and a second special display device 43R, etc., which are fitted into mounting holes formed through the transparent plate.

[0044] Furthermore, within the front region of the gaming board 30, i.e., the playing area formed on the front side of the gaming board 30, numerous nails 49, windmills 57, etc. are arranged to direct the falling direction of gaming balls in a predetermined area or guide gaming balls to a predetermined position. The windmills 57 are rotating bodies that rotate when contacted by gaming balls moving relative to the board 30, thereby influencing the flow of gaming balls. The windmills 57 change state between a rotating state and a stationary state. For example, the windmill 57 includes a shaft member whose rear end is fixed directly or indirectly to the gaming board 30, a central cylindrical portion through which the front end of the shaft member is inserted, multiple contact pieces extending radially outward from the central cylindrical portion as acted upon portions, and a decorative disc portion that is circular in front view and provided at the front end of the central cylindrical portion. When a gaming ball contacts the contact pieces and receives an external force, the windmill 57 rotates with its axial direction parallel to the front-to-rear direction due to the external force. Of course, the configuration of the windmill 57 is not limited to this, and other configurations may be used.

[0045] The gaming balls guided into the play area flow down various paths while their flow direction and rotation direction are changed by nails 49, etc. Then, some of the multiple gaming balls guided into the play area are guided to windmill 57 while moving relatively along various paths, and the falling route is divided to the left or right by windmill 57. Here, when the gaming ball passes on the left side of windmill 57 in a first mode and acts on the contact piece in a first proximity state, windmill 57 rotates in the counterclockwise direction, which is a first operating mode. On the other hand, when the gaming ball passes on the right side of windmill 57 in a second mode and acts on the contact piece in a second proximity state, windmill 57 rotates in the clockwise direction, which is a second operating mode.

[0046] With this configuration, for example, a game ball diverted to the right by a windmill 57 (hereinafter referred to as the left windmill 57) provided in the left side area of the variable display unit 35 is more likely to be guided by nails 49 or the like toward the upper start winning opening 33YA than a game ball diverted to the left by the left windmill 57. On the other hand, a game ball diverted to the right by a windmill 57 (hereinafter referred to as the right windmill 57) provided in the right side area of the variable display unit 35 is more likely to be guided to the variable winning device 32 than a game ball diverted to the left by the right windmill 57.

[0047] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a greater proportion of game balls are guided to the upper start winning opening 33YA when the left windmill 57 rotates clockwise and the game ball passes by the right side of the left windmill 57 than when the left windmill 57 rotates counterclockwise and the game ball passes by the left side of the left windmill 57, while a greater proportion of game balls are guided to the general winning opening 31 when the left windmill 57 rotates counterclockwise and the game ball passes by the left side of the left windmill 57 than when the left windmill 57 rotates clockwise and the game ball passes by the right side of the left windmill 57.

[0048] As described above, in this embodiment, even if the game area is widely expanded in the left-right direction, the provision of the windmill 57, etc. makes it easy to guide the game ball toward the upper start winning opening 33YA, the variable winning device 32, etc. Also, the nails 49, etc. are adjusted in advance on the game board 30 so that winning into the upper start winning opening 33YA, the variable winning device 32, etc. occurs with a moderate probability.

[0049] In this embodiment, the windmills 57 are provided in both the left and right regions of the variable display unit 35. However, this is not limiting, and a configuration in which only one of the left windmill 57 or the right windmill 57 is provided may also be used. Furthermore, when the game board 30 is constructed based on a transparent plate, as in this embodiment, at least a portion of the windmill 57, such as a decorative disc portion, may be configured as a translucent portion using a translucent resin material or the like. The relative positional relationship between the windmill 57 and the game ball changes between a first positional relationship in which at least a portion of the windmill 57 and at least a portion of the game ball do not overlap, and a second positional relationship in which at least a portion of the windmill 57 and at least a portion of the game ball overlap. Therefore, when a translucent portion is provided, in the first positional relationship in which the game ball does not pass through the windmill 57, light transmitted through the game board 30 is visible to the player through the translucent portion of the windmill 57. On the other hand, in the second positional relationship in which the game ball passes through the windmill 57, part of the light that has passed through the game board 30 is blocked by part of the game ball that overlaps with the translucent portion of the windmill 57, and external light or other light is irradiated from the front onto part of the game ball through the translucent portion.

[0050] The game board 30 is also provided with winning detection switches as detection means for detecting game balls that have entered various winning ports (ball entry means), such as the general winning port 31. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 4, a general winning switch 221 is provided at a position corresponding to the general winning port 31, and a count switch 223 is provided in the variable winning device 32. A first start winning switch 224A is provided in the upper start winning port 33YA, and a second start winning switch 224B is provided in the lower start winning port 33YB. Furthermore, a through gate switch 225 is provided at a position corresponding to the through gate 34.

[0051] As is well known, when a gaming ball enters various winning ports, such as the general winning port 31, the variable winning device 32, the upper start winning port 33YA, or the lower start winning port 33YB, it is detected by various detection switches, and a predetermined number of winning balls are paid out to the upper tray 19 (or lower tray 15). For example, three gaming balls are paid out to the upper starting winning port 33YA if the winning port is the upper starting winning port, one gaming ball is paid out to the lower starting winning port 33YB if the winning port is the lower starting winning port, ten gaming balls are paid out to the general winning port 31, and fifteen gaming balls are paid out to the variable winning device 32 if the winning port is the variable winning port. Here, the upper starting winning port 33YA may constitute a first starting winning port, the lower starting winning port 33YB may constitute a second starting winning port, and the variable winning device 32 may constitute a specific winning port. Alternatively, a state in which a gaming ball enters a predetermined winning port, such as the upper starting winning port 33YA, may be considered an advantageous state. For example, a state in which a gaming ball enters the upper start winning opening 33YA and three prize balls are paid out may be defined as a first advantageous state, and a state in which a gaming ball enters the general winning opening 31 and ten prize balls are paid out may be defined as a second advantageous state. In addition, an outlet 36 is provided on the gaming board 30, and gaming balls that do not enter the various winning openings such as the general winning opening 31 are discharged through this outlet 36 to the outside of the gaming area.

[0052] The variable winning device 32 is equipped with a large winning opening (symbol omitted) through which game balls can enter, a rectangular flat opening / closing plate (large winning opening opening / closing member) 32a which serves as an opening / closing member for opening and closing the large winning opening, and a large winning opening solenoid (not shown) which drives the opening / closing plate 32a to open and close.

[0053] Under normal circumstances when the specified conditions are not met, the variable winning device 32 is in a closed state in which the game ball cannot enter the large winning opening. However, when the specified conditions are met, such as when a big win or small win occurs as described below, the solenoid for the large winning opening is excited, causing the opening / closing plate 32a to tilt forward with its lower edge as the pivot axis, and the device enters an open state in which the game ball can enter the large winning opening.

[0054] The upper start winning opening 33YA is designed so that game balls can always enter the opening. On the other hand, the lower start winning opening 33YB is provided with an opening / closing device 37Y as an opening / closing type winning assist device.

[0055] The opening and closing device 37Y is equipped with a pair of left and right movable blades 37Ya as opening and closing members that rotate left and right around the axis at the lower end, and a solenoid (not shown) for the starting winning opening that drives the movable blades 37Ya to open and close.The movable blades 37Ya open and close depending on the establishment of predetermined conditions, so that the state can be changed between an open state in which a game ball flowing down the game area can enter the lower starting winning opening 33YB, and a closed state in which a game ball cannot enter the lower starting winning opening 33YB.

[0056] As described above, the upper start winning opening 33YA and the lower start winning opening 33YB are provided with a first start winning switch 224A and a second start winning switch 224B as detection means for detecting a winning game ball, respectively. When a game ball is detected by the start winning switches 224A and 224B, a lottery is held to determine whether or not a jackpot state or the like will be generated, and variable displays and predetermined effects are displayed on the special display devices 43L and 43R and the effect display device 42 described below. Here, if the lottery is won, a jackpot state or the like is granted.

[0057] The types of jackpots in this embodiment will be described in detail below. As shown in Fig. 37, in this embodiment, the types of jackpots include "16R variable probability jackpot A", "16R variable probability jackpot B", "4R variable probability jackpot A", "4R variable probability jackpot B", "16R normal jackpot A", "16R normal jackpot B", "4R normal jackpot A", "4R normal jackpot B", and "JUB (Jump Up Bonus) jackpot".

[0058] In the "16R Special Jackpot A" jackpot state, "long opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated 16 times (16 rounds).

[0059] In this embodiment, "long opening" refers to one opening / closing operation from when the opening / closing plate 32a of the variable winning device 32 is switched from the closed state to the open state until it returns to the closed state, provided that the specified time of 30 seconds has elapsed or the specified number of 10 game balls have entered the variable winning device 32.

[0060] In the jackpot state of "16R Special Jackpot B", "long opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated four times (four rounds), and then "short opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated 12 times (twelve rounds).

[0061] In this embodiment, "short opening" refers to one opening / closing operation after the opening / closing plate 32a of the variable winning device 32 is switched from a closed state to an open state, until it is in the closed state, provided that the specified time of 0.4 seconds has elapsed or the specified number of three game balls have entered the variable winning device 32.

[0062] In this embodiment, based on the player's operation of the handle 18, the launching device 60 launches game balls toward the game area at a rate of one every 0.6 seconds. In contrast, in the "short release" mode, the specified opening time of the opening / closing plate 32a is 0.4 seconds. In other words, in the "short release" mode, the opening time of the opening / closing plate 32a is shorter than the game ball launch cycle. Therefore, a single "short release" may result in even a single game ball not winning. Therefore, the opening / closing plate 32a is rarely closed based on the condition related to the number of winning balls (three winning balls) among the two closing conditions corresponding to the "short release." Once opened, the opening / closing plate 32a is usually closed after the specified time (0.4 seconds) has elapsed. This prevents the execution period of the "short release" from changing each time.

[0063] In the jackpot states of "4R Probable Jackpot A" and "4R Probable Jackpot B", "long opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated four times (four rounds).

[0064] In the jackpot state of "16R normal jackpot A", "long opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated 8 times (8 rounds), and then "short opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated 8 times (8 rounds).

[0065] In the jackpot state of "16R normal jackpot B", "long opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated four times (four rounds), and then "short opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated 12 times (twelve rounds).

[0066] In the jackpot states of "4R normal jackpot A" and "4R normal jackpot B", "long opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated four times (four rounds).

[0067] In the "JUB jackpot" jackpot state, "short release" is a special prize state, which is repeated five times, and then "long release" is a special prize state, which is repeated 15 times. In other words, five "short releases" are performed in the first round, and "long releases" are performed in the second to sixteenth rounds.

[0068] In addition, when the various "probable jackpots" and "JUB jackpots" mentioned above occur, the "high probability mode (high probability state)" is awarded as the lottery mode after the jackpot state ends. On the other hand, when various "normal jackpots" occur, the "low probability mode (low probability state)" is awarded after the jackpot state ends.

[0069] "High Probability Mode" refers to a state in which the probability of winning a jackpot is increased compared to the "Low Probability Mode" that is normally set. The "High Probability Mode" that is set after a jackpot ends will continue until the next jackpot state occurs.

[0070] In addition, after the various types of jackpots mentioned above have ended, a "high support mode (high ball entry state)" is granted as a winning support mode for the opening / closing device 37Y while a predetermined number of variable displays are displayed on the special display devices 43L and 43R, or until the next jackpot state occurs.

[0071] "High support mode" refers to a state in which the ratio of open to closed states per unit time in the opening / closing device 37Y of the lower starting winning port 33YB is higher than in the "low support mode (low ball entry state)" that is normally set.

[0072] For example, the "high support mode" may be (1) a state in which the variable display time of the normal symbol display device 41 described below is shorter than in the "low support mode," (2) a state in which the opening time (prescribed time) of the movable blade 37Ya of the opening / closing device 37Y is longer than in the "low support mode," (3) a state in which the prescribed number of game balls that can win per opening of the movable blade 37Ya is greater than in the "low support mode," (4) a state in which the number of times the opening / closing process of the movable blade 37Ya is executed per time when a winning result is obtained in the opening lottery of the opening / closing device 37Y due to a game ball passing through the through gate 34 is greater than in the "low support mode," and (5) a state in which the winning probability in the opening lottery of the opening / closing device 37Y is higher than in the "low support mode." The high support mode in this embodiment employs the above configurations (1), (2), and (5). Of course, the "high support mode" is not limited to this, and any one of the configurations (1) to (5) or any combination of these configurations (1) to (5) may be adopted. This makes it easier for game balls to enter the lower start winning slot 33YB more frequently, increasing the number of jackpot lottery draws and improving ball holding.

[0073] In addition, in this embodiment, when the "high support mode" is applied, the fluctuation pattern table is changed to a table for the "high support mode" as described below, so that the fluctuation display time on the first and second special display devices 43L, 43R (performance display device 42) is shorter than in the "low support mode."

[0074] In this embodiment, after the "16R probability variable jackpot A" and "4R probability variable jackpot A" end, a "high support mode" is granted until the next jackpot state occurs. This "high support mode" will be referred to as the "high support mode until the next time."

[0075] After the "16R Probable Variation Jackpot B" and "4R Probable Variation Jackpot B" end, "High Support Mode" is granted while the special display devices 43L and 43R display the variable "20 times," "30 times," "40 times," or "50 times." This "High Support Mode" is hereinafter referred to as the "20 times High Support Mode," "30 times High Support Mode," "40 times High Support Mode," or "50 times High Support Mode," respectively.

[0076] After the "16R normal jackpot A" and "4R normal jackpot A" end, "High Support Mode" is granted while the "30 times" variable display is being displayed on the special display devices 43L and 43R. This "High Support Mode" will be referred to as "30 times High Support Mode S" below.

[0077] After the "16R normal jackpot B" and "4R normal jackpot B" end, "20 times high support mode", "30 times high support mode", "40 times high support mode" or "50 times high support mode" will be granted.

[0078] After the "JUB Jackpot" ends, "High Support Mode until next time" will be granted.

[0079] In this embodiment, various game states are generated by combining the various modes described above.

[0080] For example, if "high probability mode" and "high support mode" are applied, it will be in a so-called "probability change state (probability fluctuation state)."

[0081] When the "low probability mode" and "low support mode" are applied, the state becomes what is known as the "normal state."

[0082] When the "low probability mode" and "high support mode" are applied, it becomes what is known as the "time-saving state (time-shortened state)."

[0083] When the "high probability mode" and the "low support mode" are both applied, it becomes a so-called "latent probability state (latent probability change state)." In other words, when it becomes a "latent probability state," the probability of winning a jackpot is simply increased, and on the surface it is no different from the "normal state," so it becomes a state where it is difficult for the player to recognize that the "high probability mode" is applied.

[0084] Furthermore, in this embodiment, apart from the various "big wins" mentioned above, a "small win" occurs when a predetermined result is obtained in the win / lose lottery. In the small win state, a "short opening" is considered as one special prize state, and this is repeated five times (five rounds). However, the lottery mode and winning support mode granted after the small win state ends are the original modes before the small win state occurred. For example, if the lottery mode before the small win state occurred was a "high probability mode," the "high probability mode" will be maintained even after the small win state ends.

[0085] In this embodiment, the type of jackpot awarded in the event of winning the lottery differs depending on whether the game ball enters the upper start winning slot 33YA or the lower start winning slot 33YB. If the player wins the lottery triggered by the game ball entering the upper start winning slot 33YA, the jackpot will be assigned to one of the following: "16R probability variable jackpot A," "16R probability variable jackpot B," "4R probability variable jackpot A," "4R probability variable jackpot B," "16R normal jackpot A," "16R normal jackpot B," or "4R normal jackpot B." If the player wins the lottery triggered by the game ball entering the lower start winning slot 33YB, the jackpot will be assigned to one of the following: "16R probability variable jackpot A," "4R probability variable jackpot A," "4R normal jackpot A," or "JUB jackpot." In addition, the "small win" will only occur if you win the lottery triggered by the game ball entering the lower starting winning slot 33YB.

[0086] The first and second special display devices 43L, 43R each consist of two segment display devices and are installed at the bottom of the game board 30. Each segment display device has eight display segments. Each display segment has an individual light source made of an LED, and by controlling the on / off of these individual light sources, it is possible to light up any one display segment or any combination of display segments. This allows each segment display device to individually display a predetermined symbol (including letters and numbers).

[0087] When a game ball enters the upper start winning opening 33YA, a variable display is made on the first special display device 43L, and when a game ball enters the lower start winning opening 33YB, a variable display is made on the second special display device 43R. The display contents of the special display devices 43L and 43R are directly controlled by the main control device 261, which will be described later.

[0088] Furthermore, after the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R perform a variable display, the display mode when the variable display stops will definitively indicate whether or not the jackpot lottery has been won. For example, when a gaming ball enters the upper start winning slot 33YA, the corresponding first special display device 43L performs a variable display at high speed, and after a predetermined time has passed, one of the display modes is displayed as a static display (for example, stopped for several seconds). Then, if the jackpot lottery is won, various numerical values corresponding to the jackpot (see FIG. 37) are displayed when the variable display stops, and a jackpot state occurs.

[0089] As shown in FIG. 37, for example, if a "16R Probable Jackpot A" is won, "9-" is displayed on the first or second special display device 43L, 43R, and if a "16R Probable Jackpot B" with a "50-Time High Support Mode" is won, "84" is displayed on the first or second special display device 43L, 43R. Also, if a "JUB Jackpot" is won, "1.-" is displayed on the first or second special display device 43L, 43R, and if a "small jackpot" is won, "1-" is displayed on the first or second special display device 43L, 43R. Here, in order to enhance the presentation effect of the "JUB jackpot," it is preferable that the stop patterns for both are confusingly configured, such as the stop pattern "1.-" for the "JUB jackpot" and the stop pattern "1-" for the "small jackpot."

[0090] Of course, the stop modes of the special display devices 43L, 43R corresponding to various winning types are not limited to the above modes. For example, there may be multiple stop modes of the first or second special display device 43L, 43R indicating one winning type, rather than just one. For example, when a "16R variable probability jackpot A" is won, the first or second special display device 43L, 43R may be configured to select and stop and display one of "91", "92", "93", ...

[0091] Even when there are multiple stop patterns of the first or second special display device 43L, 43R indicating one win type, it is preferable that the multiple stop patterns related to the "JUB jackpot" and the multiple stop patterns related to the "small win" are configured to be confusingly similar. For example, the multiple stop patterns related to the "JUB jackpot" may be displayed as "-1," "-2," "-3," "-4," ..., and the multiple stop patterns related to the "small win" may be displayed as "-1," "-2," "-3," "-4," .... In this configuration, one of a pair of a specific symbol (here, "1," "2," "3," ...) with a predetermined display segment (here, ".") lit and a specific symbol not lit is included in the multiple stop patterns related to the "JUB jackpot," and the other is included in the multiple stop patterns related to the "small win," and they are configured to alternate between each other.

[0092] Furthermore, the color displayed in any or all of the display segments may be configured to be changeable as needed.

[0093] Furthermore, if a new game ball enters the start winning slot 33YA, 33YB while the first or second special display device 43L, 43R is displaying a variable display, the corresponding variable display will be displayed after the current variable display has finished. In other words, the variable display will be put on hold (on hold). The maximum number of variable displays that can be held is determined for each model of pachinko machine. In this embodiment, up to four variable displays are held for each game ball that entered the upper start winning slot 33YA and the lower start winning slot 33YB (a total of eight variable displays). The number of held displays is indicated by the first hold lamp 46a and the second hold lamp 46b. Furthermore, if a new game ball enters the start winning slot 33YA, 33YB during a jackpot state, the corresponding variable display will also be held on hold.

[0094] Basically, the variable displays triggered by winning the upper start winning slot 33YA are stored in the order in which the corresponding game balls entered the upper start winning slot 33YA and are consumed in the order in which they entered, while the variable displays triggered by winning the lower start winning slot 33YB are stored in the order in which the corresponding game balls entered the lower start winning slot 33YB and are consumed in the order in which they entered. However, if both the variable displays triggered by winning the upper start winning slot 33YA and the variable displays triggered by winning the lower start winning slot 33YB are reserved (one or more of the first reserved lamp 46a and one or more of the second reserved lamp 46b are lit), the variable displays triggered by winning the lower start winning slot 33YB are consumed preferentially. In other words, unless all variable displays triggered by winning the lower start winning slot 33YB have been consumed, the variable displays triggered by winning the upper start winning slot 33YA will not be displayed. For example, when one first reserved lamp 46a is lit, if a game ball enters the lower start winning opening 33YB and one second reserved lamp 46b is lit, the variable display triggered by the winning of the upper start winning opening 33YA will be postponed, and the variable display triggered by the winning of the lower start winning opening 33YB will be performed first. Hereinafter, for the sake of convenience of explanation, the variable display triggered by the winning of the upper start winning opening 33YA will also be referred to as the "first variable display," and the variable display triggered by the winning of the lower start winning opening 33YB will also be referred to as the "second variable display."

[0095] Further, the through gate 34 is configured to allow game balls flowing down the game area to pass through one by one. As will be described in detail later, the through gate 34 is equipped with a through gate switch 225 that can detect game balls passing through the through gate 34, and when the through gate switch 225 detects a game ball, an opening lottery is held to determine whether or not the opening / closing device 37Y (lower start winning opening 33YB) will be opened, and a variable display is performed on the normal symbol display device 41. Then, if the opening lottery is won, the opening / closing device 37Y is opened for a specified time.

[0096] The variable display device unit 35 is provided with a normal pattern display device 41 that displays a variable display in response to passage through the through gate 34, and a performance display device 42 that displays a variable display in accordance with the variable display by the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R.

[0097] Furthermore, the variable display device unit 35 is provided with a variable identification lamp 40 which indicates which winning the variable display being performed on the performance display device 42 corresponds to, either the upper starting winning slot 33YA or the lower starting winning slot 33YB.

[0098] The normal symbol display device 41 is configured to be able to light and display a "circle" or "cross" as a normal symbol, and each time a gaming ball passes through the through gate 34, the normal symbol is displayed in a rapidly changing manner, for example, from "circle" to "cross" to "circle" to .... If the changing display stops at the "circle" symbol (winning symbol) for several seconds, the opening and closing device 37Y of the lower start winning opening 33YB will be opened for a predetermined period of time. The display content of this normal symbol display device 41 is directly controlled by the main control device 261, which will be described later.

[0099] Also, if a new game ball passes through the through gate 34 during the variable display of the normal symbol display device 41, the variable display for that part will be displayed after the variable display currently being performed has finished. In other words, the variable display will be put on hold (reserved). The maximum number of reserved variable displays is determined for each model of pachinko machine, but in this embodiment, up to four times are reserved, and the reserved number is displayed by lighting up the reserved lamp 44.

[0100] The performance display device 42 is composed of a liquid crystal display device, and the display content is controlled by a sub-control device 262 and a display control device 45, which will be described later. That is, in the performance display device 42, the auxiliary display content is determined by the sub-control device 262 based on commands from the main control device 261 so as to correspond to the results displayed on the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R, and the content is displayed by the display control device 45, which will be described later.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 43, the effect display device 42 is provided with, for example, three symbol display areas, top, middle, and bottom, and multiple types of symbols (numbers) are displayed (variably displayed) in each symbol display area, and then symbols are displayed in order for each symbol display area (for example, in the order of top symbol display area → bottom symbol display area → middle symbol display area). For example, when the main control device 261 determines the above-mentioned various "probable jackpots" or various "normal jackpots," a display corresponding to the jackpot is made on the first or second special display device 43L, 43R, and symbols are displayed in a combination corresponding to the jackpot on the effect display device 42 (for example, the symbols displayed in the top symbol display area, middle symbol display area, and bottom symbol display area are the same), and the jackpot state begins. Note that in the case of a "JUB jackpot" or a "small jackpot," as described below, the combination of symbols displayed in the stop mode on the effect display device 42 does not correspond to a jackpot.

[0102] In addition, when the symbols are displayed in a combination corresponding to a jackpot, the previous step is, for example, to display the same symbols in the upper and lower symbol display areas. In this way, the state in which the same symbols are displayed in the upper and lower symbol display areas and the variable display is still being performed in the middle symbol display area is the reach state.

[0103] Furthermore, even if a reach state occurs, if a jackpot state does not occur, a different pattern from the pattern displayed in the upper and lower pattern display areas is displayed in the middle pattern display area. Also, when various "probable jackpots" or various "normal jackpots" occur, repeated numbers are displayed in the effect display device 42 as described above, but in this embodiment, depending on the type of pattern displayed in the stop state, it is impossible to determine the game state (such as "high probability mode" or not) that will be awarded after the jackpot ends.

[0104] Furthermore, when a "JUB jackpot" or "small jackpot" is achieved, a predetermined specific combination of numbers (hereinafter referred to as a "chance symbol") is stopped and displayed instead of a doublet. For example, in this embodiment, "3", "4", and "1" are stopped and displayed in the upper, middle, and lower symbol display areas. This prevents the player from distinguishing between a "JUB jackpot", which is more advantageous to the player, and a "small jackpot", which is not as advantageous, when a chance symbol is stopped and displayed, and allows the player to have hope that a "JUB jackpot" will occur, thereby preventing a decline in the player's interest.

[0105] Of course, the specific number combinations stopped and displayed in the upper, middle and lower symbol display areas may be different for a "JUB jackpot" and a "small jackpot." Also, when a "JUB jackpot" or a "small jackpot" is achieved, instead of a predetermined specific number combination, a random miss combination may be stopped and displayed, similar to a miss.

[0106] In addition, the performance display device 42 is configured to display the number of pending variable displays on the special display devices 43L and 43R in correspondence with the pending lamps 46a and 46b (see FIG. 43, etc.).

[0107] In this embodiment, when the front frame set 14 is closed, the special display devices 43L, 43R and hold lamps 46a, 46b are covered by the front frame set 14, making them invisible to the player. Therefore, the player will be able to understand the game status, lottery results, etc. solely through the display content (pattern display, hold display, etc.) of the performance display device 42.

[0108] Of course, the configuration of the special display devices 43L, 43R and the hold lamps 46L, 46R is not limited to this configuration, and other configurations may be adopted. For example, the special display devices 43L, 43R, etc. may be configured to be visible. However, as described above, the special display devices 43L, 43R are installed in inconspicuous locations that are unlikely to be noticed by players, such as the lower corners of the gaming area, and their display units are small in size and the time for which the distinguishing characters are displayed is relatively short. Therefore, unless one keeps an eye on the special display devices 43L, 43R and observes them carefully, it is virtually impossible to grasp the game status that has been awarded.

[0109] The fluctuation specification lamp 40 is equipped with a blue LED and a red LED, and emits blue light when the performance display device 42 is displaying a fluctuation triggered by a win at the upper start winning slot 33YA, and emits red light when the performance display device 42 is displaying a fluctuation triggered by a win at the lower start winning slot 33YB.

[0110] Next, we will explain in detail the configuration of the variable display unit 35. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 218, the center frame 47 is fixed to the front side of the game board 30, and the frame cover 213 is fixed to the back side of the game board 30, thereby integrating them into the variable display unit 35.

[0111] A rectangular opening 213a (see Figure 6) is formed in the center of the frame cover 213, and a liquid crystal display device, performance display device 42, is detachably attached to the back side of the frame cover 213. The liquid crystal display unit 42a of performance display device 42 is a well-known device in which a liquid crystal panel made of various translucent materials laminated on the front side of a backlight as a light-emitting means is arranged.

[0112] The center frame 47 has a frame shape with a substantially circular opening 751 formed in the center, and the liquid crystal display unit 42a of the performance display device 42 can be seen through this opening 751.

[0113] The center frame 47 is not made up of a single member, but is made up of, for example, a base member to which various decorative members that have been plated or the like, and lens members made of transparent resin that transmit light such as LEDs, etc., are attached.

[0114] A stage portion 770 is provided along the left-right direction on the upper surface of the lower side portion 47b of the center frame 47. The stage portion 770 has gentle undulations formed along the left-right direction.

[0115] A drop hole 774 that opens forward and through which game balls can fall is formed in the center of the rear wall 772 of the stage 770. A communication passage 775 that leads to the drop hole 774 is provided below (inside) the center of the stage 770. The other side of the communication passage 775 opens to the front side of the lower edge 47b of the center frame 47, and serves as an outlet 776 for discharging game balls that have fallen into the drop hole 774 onto the surface of the game board 30. When the center frame 47 is disposed on the game board 30, the outlet 776 is located above the upper start winning opening 33YA, as shown in FIG.

[0116] A guide groove 778 that slopes gently downward toward the back is formed in the center of the stage portion 770, in front of the drop hole 774. This allows game balls to fall from the stage portion 770 into the drop hole 774.

[0117] A ball passage (warp flow path) 764 for passing game balls is formed inside the left side portion 47c of the center frame 47. An inlet portion 764a of the ball passage 764 opens at approximately the center in the up-down direction of the left side portion 47c of the center frame 47, while an outlet portion 764b opens toward the upper surface (stage portion 770) of the lower side portion 47b of the center frame 47. This ball passage 764 can guide game balls flowing down the surface of the game board 30 onto the stage portion 770 inside the center frame 47.

[0118] The gaming ball guided onto the stage portion 770 rolls on the stage portion 770, and then falls from the front onto the surface of the gaming board 30, or falls into the above-mentioned drop hole 774. Of these, the gaming ball that falls into the drop hole 774 is guided onto the surface of the gaming board 30 via the connecting passage 775. The gaming ball discharged from the discharge port 776 has a relatively high probability of landing in the upper start winning port 33YA.

[0119] In addition, an upper performance prop unit 761 and a lower performance prop unit 762 are arranged between the center frame 47 and the frame cover 213 in the variable display device unit 35.

[0120] Specifically, the upper performance device unit 761 is arranged on the back side of the upper edge portion 47a of the center frame 47, and under normal circumstances (see Figure 7), it is almost entirely covered by the upper edge portion 47a, etc., leaving only a portion visible to the player.

[0121] In addition, the lower performance device unit 762 is arranged on the back side of the lower edge portion 47b of the center frame 47, and under normal circumstances (see Figure 7), it is almost entirely covered by the lower edge portion 47b, etc., leaving only a portion visible to the player.

[0122] Here, we will explain in detail the configurations of the upper performance accessory unit 761 and the lower performance accessory unit 762. First, we will explain in detail the upper performance accessory unit 761 with reference to the drawings.

[0123] As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the upper performance prop unit 761 is provided on the back side of the upper side portion 47a of the center frame 47.

[0124] The upper performance prop unit 761 comprises a unit base part 810 arranged at the upper front part of the frame cover 213, an upper movable prop 811 arranged to be swingable relative to the unit base part 810, and a swing drive mechanism 812 for swinging the upper movable prop 811.

[0125] The swing drive mechanism 812 includes a support arm 814 that supports the upper movable part 811 and a swing motor 815 that serves as a drive source for driving the support arm 814 .

[0126] Then, based on the drive of the swing motor 815, the support arm 814 is rotated and displaced, so that the upper movable role object 811 can be swung and displaced between a standby state (see FIG. 7) in which most of it is located behind the upper edge 47a of the center frame 47 and is difficult for the player to see, and an exposed state (see FIG. 9) in which most of it is located in front of the display unit 42a of the performance display device 42 and is easily visible to the player. The area in front of the liquid crystal display unit 42a of the performance display device 42 constitutes the performance area (predetermined area) in this embodiment.

[0127] The swing motor 815 is a stepping motor whose rotation is controlled by an applied drive pulse signal, and by adjusting the drive pulse signal, the amount of rotational displacement of the upper movable accessory 811 (support arm 814) can be controlled. At the same time, by monitoring the number of input drive pulse signals, the amount of rotational displacement of the upper movable accessory 811 (support arm 814) from the reference position can be grasped. Although not shown in the figure, the swing drive mechanism 812 is provided with a position detection sensor or the like for detecting the rotational position of the support arm 814.

[0128] Here, the upper movable accessory 811 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 52 to 56. The upper movable accessory 811 comprises a base part 817 fixed to the tip of the support arm 814, and an upper rotating body 820 rotatably supported on the front side of the base part 817. The upper rotating body 820 is a rotating body for performance purposes, and constitutes a first rotating body as a first rotating means.

[0129] The base portion 817 has a generally circular shape when viewed from the front, and a support shaft portion 818 is formed at the center thereof so as to protrude forward. The support shaft portion 818 is formed in a generally cylindrical shape with a closed front side and an open rear side.

[0130] An upper rotor drive motor 821 is attached and fixed to the back side of base portion 817. A pinion gear 821b is attached and fixed to the front end of a rotation shaft 821a of upper rotor drive motor 821. The driving force of upper rotor drive motor 821 is transmitted to upper rotor 820 via pinion gear 821b.

[0131] An annular cover body 822 is attached and fixed to the front surface of the base part 817. In the center of the cover body 822, a circular opening 822a is formed.

[0132] The upper rotating body 820 is mainly composed of a rotating base plate 823 and six movable pieces 825 arranged in an annular shape on the front side of the rotating base plate 823.

[0133] The rotating base plate 823 has a cylindrical portion 826 extending in the front-rear direction, and six extending pieces 827 extending radially outward from the outer circumferential wall of the cylindrical portion 826. The six extending pieces 827 are provided at equal intervals (60° intervals) around the circumference of the cylindrical portion 826.

[0134] The cylindrical portion 826 is fitted onto the support shaft portion 818 of the base portion 817. This causes the rotatable platform 823 to be rotatably supported on the base portion 817. Although not shown, the cylindrical portion 826 or the support shaft portion 818 is provided with a restricting means for preventing the rotatable platform 823 (cylindrical portion 826) from falling off from the base portion 817 (support shaft portion 818).

[0135] Each extension piece 827 has a slit 829 formed therein, which penetrates in the front-rear direction and runs along the radial direction of the rotating base plate 823. A cylindrical pinion support shaft 830 is formed on the rear surface near the tip of each extension piece 827, protruding rearward.

[0136] An annular central gear member 831 is fitted onto the cylindrical portion 826 of the rotating base plate 823 from the rear.

[0137] The central gear member 831 is integrally formed with a large diameter gear portion 831a provided on the front side thereof and a small diameter gear portion 831b provided on the rear side thereof so as to form a step in the front-rear direction.

[0138] Additionally, pinion gears 832 are fitted onto the pinion support shafts 830, respectively, and are meshed with large diameter gear portions 831a of central gear members 831.

[0139] Furthermore, an annular presser plate 835 is attached to the back side of the rotating base plate 823 (see Figure 56). A circular opening 835a of the presser plate 835 has a diameter slightly larger than that of the small-diameter gear portion 831b of the central gear member 831 so that the small-diameter gear portion 831b can be inserted therethrough, and also has a diameter smaller than that of the large-diameter gear portion 831a.

[0140] As a result, the presser plate 835 covers the six pinion gears 832 and the large diameter gear portion 831a from behind, and passes through the small diameter gear portion 831b, while being fixed to the tip of the pinion support shaft 830. As a result, the central gear member 831 is held rotatably around the cylindrical portion 826 of the rotating base plate 823.

[0141] A pinion gear 821b of the upper rotor drive motor 821 is meshed with the small diameter gear portion 831b of the central gear member 831. As a result, the rotation of the upper rotor drive motor 821 is transmitted to the central gear member 831.

[0142] In other words, the pinion gear 821b, central gear member 831, pinion gear 832, etc. constitute a main power transmission mechanism that transmits the power of the upper rotating body drive motor 821 to the upper rotating body 820, causing the movable piece 825 to slide and driving the rotating base plate 823 to rotate.

[0143] Furthermore, a second drive gear 841 is attached and fixed to the rear end of the cylindrical portion 826 of the rotatable platform 823. As shown in Figure 56, the second drive gear 841 is meshed with a second transmission gear 842. The second transmission gear 842 is connected to an oil damper 843. A support member 844 is fitted into the oil damper 843 from the rear, and the support member 844 is attached and fixed to the base portion 817.

[0144] This results in a configuration in which the rotating base plate 823 is braked so as not to rotate at a torque below a predetermined level. Here, the second drive gear 841, the second transmission gear 842, etc. constitute a regulating power transmission mechanism that transmits the force of the oil damper 843 to the upper rotating body 820 and regulates the operation of the upper rotating body 820.

[0145] Furthermore, the regulating power transmission mechanism is not connected to the main power transmission mechanism, and is configured so that power is not transmitted directly between the upper rotating body drive motor 821 and the oil damper 843 without going through the rotating base plate 823.

[0146] As can be seen from FIG. 52 and other figures, upper rotating body 820 is formed with a single flower motif, and each movable piece 825 is formed to resemble a single petal.

[0147] Each movable piece 825 is made of a transparent resin material that is translucent. However, the surface of the general portion of each movable piece 825 (excluding the magnifying lens portion 828, which will be described later) has fine irregularities (not shown). As a result, the general portion of the movable piece 825 diffuses and transmits light emitted from the display portion (liquid crystal display portion) 42a of the performance display device 42 located behind it, resulting in a state in which the entire surface is uniformly illuminated. However, it is difficult to identify the display object (object) displayed on the display portion 42a through the general portion of the movable piece 825.

[0148] In contrast, one of the six movable pieces 825 is formed with a magnifying lens portion 828. Hereinafter, the movable piece 825 having the magnifying lens portion 828 may be referred to as a "specific movable piece 825A" when distinguishing it from the other movable pieces 825. The movable piece 825 and the magnifying lens portion 828 constitute the light-transmitting portion in this embodiment.

[0149] The magnifying lens portion 828 of the specific movable piece 825A can enlarge and display objects located behind it, allowing the player to view them. For example, the player can enlarge and view display objects such as letters and characters displayed on the display portion 42a of the effect display device 42 through the magnifying lens portion 828.

[0150] A linearly extending rack portion 838 is integrally formed on the back surface of the movable piece 825. The rack portion 838 is inserted into a slit 829 of the extending piece 827 of the rotatable base plate 823. This allows the movable piece 825 to slide along the radial direction of the rotatable base plate 823 (the extending direction of the extending piece 827). Although not shown, the rack portion 838 or the slit 829 is provided with a restricting means for preventing the movable piece 825 from falling off the rotatable base plate 823.

[0151] Rack portion 838 of movable piece 825 is engaged with pinion gear 832 on the back surface of extension piece 827. This allows movable piece 825 to slide along slit 829 of extension piece 827, i.e., along the radial direction of rotation base plate 823, by transmitting power from upper rotor drive motor 821 via the main power transmission mechanism.

[0152] Under this configuration, when the upper rotating body 820 is in a normal standby state, the movable pieces 825 of each of the six radially arranged extension pieces 827 are slid to the innermost radial position and are in a reduced diameter state (see Figures 52 and 102).

[0153] Furthermore, when the upper rotating body 820 is in a contracted diameter state, the base ends of the six movable pieces 825 are each in a state of approximately abutting against the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 826 of the rotating base plate 823, and the both side edges on the base end side of each movable piece 825 are in a state of approximately abutting against the base end side edges of the adjacent movable piece 825.

[0154] On the other hand, when a predetermined performance is performed, the upper rotating body 820 expands in diameter as the movable pieces 825 of the six radially arranged extension pieces 827 simultaneously slide radially outward in the radial direction (see Figures 54 and 104).

[0155] Further, on the rear side of the base part 817, a motor control board (motor driver) 845 is attached which receives instructions from the sub-controller 262 and controls the upper rotating body drive motor 821.

[0156] Upper rotor drive motor 821 is a stepping motor whose rotation is controlled by drive pulse signals applied via motor control board 845, and its rotation angle changes according to the number of input pulses. In other words, by adjusting the drive pulse signal, it is possible to control the amount of rotational displacement and rotation speed of upper rotor 820. At the same time, by monitoring the number of input drive pulse signals, it is possible to grasp the amount of rotational displacement of upper rotor 820 from a reference position.

[0157] 56, a position detection sensor 846 for detecting the rotational position of the upper rotating body 820 (rotating base plate 823) is attached to the front surface of the base portion 817. In this embodiment, a known photosensor in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are arranged facing each other at a distance is used as the position detection sensor 846.

[0158] Correspondingly, a light blocking piece 847 is formed to protrude from the rear side of the rotating base plate 823 (second drive gear 841 in this embodiment). When the light blocking piece 847 is detected by the position detection sensor 846, it is determined that the upper rotating body 820 is in the reference position.

[0159] In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 52, when the upper rotating body 820 is viewed from the front, the reference position is the position where the specific movable piece 825A is located on the right side in the horizontal direction.

[0160] Although not shown in the figure, the base section 817 is provided with an upper role control board that receives instructions from the sub-controller 262 and monitors and controls the position detection sensor 846, etc.

[0161] Under this configuration, assuming that an excitation signal (drive pulse signal) of 360 pulses causes upper rotor drive motor 821 to rotate once, the angle change (angle change per step) based on one excitation signal pulse is 1°. In other words, since the timer interrupt is set to 2 msec in this embodiment, it takes a minimum of 720 msec (= 2 msec × 360 pulses) for upper rotor drive motor 821 to rotate once.

[0162] Furthermore, assuming that the gear ratio (gear ratio) between the pinion gear 821b of the upper rotor drive motor 821 and the small diameter gear portion 831b of the central gear member 831 is 1:4, in the configuration in which the upper rotor drive motor 821 rotates once with an excitation signal of 360 pulses as described above, the upper rotor 820 will rotate once in a minimum of 2880 msec (= 2 msec x 360 pulses x 4).

[0163] However, the amount of angle change based on one pulse of excitation signal, the gear ratio between pinion gear 821b and small diameter gear portion 831b, etc. are not limited to the values exemplified above, and different configurations may be adopted.

[0164] As shown in Figure 54, when the upper rotating body 820 stops rotating, the six movable pieces 825 are configured to stop at one of six predetermined stop positions EA1 to EA6 set in the rotation direction of the upper rotating body 820 (clockwise in this embodiment) (specifically, the first stop position EA1 located on the right side of the upper rotating body 820, the second stop position EA2 located diagonally downward to the right, the third stop position EA3 located diagonally downward to the left, the fourth stop position EA4 located on the left side, the fifth stop position EA5 located diagonally upward to the left, or the sixth stop position EA6 located diagonally upward to the right).

[0165] Here, we will explain the operation of the upper rotating body 820 configured as described above. As shown in Figures 52, 53, etc., during normal times when no special effects are being performed, the six movable pieces 825 are each positioned at their radially inner slide limit positions of the upper rotating body 820. In other words, the upper rotating body 820 is in its most contracted state.

[0166] In this state, when the upper rotor drive motor 821 is rotated in the forward direction, the central gear member 831 first starts to rotate in the clockwise direction as viewed from the front via the pinion gear 821b.

[0167] At the beginning of rotation, the braking force of the oil damper 843 is applied to the rotating base 823 via the restrictive power transmission mechanism, so that the rotating base 823 remains stationary and does not move.

[0168] Meanwhile, as the central gear member 831 rotates clockwise when viewed from the front, the six pinion gears 832 meshed with the large diameter gear portions 831a rotate. Power is then transmitted to the six movable pieces 825 via the rack portions 838 meshed with the pinion gears 832, and the six movable pieces 825 slide radially outward in the radial direction of the upper rotor 820 along the slits 829 of the extension pieces 827. In other words, the diameter of the upper rotor 820 expands.

[0169] 54, 55, etc., when the six movable pieces 825 each reach their radially outer sliding limit positions of the upper rotating body 820 and the upper rotating body 820 reaches its most expanded diameter, rotational power is transmitted to the rotating base plate 823. When the torque exceeds a predetermined level, the rotating base plate 823 begins to rotate clockwise when viewed from the front.

[0170] Thereafter, when the upper rotor drive motor 821 stops, the upper rotor 820 stops, and each of the six movable pieces 825 stops at one of the stop positions EA1 to EA6.

[0171] Furthermore, when the special feature performance ends and returns to normal operation, the upper rotating body drive motor 821 is first rotated in reverse, and the central gear member 831 is rotated counterclockwise as viewed from the front via the pinion gear 821b.

[0172] Even in such a case, when the central gear member 831 first starts to rotate, the braking force of the oil damper 843 is applied to the rotating base plate 823 via the above-mentioned regulating power transmission mechanism, so the rotating base plate 823 remains stationary and does not move, and only the movable piece 825 moves.

[0173] This causes rotation of each of the six pinion gears 832 meshed with the large diameter gear portion 831a of the central gear member 831. Power is then transmitted to each of the six movable pieces 825 via the rack portion 838 meshed with each of these pinion gears 832, and each of the six movable pieces 825 slides and displaces radially inward of the upper rotor 820 along the slits 829 of the extension pieces 827, causing the diameter of the upper rotor 820 to decrease.

[0174] Thereafter, the upper rotor drive motor 821 is stopped when each of the six movable pieces 825 has slid to its radially inward sliding limit position of the upper rotor 820. This causes the upper rotor 820 to return to its normal, reduced diameter state.

[0175] Next, the lower performance accessory unit 762 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in Figures 7 to 9, the lower performance accessory unit 762 is provided on the back side of the lower side portion 47b of the center frame 47.

[0176] The lower prop unit 762 comprises a unit base 850 arranged to cover the lower front surface of the frame cover 213, a lower movable prop 851 arranged to be movable up and down on the back surface of the unit base 850, and an up and down drive mechanism 852 for moving the lower movable prop 851 up and down.

[0177] The lower movable prop 851 comprises a slide base 853 that is provided so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction, a pair of left and right support pillars 854A, 854B that protrude upward from the slide base 853, lower rotating body drive motors 855A, 855B (see Figure 58) provided at the upper ends of the support pillars 854A, 854B, respectively, lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B that are generally rectangular in front view and fixed to the front ends of the rotating shafts of the drive motors 855A, 855B, and motor control boards (motor drivers) 857A, 857B (see Figure 58) provided on the back sides of the drive motors 855A, 855B. The lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B are each rotating bodies for performance purposes and constitute second rotating bodies that serve as second rotating means.

[0178] 57, the left lower rotor 856A (hereinafter referred to as "lower-left rotor 856A") has a first information portion 856Aa that is circular in front view at one longitudinal end thereof, and a second information portion 856Ab that is circular in front view at the other longitudinal end thereof. The information portions 856Aa and 856Ab constitute the acted-on portion in this embodiment.

[0179] Both information display sections 856Aa, 856Ab are made of a translucent material and are configured to transmit light emitted from the display section (liquid crystal display section) 42a of the performance display device 42 located at the rear at a predetermined transmittance.

[0180] In this embodiment, the first information section 856Aa has the word "SMALL" written in clear letters against a background component that is colorful and transparent (e.g., a rainbow pattern) with a relatively high light transmittance (hereinafter, such writing may be referred to as "strong·SMALL"), and the second information section 856Ab has the word "SMALL" written in dull letters against a dark, translucent background component that is relatively low light transmittance (hereinafter, such writing may be referred to as "weak·SMALL").

[0181] On the other hand, the general part of the lower left rotating body 856A, excluding the two information writing sections 856Aa, 856Ab, is covered with a material that is not translucent, and serves as a light-shielding section that does not allow light emitted from the display section 42a of the performance display device 42 to pass through.

[0182] Similarly to the lower-left rotor 856A, the lower right rotor 856B (hereinafter referred to as the "lower-right rotor 856B") has a first information portion 856Ba that is circular in front view at one longitudinal end thereof, and a second information portion 856Bb that is circular in front view at the other longitudinal end thereof, as shown in Fig. 57. The information portions 856Ba and 856Bb constitute the acted-on portion in this embodiment.

[0183] Like the two information display sections 856Aa, 856Ab associated with the lower-left rotating body 856A, the two information display sections 856Ba, 856Bb associated with the lower-right rotating body 856B are made of a translucent material and are configured to transmit light emitted from the display section (liquid crystal display section) 42a of the performance display device 42 located at the rear at a predetermined transmittance.

[0184] In this embodiment, the first information section 856Ba has the word "BIG" written in clear letters against a background component that is colorful and transparent (e.g., a rainbow pattern) with a relatively high light transmittance (hereinafter, such writing may be referred to as "strong·BIG"), and the second information section 856Bb has the word "BIG" written in dull letters against a dark, translucent background component that has a relatively low light transmittance (hereinafter, such writing may be referred to as "weak·BIG").

[0185] On the other hand, the general part of the lower right rotating body 856B, excluding the two information writing sections 856Ba and 856Bb, is covered with a material that is not translucent, and serves as a light-shielding section that does not transmit light emitted from the display section 42a of the performance display device 42.

[0186] The lower rotor drive motors 855A and 855B are stepping motors whose rotation is controlled by applied drive pulse signals, and the amount of rotation of the lower rotors 856A and 856B can be controlled by adjusting the drive pulse signals. At the same time, the amount of rotational displacement of the lower rotors 856A and 856B from the reference position can be determined by monitoring the number of input drive pulse signals.

[0187] More specifically, as shown in Fig. 58, position detection sensors 858A and 858B for detecting the rotational positions of lower rotors 856A and 856B are attached to the lower surfaces of lower rotor drive motors 855A and 855B. In this embodiment, well-known photosensors in which a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are arranged facing each other at a distance are used as position detection sensors 858A and 858B.

[0188] Correspondingly, light-shielding pieces 859A and 859B are formed to protrude from the rear side (near the side edges) of the lower rotating bodies 856A and 856B. When the light-shielding pieces 859A and 859B are detected by the position detection sensors 858A and 858B, it is determined that the lower rotating bodies 856A and 856B are in the reference position.

[0189] In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 57, the reference position is where the longitudinal direction of the lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B is aligned in the vertical direction and the first information writing sections 856Aa, 856Ba are higher than the second information writing sections 856Ab, 856Bb.

[0190] The vertical drive mechanism 852 is made up of a vertical drive motor 860 disposed on the unit base portion 850, and a rack portion 861 provided on the right edge portion of the slide base portion 853. A pinion gear 860a fixed to the rotation shaft of the vertical drive motor 860 is engaged with the rack portion 861 of the slide base portion 853.

[0191] Although not shown in the drawings, the unit base 850 has a guide groove extending in the vertical direction, and the slide base 853 has a protrusion attached to the guide groove. This prevents the slide base 853 from shifting left and right when it moves up and down. In other words, the guide groove and the protrusion form a guide means for guiding the lower movable accessory 851 (lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B).

[0192] With this configuration, the rotation of the vertical drive motor 860 allows the lower movable accessory 851 to slide vertically.

[0193] Normally, the lower movable role 851 is in a standby state where most of the lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B are located at a standby position behind the lower edge portion 47b of the center frame 47 and are difficult for the player to see (see FIG. 7). Then, when the up / down drive motor 860 rotates forward and the slide base portion 853 slides upward, the lower movable role 851 is in an exposed state where the entire lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B are located on the front side of the display portion 42a of the effect display device 42 and are easily visible to the player (see FIG. 9).

[0194] Furthermore, from this state, the vertical drive motor 860 rotates in the reverse direction, causing the slide base portion 853 to slide downward, and the lower movable accessory 851 returns to its normal standby state.

[0195] The vertical drive motor 860 is a stepping motor whose rotation is controlled by an applied drive pulse signal, and by adjusting the drive pulse signal, the vertical movement amount of the lower movable part 851 (lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B) can be controlled. At the same time, by monitoring the number of input drive pulse signals, the vertical displacement amount of the lower movable part 851 from the reference position can be grasped.

[0196] More specifically, a position detection sensor 863 for detecting the up and down position of the lower movable accessory 851 is attached to the unit base portion 850. In this embodiment, a known photosensor in which a light emitting element and a light receiving element are arranged facing each other at a distance is used as the position detection sensor 863.

[0197] Correspondingly, a light blocking piece 864 is formed to protrude from the lower end of the rack part 861 of the slide base part 853. Then, when the position detection sensor 863 detects the light blocking piece 864, it is determined that the lower movable accessory 851 (slide base part 853) is in the reference position. In this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 7, the position where the lower movable accessory 851 is in the above-mentioned standby state is the reference position (standby position).

[0198] Although not shown in the figures, the lower movable accessory 851 (lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B) may be configured to include a movement restriction means such as a stopper that can restrict movement of the lower movable accessory 851 (lower rotating bodies 856A, 856B) beyond a predetermined amount.

[0199] Also, although not shown in the figure, a lower role control board is arranged on the unit base section 850, which receives instructions from the sub-control device 262 and performs drive control of the up and down drive motor 860 and monitoring control of the position detection sensor 863, etc.

[0200] Under this configuration, in this embodiment, while the upper rotor 820 and the lower rotors 856A, 856B are rotating or at rest, the positional relationship between the upper rotor 820 and the lower-left rotor 856A or the lower-right rotor 856B is configured to change between a first positional relationship (non-proximity state) in which at least a portion of the upper rotor 820 and at least a portion of the lower-left rotor 856A or the lower-right rotor 856B do not overlap, and a second positional relationship (proximity state) in which at least a portion of the upper rotor 820 and at least a portion of the lower-left rotor 856A or the lower-right rotor 856B overlap. Then, as will be described later, when a predetermined condition is met (when the high support mode continues), the upper rotor 820 and the lower rotors 856A, 856B are configured to have the second positional relationship (proximity state) more frequently than when the predetermined condition is not met.

[0201] Specifically, when the lower-left rotating body 856A stops rotating, the first information description section 856Aa (strong / SMALL) and the second information description section 856Ab (weak / SMALL) are configured to stop at one of four predetermined stop positions EB1 to EB4 set in the rotation direction (clockwise in this embodiment) of the lower-left rotating body 856A (specifically, as shown in Figure 57, the first stop position EB1 located on the upper side of the lower-left rotating body 856A, the second stop position EB2 located on the right side, the third stop position EB3 located on the lower side, or the fourth stop position EB4 located on the left side).

[0202] When the first information recording section 856Aa (Strong·SMALL) or the second information recording section 856Ab (Weak·SMALL) stops at the first stop position EB1 and the specific movable piece 825A of the upper rotating body 820 stops at the fourth stop position EA4, the first information recording section 856Aa (Strong·SMALL) or the second information recording section 856Ab (Weak·SMALL) that has stopped at the first stop position EB1 is enlarged and displayed through the magnifying lens section 828 of the specific movable piece 825A, and can be seen by the player (see Figures 61 and 62).

[0203] This relative positional relationship between upper rotor 820 and lower left rotor 856A corresponds to the first and second positional relationships in this embodiment. Furthermore, the mode in which magnifying lens unit 828 enlarges and displays first information inscription portion 856Aa (strong / small) or second information inscription portion 856Ab (weak / small) corresponds to the first mode in this embodiment, and the operating mode of upper rotor 820 that stops specific movable piece 825A of upper rotor 820 at fourth stop position EA4 corresponds to the first operating mode in this embodiment.

[0204] In addition, when the lower right rotating body 856B stops rotating, the first information recording section 856Ba (strong / BIG) and the second information recording section 856Bb (weak / BIG) are configured to stop at one of four predetermined stop positions EC1 to EC4 set in the rotation direction (counterclockwise in this embodiment) of the lower right rotating body 856B (specifically, as shown in Figure 57, the first stop position EC1 located on the upper side of the lower right rotating body 856B, the second stop position EC2 located on the left side, the third stop position EC3 located on the lower side, or the fourth stop position EC4 located on the right side).

[0205] When the first information recording section 856Ba (strong·BIG) or the second information recording section 856Bb (weak·BIG) stops at the first stop position EC1 and the specific movable piece 825A of the upper rotating body 820 stops at the first stop position EA1, the first information recording section 856Ba (strong·BIG) or the second information recording section 856Bb (weak·BIG) stopped at the first stop position EC1 is enlarged and displayed through the magnifying lens section 828 of the specific movable piece 825A, and can be seen by the player (see Figures 63 and 64).

[0206] This relative positional relationship between upper rotor 820 and right-lower rotor 856B corresponds to the second second positional relationship in this embodiment. Also, the mode in which magnifying lens unit 828 enlarges and displays first information inscription portion 856Ba (strong / BIG) or second information inscription portion 856Bb (weak / BIG) corresponds to the second mode in this embodiment, and the operating mode of upper rotor 820 that stops specific movable piece 825A of upper rotor 820 at first stop position EA1 corresponds to the second operating mode in this embodiment.

[0207] In this embodiment, due to the various table configurations, when the first information written portion 856Aa (strong, small) or the second information written portion 856Ab (weak, small) is stopped at the first stop position EB1 and the specific movable piece 825A of the upper rotating body 820 is stopped at the fourth stop position EA4, that is, when the first information written portion 856Aa (strong, small) or the second information written portion 856Ab (weak, small) stopped at the first stop position EB1 is enlarged and displayed via the magnifying lens portion 828 of the specific movable piece 825A, the first information written portion 856Ba (strong) is displayed more clearly than when the first information written portion 856Aa (strong, small) or the second information written portion 856Ab (weak, small) stopped at the first stop position EB1 is enlarged and displayed via the magnifying lens portion 828 of the specific movable piece 825A. When the first information portion 856Ba (Strong BIG) or the second information portion 856Bb (Weak BIG) stops at the first stop position EC1 and the specific movable piece 825A of the upper rotating body 820 stops at the first stop position EA1, that is, when the first information portion 856Ba (Strong BIG) or the second information portion 856Bb (Weak BIG) stopped at the first stop position EC1 is enlarged and displayed via the magnifying lens portion 828 of the specific movable piece 825A, the probability of a predetermined advantageous state being achieved that is advantageous to the player, such as the continuation of the high support mode, as will be described later, is increased. Furthermore, the probability of a second advantageous state being achieved that is more advantageous to the player than the first advantageous state (high support mode continuing "until next time") is increased compared to the first advantageous state being advantageous to the player (high support mode continuing "+10 times").

[0208] Next, the rear configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to Figures 5, 6, etc. On the rear of the pachinko machine 10, various control boards are arranged in rows vertically and horizontally, with some parts overlapping front to back, and further, a game ball supply device (payout mechanism) that supplies game balls, a resin protective cover, etc. are attached. The payout mechanism and protective cover are integrated into one unit, and since the resin part is generally sometimes referred to as the back pack, this unit will be referred to here as the "back pack unit 203."

[0209] First, the rear configuration of the gaming board 30 will be described with reference to Figure 6 etc. As described above, a resin frame cover 213 that covers the center frame 47 from behind is provided protruding rearward on the rear side of the variable display unit 35 (see Figure 4) that is arranged corresponding to the through-hole in the center of the gaming board 30. In addition, on the rear side of the frame cover 213, the effect display device 42, which is a liquid crystal display device facing forward through the opening of the frame cover 213, the display control device 45 and the sub-control device 262 are detachably attached in a stacked state in the front and rear.

[0210] The effect display device 42 is housed in a storage box (symbol omitted) which has an opening formed therein for exposing the display unit (liquid crystal screen) of the effect display device 42 to the front side of the pachinko machine 10, and is fixed to the back side of the frame cover 213. The display control device 45 is housed in a board box 45a and is fixed to the back side of the effect display device 42 (storage box). The sub-control device 262 is housed in a board box 262a and is fixed to the back side of the display control device 45 (board box 45a). The board boxes 45a and 262a are made of a transparent resin material or the like, and the insides are visible. An LED control board or the like which drives the LEDs or the like built into the center frame 47 is arranged inside the frame cover 213.

[0211] Below the frame cover 213, a back frame set 215 is attached to the game board 30 so as to cover the general winning opening 31, the variable winning device 32, the start winning openings 33YA, 33YB, etc. from behind. The back frame set 215 is equipped with a ball recovery mechanism (not shown) for recovering game balls that have moved from the front side to the back side of the game board 30 through different paths such as the various winning openings and the outlet 36. The game balls recovered by this ball recovery mechanism are guided to a discharge passage section 217, which will be described later, and are discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 from a discharge chute of the discharge passage section 217.

[0212] Although not shown in the figures, the back frame set 215 is provided with a first board relay board that is electrically connected via a cable connector to the general winning switch 221, the count switch 223, and the through gate switch 225. This first board relay board relays between the general winning switch 221, etc., and the main control device 261, and is electrically connected to the main control device 261 via a cable connector.

[0213] In contrast, the start winning switches 224A, 224B that detect winnings at the start winning ports 33YA, 33YB are connected directly to the main control device 261 via a connector cable without going through a relay board.

[0214] The detection results detected by the various winning detection switches are input to the main control device 261. Then, the main control device 261 sends a payout command (number of game balls to be paid out) according to the winning status at each time to the payout control device 311, and a predetermined number of game balls are paid out based on the output signal from the payout control device 311 (except when detected by the through gate switch 225). In this embodiment, the back frame set 215 also functions as a mounting base for the main control device 261. More specifically, the board box 263 on which the main control device 261 is mounted is rotatably supported on the back frame set 215 and can be opened rearward.

[0215] The main control device 261 is housed in a board box 263 made of a transparent resin material or the like. The board box 263 comprises a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and the box base and box cover are connected by a sealing member. The board box 263 connected by the sealing member is configured so that it cannot be opened unless a predetermined trace is left behind. This makes it easy to discover if the board box 263 has been tampered with.

[0216] Next, the configuration of the back pack unit 203 will be described. As shown in Fig. 5, the back pack unit 203 is an integrated unit of a resin-molded back pack 351 and a game ball payout mechanism 352. The back pack unit 203 is supported so as to be openable and closable on the left side (right side in Fig. 5) of the inner frame 12, and can be opened rearward around an opening / closing axis extending in the vertical direction. In addition, an external relay terminal board 240 is provided on the upper left side (upper right side in Fig. 5) of the back pack unit 203.

[0217] The external relay terminal board 240 is provided with a plurality of external connection terminals for relaying various types of information transmission to the hall computer of the gaming hall, etc. For convenience, no reference numerals are attached, but for example, a terminal for outputting information regarding the current gaming state (jackpot state, high probability mode, etc.), a terminal for outputting information regarding the opening of the front frame set 14 and the inner frame 12 detected by the opening detection switches 91, 92 described later, a terminal for outputting information regarding various error states such as a winning error, a lower tray full error, a tank ball no error, and a payout error, and a terminal for outputting information regarding the number of prize balls paid out from the payout control device 311 are provided.

[0218] However, in this embodiment, a terminal for outputting information about a "small win" is not provided, and information about the occurrence of a "small win" is not output. In this embodiment, since "small wins" tend to occur relatively frequently during the "high support mode," constantly outputting occurrence information every time a "small win" occurs may result in a significant increase in the output signal. Therefore, when such a malfunction is relatively unlikely to occur, such as during the "low support mode," a configuration may be adopted in which information about the occurrence of a "small win" is output.

[0219] Furthermore, it is preferable that the output of the "JUB jackpot" occurrence information be performed, for example, after the completion of five "short openings" related to the "JUB jackpot," that is, after the situation in which it is no longer possible to distinguish it from a "small jackpot," at the timing of outputting an opening command (jackpot notification effect) described below, when the occurrence of the "JUB jackpot" has been confirmed. If only the "JUB jackpot" occurrence information is output first when it is still no longer possible to distinguish it from a "small jackpot," the player may be able to see the information display device or the like installed in the island equipment of the hall corresponding to the pachinko machine 10 and know in advance that a "JUB jackpot" has occurred, which may diminish the effect of the "JUB jackpot" presentation.

[0220] The back pack 351 is integrally molded from, for example, ABS resin, and includes a protective cover portion 354 that protrudes rearward from the pachinko machine 10 and has a substantially rectangular parallelepiped shape. The protective cover portion 354 is closed on the left and right sides and the top, and only the bottom is open, and is large enough to cover at least the frame cover 213. However, in this embodiment, the protective cover portion 354 is configured to also cover the top and right portions (the left portion in FIG. 5) of the board box 263. As a result, when the back pack unit 203 is closed, the sealing member provided on the right portion of the board box 263 and the terminal portion (board-side connector) provided along the upper edge of the main control device 261 are covered.

[0221] The payout mechanism 352 is disposed so as to bypass the protective cover 354. Above the protective cover 354, a tank 355 with an opening at the top is provided, and this tank 355 is successively replenished with gaming balls supplied from the island facilities of the gaming hall. Below the tank 355, a tank rail 356 is connected, which has, for example, two rows of ball passages for causing gaming balls to flow horizontally and gently slopes toward the downstream side. Further, a case rail 357 for causing gaming balls to flow vertically is connected to the downstream side of the tank rail 356. A payout device 358 is provided at the most downstream portion of the case rail 357, and the required number of gaming balls are appropriately paid out by a predetermined electrical configuration such as a payout motor. The gaming balls paid out by the payout device 358 are then supplied to the upper tray 19, etc.

[0222] The dispensing mechanism 352 is also provided with a dispensing relay board 381 that relays dispensing command signals from the dispensing control device 311 to the dispensing device 358, and a power switch board 382 that takes in main power from the outside. The power switch board 382 is supplied with main power, for example, 24 V AC, via a voltage converter, and is turned on or off by switching the power switch 382a.

[0223] Below the rear pack unit 203 (base box 263), a lower frame set 251 is provided, which is pivotally supported on the left side (right side in FIG. 5) of the inner frame 12 and can be opened rearward. As shown in FIG. 6, the lower frame set 251 is formed with a discharge passage section 217 as a rear guide means into which game balls collected by the ball collection mechanism described above flow, and a discharge chute (not shown) is formed at the most downstream portion of the discharge passage section 217 for discharging the game balls to the outside of the pachinko machine 10. Game balls are rotating bodies that flow down the game area. In the game area, game balls rotate and flow down while coming into contact with and being influenced by the nails 49, windmills 57, etc. Then, game balls that win at each winning port, such as the general winning port 31, are collected via the ball collection mechanism of the rear frame set 215 and further discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 through the discharge chute of the discharge passage section 217. The outlet 36 also communicates with the discharge passage 217, and game balls that do not enter any of the winning ports are also discharged to the outside of the pachinko machine 10 via a discharge chute. In this embodiment, the back pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 are configured as separate bodies and can be opened and closed independently, but the back pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 may also be formed integrally.

[0224] Also, as shown in Figure 5, on the back side of the lower frame set 251, a dispensing control device 311, a launch control device 312, a power supply device 313 and a card unit connection board 314 as dispensing control means are stacked front to back and are removably attached.

[0225] The launch control device 312 and the power supply device 313 are housed in a circuit board box 313a and fixed to the rear side of the lower frame set 251. For convenience, the launch control device 312 and the power supply device 313 are described as independent control devices, but in reality they are composed of a single circuit board (printed circuit board).

[0226] The dispensing control device 311 is housed in a board box 311a and fixed to the back side of the board box 313a (the launching control device 312 and the power supply device 313). The board box 311a housing the dispensing control device 311 is provided with a sealing member, similar to the board box 263 housing the main control device 261 described above, so that evidence that the board box 311a has been opened will remain.

[0227] In addition, the card unit connection board 314 is housed in a board box 314a and fixed to the rear side of the board box 313a (the launch control device 312 and the power supply device 313).

[0228] The board boxes 311a, 313a, and 314a are made of a transparent resin material or the like, so that the inside can be seen.

[0229] In addition, the dispensing control device 311 is provided with a state return switch 321 that protrudes outward from the base box 311a. For example, when the state return switch 321 is pressed in the event of a dispensing error, such as a ball jam in the dispensing motor, the dispensing motor is rotated forward and reverse, and the ball jam is resolved (returned to the normal state).

[0230] Furthermore, the power supply device 313 is provided with a RAM erase switch 323 that protrudes outward from the circuit board box 313a. This pachinko machine 10 has a backup function, so that in the unlikely event of a power outage, the state at the time of the power outage is maintained, and when power is restored from the power outage, the state at the time of the power outage can be restored. Therefore, when the power is turned off in the normal procedure (for example, when the game hall closes), the state before the power outage is stored and maintained, so if you want to return to the initial state when the power is turned on, turn on the power while pressing the RAM erase switch 323.

[0231] As shown in Figure 6, a locking device 600 is provided on the rear side of the right side of the inner frame 12. The locking device 600 is equipped with a cylinder lock 600a (see Figure 1, etc.) exposed on the front side of the front frame set 14, and the inner frame 12 can be unlocked by inserting a key into the keyhole of the cylinder lock 600a and rotating it in one direction, and the front frame set 14 can be unlocked by rotating it in the other direction. In this embodiment, the inner frame 12 is locked to the outer frame 11, and the front frame set 14 is locked to the inner frame 12.

[0232] As described above, the right-side frame component 11d of the outer frame 11 has an extended wall portion 83 formed thereon that covers the entire upper and lower sections corresponding to the locking device 600 from the rear side of the inner frame 12 (see FIG. 5). This makes it difficult to insert a wire or the like from the rear side of the outer frame 11 and operate the locking device 600 using the wire or the like. As a result, defensive performance can be improved. Furthermore, the extended wall portion 83 is configured to cover the right end (the left end in FIG. 5) of the rear pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 from the rear side, so that when the inner frame 12 is closed, the rear pack unit 203 and the lower frame set 251 cannot be opened.

[0233] In addition, in this embodiment, various conductive components formed from conductive metal materials, such as the reinforcing frame of the front frame set 14, the locking device 600, the rail components 51, 52, and the left and right frame components 11c, 11d, as well as various conductive components formed from conductive resin materials, such as the tank 355, tank rail 356, and case rail 357, are electrically connected to a predetermined earth terminal (not shown). Generally, gaming balls are made of metal, and their surfaces are polished or plated to give them a glossy, light-reflecting luster and electrical conductivity. Therefore, when the gaming ball comes into contact with the various conductive components, static electricity charged to the gaming ball can be released.

[0234] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 4, a front frame open detection switch 91 for detecting the opening of the front frame set 14 is provided on the lower right side of the front side of the inner frame 12 (to the right of the launching device 60), and as shown in Figure 5, an inner frame open detection switch 92 for detecting the opening of the inner frame 12 is provided on the lower right side of the back side of the inner frame 12 (lower left in Figure 5). The front frame open detection switch 91 and the inner frame open detection switch 92 each have a detection unit that can be retracted into the switch main body, and the front frame open detection switch 91 is arranged so that its detection unit faces forward, and the inner frame open detection switch 92 is arranged so that its detection unit faces rearward. When the detection unit is protruding from the switch main body, it outputs an ON signal to the main control unit 261, and when the detection unit is pressed toward the switch main body and retracted into the switch main body, it outputs an OFF signal to the main control unit 261. In other words, when the front frame set 14 is closed, the detection part of the front frame open detection switch 91 is pressed by the back of the front frame set 14, turning it to the OFF state, and when the front frame set 14 is opened, the detection part returns to the protruding state and turns it to the ON state. Similarly, when the inner frame 12 is closed, the detection part of the inner frame open detection switch 92 is pressed by the pressing part 86 integrally formed with the receiving part 85 of the outer frame 11, turning it to the OFF state, and when the inner frame 12 is opened, the detection part returns to the protruding state and turns it to the ON state.

[0235] Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described. Figure 10 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10. The main control device 261 (main board) is equipped with a CPU 501 as a one-chip microcomputer that is an arithmetic unit. The CPU 501 incorporates a ROM 502 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 501, a RAM 503 that is a memory that temporarily stores various data when the control programs stored in the ROM 502 are executed, and various circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit. However, the CPU, ROM, and RAM may not be integrated into a single chip, and each function may be integrated into a chip.

[0236] RAM 503 includes a stack area in which the contents of the internal registers of CPU 501 and the return addresses of control programs executed by CPU 501 are stored, a working area (working region) in which various flags, counters, I / O values, etc. are stored, and a backup area 503a.

[0237] In addition, RAM 503 is configured so that it can retain (back up) data even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is turned off by receiving backup voltage from the power supply device 313, and all data stored in the stack area, working area, and backup area 503a is backed up.

[0238] The backup area 503a is an area for storing values such as stack pointers, registers, and I / Os at the time of power cut (including power cuts; the same applies below) so that the state of the pachinko machine 10 can be restored to the state before power cut when the power is turned back on if the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like. Writing to the backup area 503a is performed by the main processing when the power is cut off, and conversely, the restoration of each value written to the backup area 503a is performed by the main processing when the power is turned on (including power on after the power is recovered; the same applies below). Note that the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of the CPU 501 is configured to receive a power outage signal SK1 output from a power outage monitoring circuit 542 (described later) when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like, and power outage processing (NMI interrupt processing) is immediately executed when a power outage occurs.

[0239] Note that it is not necessary to back up data stored in all areas as long as data stored in at least the stack area and the backup area 503a is backed up. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which data stored in the stack area and the backup area 503a is backed up, but data stored in the work area is not backed up.

[0240] An input / output port 505 is connected to the CPU 501 incorporating the ROM 502 and RAM 503 via a bus line 504 consisting of an address bus, a data bus, etc. The input / output port 505 is connected to a RAM erasure switch circuit 543, payout control device 311, sub-control device 262, first and second special display devices 43L and 43R, normal symbol display device 41, etc., which will be described later. With this configuration, the above-mentioned special display devices 43L and 43R and normal symbol display device 41 are directly controlled by the main control device 261. On the other hand, the performance display device 42 as a display means is controlled via the sub-control device 262. The sub-control device 262 constitutes the light emission control means in this embodiment.

[0241] Additionally, for convenience, various relay boards and the like are not shown, but various detection switches such as the general winning switch 221, count switch 223, start winning unit switches 224A, 224B, and through gate switch 225, as well as various electrical components such as various boards, are connected to the input / output port 505. In other words, the main control device 261 is provided with multiple terminal sections (board-side connectors) for connecting the connectors of various cable connectors, and these terminal sections etc. form the input / output port 505.

[0242] The sub-control device 262 (sub-control board) includes a CPU 551 which is an arithmetic unit, a ROM 552 which stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 551, a RAM 553 which is a memory which temporarily stores various data etc. when the control programs stored in the ROM 552 are executed, an input / output port 554, a bus line 555, and also includes various other circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, a data transmission / reception circuit etc. (not shown). The RAM 553 is a memory which temporarily stores work data and flags which are used when the CPU 551 executes various programs.

[0243] The input / output port 554 is connected to the CPU 551, ROM 552, RAM 553 via a bus line 555, and is also connected to the display control device 45. Furthermore, the input / output port 554 is connected to a speaker SP, a performance button 125, performance accessory units 761, 762, various illumination units and lamps 102, 104.

[0244] The CPU 551 of the sub-control device 262 causes the display control device 45 to execute display control based on a command (for example, a variation pattern command) sent from the main control device 261, for example, and causes the display to be displayed on the performance display device 42. As described above, in this embodiment, the first and second special display devices 43L, 43R controlled by the main control device 261 are configured to display whether or not there is a jackpot, and the performance display device 42 controlled by the sub-control device 262 displays information that matches the display of the special display devices 43L, 43R. The sub-control device 262 also controls the drive of the upper performance role unit 761 and the lower performance role unit 762.

[0245] The payout control device 311 controls the payout of prize balls and loan balls by the payout device 358. The CPU 511, which is a calculation device, is provided with a ROM 512 that stores control programs executed by the CPU 511, fixed value data, etc., and a RAM 513 that is used as a work memory, etc.

[0246] The RAM 513 of the dispensing control device 311, like the RAM 503 of the main control device 261, has a stack area in which the contents of the internal registers of the CPU 511 and the return addresses of the control programs executed by the CPU 511 are stored, a working area (working region) in which various flags, counters, I / O values, etc. are stored, and a backup area 513a.

[0247] The RAM 513 is configured to be able to retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 313 even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is turned off, and all data stored in the stack area, work area, and backup area 513a is backed up. Note that it is not necessary to back up data stored in all areas as long as data stored in at least the stack area and backup area 513a is backed up. For example, a configuration may be adopted in which data stored in the stack area and backup area 513a is backed up, but data stored in the work area is not backed up.

[0248] The backup area 513a is an area for storing values such as the stack pointer, registers, and I / O at the time of power cut so that when the power is turned back on, the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power was cut off in the event of a power outage or the like. Writing to this backup area 513a is performed by the main processing when the power is turned off, and the restoration of each value written to the backup area 513a is performed by the main processing when the power is turned on. Note that, like the CPU 501 of the main control device 261, the NMI terminal of the CPU 511 is configured to receive a power outage signal SK1 from the power outage monitoring circuit 542 when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like. When the power outage signal SK1 is input to the CPU 511, an NMI interrupt process is immediately executed as a power outage process.

[0249] The working area is provided with a payout permission flag that sets permission for the payout control device 311 to pay out prize balls, a command reception flag that is set when a command sent from the main control device 261 is received, and a command buffer in which commands sent from the main control device 261 are stored.

[0250] The payout permission flag is a flag that sets permission for the payout of prize balls, and is turned on when a specific command that permits the payout of prize balls is sent from the main control device 261 and the specific command is received, and is turned off when the initial setting process is performed or the state before power was cut off is restored. In this embodiment, the specific commands are a payout initialization command that instructs the initial process of the RAM 513 of the payout control device 311, a prize ball command that instructs the payout of prize balls, and a payout return command that is sent when power is restored to the main control device 261.

[0251] The command reception flag is a flag that checks whether the dispensing control device 311 has received a command, and is turned on when any command is received.Like the dispensing permission flag, it is turned off when the initial setting process is performed or the state before power was cut off is restored, and it is also turned off when the received command is judged by the command judgment process.

[0252] The command buffer is made up of a ring buffer that temporarily stores commands sent from the main control device 261.

[0253] The CPU 511 incorporating the ROM 512 and RAM 513 is connected to an input / output port 515 via a bus line 514 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 515 is connected to a RAM erasure switch circuit 543, a main control unit 261, a launch control unit 312, a payout unit 358, etc.

[0254] The card unit connection board 314 is electrically connected to the ball lending operation section (ball lending button 121 and return button 122) on the front of the pachinko machine 10 and to a card unit (ball lending unit) placed on the side of the pachinko machine 10 in an amusement hall or the like, and receives commands for ball lending operations from the player and outputs them to the card unit. Note that in cash machines in which game balls are directly loaned from a ball lending device or the like to the upper tray 19 without going through the card unit, the card unit connection board 314 can be omitted.

[0255] The launch control device 312 permits or prohibits the launch of gaming balls by the launching device 60, and the launching device 60 is permitted to operate when predetermined conditions are met. Specifically, the launching device 60 is operated and launches gaming balls with a strength according to the amount of operation of the handle 18 under the conditions that a launch permission signal is output from the payout control device 311, a sensor signal detects that the player is touching the handle 18, and a launch stop switch that stops the launch is not operated. This allows the player to change the movement amount and operation mode of the gaming balls guided into the play area.

[0256] The display control device 45 executes the variable display of decorative symbols on the effect display device 42 in accordance with instructions from the sub-control device 262. This display control device 45 includes a CPU 521, a program ROM 522, a work RAM 523, a video RAM 524, a character ROM 525, a video display processor (VDP) 526, an input port 527, an output port 529, and bus lines 530 and 531. An input / output port 554 of the sub-control device 262 is connected to the input port 527. The CPU 521, the program ROM 522, the work RAM 523, and the VDP 526 are connected to the input port 527 via the bus line 530. The VDP 526 is connected to an output port 529 via the bus line 531, and the output port 529 is connected to the effect display device 42, which is a liquid crystal display device.

[0257] The CPU 521 of the display control device 45 receives the display command sent from the sub-control device 262 via the input port 527, analyzes the received command, or performs predetermined calculation processing based on the received command, thereby controlling the VDP 526 (specifically, generating internal commands for the VDP 526). This allows display control in the performance display device 42.

[0258] The program ROM 522 is a memory that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the CPU 521, and the work RAM 523 is a memory that temporarily stores work data and flags used when the CPU 521 executes various programs.

[0259] The video RAM 524 is a memory that stores display data to be displayed on the performance display device 42, and the display content of the performance display device 42 is changed by rewriting the content of this video RAM 524. The character ROM 525 is a memory that stores character data such as designs to be displayed on the performance display device 42.

[0260] The VDP 526 is a type of drawing circuit that directly operates the LCD driver (liquid crystal drive circuit) built into the performance display device 42. The VDP 526 is also called a "drawing chip" because it is an IC chip, and its actual form should be described as a microcomputer chip with built-in firmware dedicated to drawing processing. The VDP 526 adjusts the timing of the CPU 521, video RAM 524, etc. to mediate the reading and writing of data, and also reads display data stored in the video RAM 524 at a predetermined timing and displays it on the performance display device 42.

[0261] In addition, the power supply device 313 includes a power supply unit 541 that supplies power to each part of the pachinko machine 10, a power outage monitoring circuit 542 that monitors power supply interruptions due to power outages, etc., and a RAM erasure switch circuit 543 that is connected to the RAM erasure switch 323.

[0262] The power supply unit 541 supplies the necessary operating power to the main control unit 261, the dispensing control unit 311, etc., via a power supply path not shown. In summary, the power supply unit 541 takes in an externally supplied 24-volt AC power supply, generates a +12V power supply to drive various switches, motors, etc., a +5V power supply for logic, a backup power supply for RAM backup, etc., and supplies these +12V power supply, +5V power supply, and backup power supplies to the main control unit 261, the dispensing control unit 311, etc. The launch control unit 312 is supplied with operating power (+12V power supply, +5V power supply, etc.) via the dispensing control unit 311. Similarly, the various switches, motors, etc. are supplied with operating power via the control devices to which they are connected.

[0263] The power outage monitoring circuit 542 is a circuit that outputs a power outage signal SK1 to each NMI terminal of the CPU 501 of the main control device 261 and the CPU 511 of the dispensing control device 311 when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like. The power outage monitoring circuit 542 monitors the voltage of 24 volts DC, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 541, and when this voltage falls below 22 volts, it determines that a power outage (power outage) has occurred and outputs a power outage signal SK1 to the main control device 261 and the dispensing control device 311. By outputting this power outage signal SK1, the main control device 261 and the dispensing control device 311 recognize the occurrence of a power outage and perform power outage processing (NMI interrupt processing).

[0264] The power supply unit 541 is configured to maintain the output of the 5-volt drive voltage of the control system at a normal value for a sufficient time to execute the power outage process, even after the 24-volt DC stabilized voltage drops below 22 volts. Therefore, the main control unit 261 and the dispensing control unit 311 can execute and complete the power outage process normally.

[0265] The RAM clearing switch circuit 543 is a circuit that takes in the switch signal of the RAM clearing switch 323 and clears the backup data in the RAM 503 of the main control device 261 and the RAM 513 of the payout control device 311 according to the state of the switch 323. When the RAM clearing switch 323 is pressed, the RAM clearing switch circuit 543 outputs a RAM clearing signal SK2 to the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311. When the power to the pachinko machine 10 is turned on with the RAM clearing switch 323 pressed (including when the power is turned on after a power outage is resolved), the data in the RAMs 503, 513 of the main control device 261 and the payout control device 311 are cleared.

[0266] Next, the operation of the pachinko machine 10 configured as above will be described.

[0267] In this embodiment, the CPU 501 provided in the main control device 261 performs a lottery using various counter information during a game. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 11, a jackpot random number counter CB1 used for a jackpot lottery (win / lose lottery) to determine whether or not a jackpot state will occur, a jackpot type determination counter CB2 used for determining the jackpot type, a reach selection counter CB3 used for determining whether or not a reach state will occur when the effect display device 42 is changed due to a miss and for determining the type of reach to be generated, an initial value random number counter CINI used for setting the initial value of the jackpot random number counter CB1, fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 used for determining the fluctuation display time of the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R (effect display device 42) and for determining the fluctuation pattern (effect pattern) in the effect display device 42, and a normal pattern random number counter CB4 used for a lottery for the normal pattern display device 41 (open lottery to determine whether or not the opening / closing device 37Y of the lower start winning opening 33YB is opened).

[0268] Counters CB1, CB2, CB3, CINI, CS1, CS2, and CB4 are loop counters that add 1 to the previous value each time they are updated, and after reaching their upper limit, return to the lower limit, 0. Each counter is updated periodically, and the updated value is stored appropriately in a counter buffer set in a predetermined area of RAM 503 (except for random number initial value counter CINI).

[0269] The RAM 503 is provided with a special variable reserve area in which the values of the jackpot random number counter CB1, the jackpot type determination counter CB2, and the reach selection counter CB3 are stored, and a normal variable reserve area in which the value of the normal symbol random number counter CB4 is stored. The normal variable reserve area has one execution area and four reserve areas (reservation 1 to reserve 4 areas).

[0270] The special variable reserve area includes a first special variable reserve area and a second special variable reserve area each having four reserve areas (reserved first to fourth areas), and one execution area.

[0271] In each holding area of the first special variable holding area, the values of the jackpot random number counter CB1, the jackpot type determination counter CB2, and the reach selection counter CB3 are stored in chronological order according to the winning history of game balls into the upper start winning slot 33YA.

[0272] In each holding area of the second special variable holding area, the values of the jackpot random number counter CB1, the jackpot type determination counter CB2, and the reach selection counter CB3 are stored in chronological order according to the winning history of game balls into the lower start winning slot 33YB.

[0273] In each holding area of the normal variable holding area, the values of the normal pattern random number counter CB4 are stored in chronological order in accordance with the passage history of the gaming balls through the through gate 34.

[0274] By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to hold the variable display on the special display devices 43L, 43R and the normal pattern display device 41 up to four times each, as described above.

[0275] To explain each counter in detail, the jackpot random number counter CB1 is configured to increment by one within a range of, for example, 0 to 599, and after reaching the upper limit (i.e., 599) as the closing value, return to 0, which is the lower limit (i.e., the opening value). Normally, when the jackpot random number counter CB1 goes through one cycle, the value of the initial value random number counter CINI at that time is read as the next initial value of the jackpot random number counter CB1. Note that the initial value random number counter CINI is a loop counter similar to the jackpot random number counter CB1 (value = 0 to 599), and is updated once for each timer interrupt and repeatedly within the remaining time of normal processing. Meanwhile, the jackpot random number counter CB1 is updated periodically (once for each timer interrupt in this embodiment), and the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 is stored in the jackpot random number counter buffer. Then, when the game ball enters the upper start winning hole 33YA or the lower start winning hole 33YB, the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 stored in the jackpot random number counter buffer is stored in the first special variable reserve area or the second special variable reserve area. Therefore, this process constitutes a part of various lotteries.

[0276] Two types of random number values that result in a jackpot are set: "low probability mode" and "high probability mode." In this embodiment, in "low probability mode," there are two random number values that result in a jackpot, the values being "7, 307," and in "high probability mode," there are 20 random number values that result in a jackpot, the values being "7 to 16, 307 to 316." In other words, in "low probability mode," there is a 1 / 300 chance of winning the lottery (a jackpot state occurs), and in "high probability mode," there is a 1 / 30 chance of winning the lottery.

[0277] In this embodiment, a winning / losing determination table that is referenced when determining whether the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 corresponds to a winning jackpot is provided in the ROM 502. In this embodiment, there are two winning / losing determination tables: a first winning / losing determination table that stores "7, 307" and a second winning / losing determination table that stores "7 to 16, 307 to 316."

[0278] In this embodiment, the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 is also used to determine a "small win." The number of random numbers that result in a "small win" is 50, and the values are "101 to 125, 401 to 425." In other words, there is a 1 / 12 probability of winning the lottery (a small win state occurs).

[0279] The jackpot type determination counter CB2 is configured to be incremented by 1 in sequence within a range of, for example, 0 to 19, and after reaching an upper limit value (i.e., 19), return to the lower limit value of 0. In this embodiment, the jackpot type determination counter CB2 determines the jackpot type, that is, which of "16R variable probability jackpot A", "16R variable probability jackpot B", "4R variable probability jackpot A", "4R variable probability jackpot B", "16R normal jackpot A", "16R normal jackpot B", "4R normal jackpot A", "4R normal jackpot B" or "JUB jackpot" to be awarded.

[0280] The ROM 502 is provided with a jackpot type determination table that is referenced when determining which jackpot the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 corresponds to. As described above, in this embodiment, the allocation of jackpot types differs between when the gaming ball enters the upper start winning hole 33YA and when it enters the lower start winning hole 33YB. In other words, in this embodiment, there are two jackpot type determination tables: a first jackpot type determination table that is taken into consideration when the gaming ball enters the upper start winning hole 33YA, and a second jackpot type determination table that is taken into consideration when the gaming ball enters the lower start winning hole 33YB.

[0281] Specifically, when the game ball enters the upper start entry port 33YA, the first jackpot type determination table (see Figure 38) is taken into consideration, and if the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is "0,1", it is determined that a "16R special jackpot A" will be awarded.

[0282] Also, if the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is "2", it is determined that a "16R certain variable jackpot B" with "20 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "3", it is determined that a "16R certain variable jackpot B" with "30 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "4", it is determined that a "16R certain variable jackpot B" with "40 times, high support mode" will be awarded, and if it is "5", it is determined that a "16R certain variable jackpot B" with "50 times, high support mode" will be awarded.

[0283] If the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is "6", it is determined that a "4R special jackpot A" will be awarded.

[0284] If the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is "7", it is determined that a "4R certain variable jackpot B" with "20 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "8", it is determined that a "4R certain variable jackpot B" with "30 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "9", it is determined that a "4R certain variable jackpot B" with "40 times, high support mode" will be awarded, and if it is "10", it is determined that a "4R certain variable jackpot B" with "50 times, high support mode" will be awarded.

[0285] If the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is "11", it is determined that a "16R normal jackpot A" will be awarded.

[0286] If the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is "12", it is determined that a "16R normal jackpot B" with "20 times, high support mode" will be awarded; if it is "13", it is determined that a "16R normal jackpot B" with "30 times, high support mode" will be awarded; if it is "14", it is determined that a "16R normal jackpot B" with "40 times, high support mode" will be awarded; and if it is "15", it is determined that a "16R normal jackpot B" with "50 times, high support mode" will be awarded.

[0287] If the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is "16", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot B" with "20 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "17", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot B" with "30 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "18", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot B" with "40 times, high support mode" will be awarded, and if it is "19", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot B" with "50 times, high support mode" will be awarded.

[0288] In other words, if you win the lottery triggered by winning the upper starting entry slot 33YA, there is a 10% chance of a "16R special jackpot A," a 20% chance of a "16R special jackpot B," a 5% chance of a "4R special jackpot A," a 20% chance of a "4R special jackpot B," a 5% chance of a "16R regular jackpot A," a 20% chance of a "16R regular jackpot B," and a 20% chance of a "4R regular jackpot B."

[0289] On the other hand, when the game ball enters the lower start entry slot 33YB, the second jackpot type determination table (see Figure 39) is taken into consideration, and if the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is "0 to 9", it is determined that a "16R certain variable jackpot A" will be awarded, if it is "10, 11", it is determined that a "4R certain variable jackpot A" will be awarded, if it is "12, 13", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot A" will be awarded, if it is "14", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot B" with "20 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "15", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot B" with "30 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "16", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot B" with "40 times, high support mode" will be awarded, if it is "17", it is determined that a "4R normal jackpot B" with "50 times, high support mode" will be awarded, and if it is "18, 19", it is determined that a "JUB jackpot" will be awarded.

[0290] In other words, if you win the lottery triggered by winning the lower starting entry slot 33YB, there is a 50% chance of a "16R special jackpot A," a 10% chance of a "4R special jackpot A," a 10% chance of a "4R regular jackpot A," a 20% chance of a "4R regular jackpot B," and a 10% chance of a "JUB jackpot."

[0291] The jackpot type determination counter CB2 is updated periodically (in this embodiment, once for each timer interrupt), and the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 is stored in the jackpot type determination counter buffer. Then, when the gaming ball enters the upper start winning hole 33YA or the lower start winning hole 33YB, the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 stored in the jackpot type determination counter buffer is stored in the special variable reserve area (first special variable reserve area or second special variable reserve area) of RAM 503.

[0292] The reach selection counter CB3 is configured to be incremented by one within a range of, for example, 0 to 238, and to return to the lower limit of 0 after reaching its upper limit (i.e., 238). In this embodiment, the reach selection counter CB3 is configured to draw a "reach with a miss before or after" in which, after a reach occurs with respect to a decorative symbol, the final stopped symbol stops just one symbol before or after the reach symbol; a "reach other than a miss before or after" in which, after a reach occurs, the final stopped symbol stops other than before or after the reach symbol; and a "complete miss" in which no reach occurs. In this embodiment, a reach determination table is provided in the ROM 502 to determine whether the value of the reach selection counter CB3 corresponds to the occurrence of a reach state and which reach it corresponds to. The reach determination table stores values "0 to 238," with CB3 = 0, 1 corresponding to a reach with a miss before or after, CB3 = 2 to 21 corresponding to a reach other than a miss before or after, and CB3 = 22 to 238 corresponding to a complete miss.

[0293] The reach selection counter CB3 is updated periodically (in this embodiment, once for each timer interrupt), and the value of the reach selection counter CB3 is stored in the reach selection counter buffer. Then, at the timing when the gaming ball enters the upper start winning hole 33YA or the lower start winning hole 33YB, the value of the reach selection counter CB3 stored in the reach selection counter buffer is stored in the special variable reserve area (first special variable reserve area or second special variable reserve area) of RAM 503.

[0294] Furthermore, of the two fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2, one of the fluctuation type counters CS1 is configured to increment by one in a range of, for example, 0 to 198, and after reaching its upper limit (i.e., 198), return to its lower limit of 0, while the other fluctuation type counter CS2 is configured to increment by one in a range of, for example, 0 to 240, and after reaching its upper limit (i.e., 240), return to its lower limit of 0. In the following explanation, CS1 will also be referred to as the "first fluctuation type counter" and CS2 as the "second fluctuation type counter." This notation is also used in Figure 11.

[0295] For example, in the probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table (see Figure 41) for the normal state, the first fluctuation type counter CS1 determines the type of decorative symbol reach, such as normal reach, super reach, premium reach, etc., and other general fluctuation modes, while the second fluctuation type counter CS2 determines more detailed fluctuation modes, such as fluctuation time. Therefore, by combining these fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2, it is easy to diversify the fluctuation patterns. Of course, it is also possible to determine the fluctuation mode using only the first fluctuation type counter CS1.

[0296] Incidentally, normal reach is a reach pattern in which no special effects are displayed other than the variation of decorative symbols. Super reach is a reach pattern in which characters and the like are displayed on the effect display device 42 in addition to the decorative symbols while the variation of decorative symbols is being displayed (after the reach state is established), thereby creating a sense of anticipation in the player. Premium reach is a presentation mode that can only be derived when a jackpot state occurs, and is performed in such a manner that characters and the like with a different pattern from super reach are displayed in addition to the decorative symbols while the variation of decorative symbols is being displayed (after the reach state is established), thereby creating a sense of anticipation in the player.

[0297] In addition, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated once each time the normal processing described below is executed, and are repeatedly updated within the remaining time of the normal processing. Then, the buffer values of CS1 and CS2 are acquired when the effect display device 42 determines the fluctuation pattern at the start of the decorative pattern fluctuation.

[0298] The size and range of each counter are merely examples and can be changed as desired. However, it is desirable that the sizes of the jackpot random number counter CB1, reach selection counter CB3, and variation type counters CS1 and CS2 are all different prime numbers, and that they are not synchronized under any circumstances.

[0299] In addition, the normal pattern random number counter CB4 is configured as a loop counter that is incremented by 1 in sequence within the range of 0 to 9, and returns to the lower limit of 0 after reaching the upper limit (i.e., 9).The normal pattern random number counter CB4 is updated periodically (in this embodiment, once per timer interrupt), and the value of the normal pattern random number counter CB4 is obtained when the gaming ball passes through the through gate 34.

[0300] Then, when a value of the normal pattern random number counter CB4 that indicates a win is obtained, a variable display is performed on the normal pattern display device 41 for a predetermined period of time, and then the pattern corresponding to the win (in this example, a "○") is displayed stationary, and the opening / closing device 37Y of the lower starting winning opening 33YB is opened for a predetermined period of time.

[0301] In this embodiment, in the "low support mode," the winning random number values are two, "0, 1." On the other hand, in the "high support mode," the winning random number values are eight, "0 to 7." That is, in the "low support mode," the opening / closing device 37Y is in the open state with a probability of 1 / 5, and in the "high support mode," the opening / closing device 37Y is in the open state with a probability of 4 / 5.

[0302] Next, each control process executed by CPU 501 in main control device 261 will be described with reference to a flowchart. The processes of CPU 501 can be broadly divided into main processing that is started when power is turned on, timer interrupt processing that is started periodically (every 2 msec in this embodiment), and NMI interrupt processing that is started by inputting a stop signal to an NMI terminal (non-maskable terminal). For convenience of explanation, the timer interrupt processing and NMI interrupt processing will be described first, followed by the main processing.

[0303] The NMI interrupt process is executed by the CPU 501 of the main control device 261 when the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to a power outage or the like. This NMI interrupt causes the state of the main control device 261 at the time of power cut to be stored in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503.

[0304] That is, when the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal SK1 is output from the power outage monitoring circuit 542 to the NMI terminal of the CPU 501 in the main control device 261. Then, the CPU 501 suspends the control being executed, starts NMI interrupt processing, stores the power outage occurrence information in the backup area 503a of the RAM 503 as the setting of the power outage occurrence information, and ends the NMI interrupt processing.

[0305] The above-mentioned NMI interrupt process is also executed in the payout control device 311, and the occurrence information of the power outage is stored in the backup area 513a of the RAM 513 by the NMI interrupt. That is, when the power supply to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off due to a power outage or the like, the power outage signal SK1 is output from the power outage monitoring circuit 542 to the NMI terminal of the CPU 511 in the payout control device 311, and the CPU 511 suspends the control being executed and starts the NMI interrupt process, the contents of which are as explained above.

[0306] FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing the timer interrupt process, which is executed by the CPU 501 of the main control device 261 every 2 msec, for example.

[0307] 14, first, in step SB301, the process of reading the various winning detection switches is executed. Here, the state of the various winning detection switches (general winning switch 221, count switch 223, start winning switches 224A, 224B, through gate switch 225) connected to the main control device 261 is read, and the state of the switches is determined and the detection information is saved.

[0308] In step SB302, a random number initial value update process is executed. Specifically, the random number initial value counter CINI is incremented by 1, and when the counter value reaches the upper limit (599 in this example), it is cleared to 0.

[0309] In addition, in step SB303, a random number update process is executed. Specifically, the jackpot random number counter CB1, the jackpot type determination counter CB2, the reach selection counter CB3, and the normal pattern random number counter CB4 are each incremented by 1, and when their counter values reach their upper limit values, they are each cleared to 0. Then, the updated values of each counter CB1, CB2, CB3, and CB4 are stored in the corresponding buffer area of RAM 503.

[0310] Thereafter, in step SB304, a start winning process is executed in response to the winning of the start winning openings 33YA and 33YB, and in step SB305, a through gate passing process is executed in response to the passage of the gaming ball to the through gate 34. Thereafter, the timer interrupt process is temporarily terminated.

[0311] Here, the start winning process of step SB304 will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 15. The execution area of the special variable reserve area and each reserve area are provided with a jackpot random number memory area that stores the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1, a jackpot type random number memory area that stores the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2, and a reach random number memory area that stores the value of the reach selection counter CB3.

[0312] First, in step SB501, it is determined whether or not a gaming ball has entered the lower start winning hole 33YB based on the detection information of the second start winning switch 224B. If the determination in step SB501 is affirmative, it is determined in step SB502 whether or not the value of the lower reserve counter Nb, which counts the number of reserved variable displays triggered by the entry into the lower start winning hole 33YB, is less than the upper limit value ("4" in this embodiment). If the determination in step SB502 is negative, the process proceeds to step SB509. On the other hand, if the determination in step SB502 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SB503, where the lower reserve counter Nb is incremented by 1.

[0313] In the following step SB504, the values of the jackpot random number counter CB1, the jackpot type determination counter CB2, and the reach selection counter CB3 updated in the random number update process in step SB303 are stored in the first area among the empty reserve areas in the second special variable reserve area. After step SB504, the process proceeds to step SB505.

[0314] In step SB505, a jackpot determination process is performed to determine whether or not the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 newly stored in the second special variable reserve area corresponds to a jackpot. Details of the jackpot determination process will be described later.

[0315] In the following step SB506, if it is determined in step SB505 that the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 is a value corresponding to a jackpot, a second jackpot type determination process is performed to determine the type of jackpot based on the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 newly stored in the second special variable reserve area.

[0316] Here, first, in the jackpot determination process performed immediately before, it is determined whether or not a jackpot hit flag was set, and if the determination is negative, this process is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if the determination is positive, the second jackpot type determination table is taken into consideration, and if the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 newly stored in the second special variable reserve area is any of the values "0 to 9" corresponding to "16R probability variable jackpot A", the "16R probability variable jackpot A flag" is turned on, if it is any of the values "10, 11" corresponding to "4R probability variable jackpot A", the "4R probability variable jackpot A flag" is turned on, if it is any of the values "12, 13" corresponding to "4R normal jackpot A", the "4R normal jackpot A flag" is turned on, if it is any of the values "14 to 17" corresponding to "4R normal jackpot B", the "4R normal jackpot B flag" is turned on, and if it is any of the values "18, 19" corresponding to "JUB jackpot", the "JUB jackpot flag" is turned on.

[0317] If a "16R Probable Jackpot A", "4R Probable Jackpot A" or "JUB Jackpot" is won, i.e., if "Until Next Time High Support Mode" is granted after the jackpot ends, a lottery is held with a probability of, for example, 1 / 100 to determine whether or not to perform a non-announcement effect that does not notify the player that the granted "High Support Mode" is "Until Next Time High Support Mode" for a predetermined period of time after the jackpot ends (20 variable displays in this embodiment). If the lottery results in a determination that a non-announcement effect will be performed, a non-announcement effect execution flag is turned on.

[0318] In the next step SB507, if it is determined in step SB505 that the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 is not a value corresponding to a jackpot, a reach determination process is performed to determine the type of reach based on the value of the reach selection counter CB3 newly stored in the second special variable reserve area. The reach determination process will be described in detail later.

[0319] In the next step SB508, a process for setting a hold control command is performed. A hold control command is a command for notifying the sub-control device 262 in advance of various hold information (information used to determine the content of the variable display) that is held and stored in the second special variable hold area. The hold control command set in this process is output to the sub-control device 262 in the next external output process (see step SB201). The hold control command includes, for example, hold information, such as information indicating the results of the jackpot determination process and the jackpot type determination process, and information indicating whether the variable display will be triggered by a win in the start winning slot 33YA or 33YB.

[0320] Here, the details of the big win determination process in step SB505 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0321] First, in step SB5101, it is determined whether the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 newly stored in the second special variable reserve area matches either of the values "7" or "307" corresponding to the jackpot stored in the first hit / miss judgment table. Note that for convenience in Figure 16, the processing of step SB5101 is described in a simplified manner, but in reality, it is determined whether the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 is "7", and if the judgment is negative, it is determined whether the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 is "307", and if either of these judgments is positive, a positive judgment is made in step SB5101, and if both judgments are negative, a negative judgment is made in step SB5101.

[0322] If the determination in step SB5101 is affirmative, i.e., if it is determined that a jackpot state will occur, the jackpot hit flag is turned on in step SB5102, and then the process proceeds to step SB5105. The first gaming value granting means (first special gaming state generating means) in this embodiment is configured by the function of the main control device 261 that generates a jackpot state corresponding to a first gaming value (first special gaming state) in step SB5102.

[0323] On the other hand, if a negative decision is made in step SB5101, in step SB5103, it is determined whether or not the game is in the "high probability mode" based on the value of a lottery mode flag, which will be described later.

[0324] If the determination in step SB5103 is affirmative, i.e., if the game is in "high probability mode," then in step SB5104 it is determined whether the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 newly stored in the second special variable reserve area is any of the values corresponding to the jackpot stored in the second hit / miss determination table, excluding the above-mentioned "7" and "307," namely, "8 to 16, 308 to 316." Note that even during this determination process, it is actually determined one by one whether the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 matches each value corresponding to the jackpot, as described above.

[0325] If the answer is affirmative in step SB5104, that is, if it is determined that a jackpot state will occur in the "high probability mode," the jackpot hit flag is turned on in step SB5102, and then this processing is terminated.

[0326] The determination processing of steps SB5101 and SB5104 constitutes the first lottery in this embodiment, and the function of main control device 261 that executes this constitutes first lottery means.

[0327] If a negative decision is made in step SB5103 or step SB5104, that is, if the result is not a "jackpot," the process proceeds to step SB5105.

[0328] Also, in step SB5105, it is determined whether or not the value of the big win random number counter CB1 newly stored in the second special variable reserving area matches the value "101 to 125, 401 to 425" corresponding to the small win.

[0329] If the determination in step SB5105 is affirmative, i.e., if it is determined that a small win state will occur, the small win flag is turned on in step SB5106, and then this process ends. On the other hand, if the determination in step SB5105 is negative, this process ends as it is.

[0330] The determination process of step SB5105 constitutes the second lottery in this embodiment, and the function of the main control device 261 that executes this constitutes the second lottery means. Also, the function of the main control device 261 that generates a small win state equivalent to the second game value (second special game state) in step SB5106 constitutes the second game value granting means (second special game state generating means) in this embodiment.

[0331] Next, the reach determination process of step SB507 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0332] First, in step SB5301, it is determined whether a win flag (big win flag or small win flag) was set in the immediately preceding big win determination process. If the determination in step SB5301 is affirmative, that is, if a big win state or small win state occurs, this process is terminated.

[0333] On the other hand, if the determination in step SB5301 is affirmative, i.e., if a winning state does not occur, step SB5302 refers to the reach determination table and determines whether the value of the reach selection counter CB3 newly stored in the second special variable reserve area matches either the value "0" or "1" corresponding to a "front or rear miss reach." If the determination in step SB5302 is affirmative, step SB5303 turns on a front or rear miss flag indicating the occurrence of a front or rear miss reach, and then ends this processing.

[0334] On the other hand, if the determination in step SB5302 is negative, in step SB5304, the reach determination table is consulted to determine whether the value of the reach selection counter CB3 newly stored in the second special variable reserve area matches any of the values "2 to 21" corresponding to "reach other than front or rear misses." If the determination in step SB5304 is positive, the non-front or rear miss flag is turned on in step SB5305, and then this processing ends.

[0335] If the determination in step SB5304 is negative, that is, if the result is a "complete miss," the process ends.

[0336] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 15, after the processing of step SB508, or if a negative judgment is made in step SB501, in step SB509, it is determined whether or not the gaming ball has entered the upper start winning port 33YA based on the detection information of the first start winning switch 224A. If a negative judgment is made in step SB509, this processing is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if a positive judgment is made, in step SB510, it is determined whether or not the value of the upper reserve counter Na, which counts the number of reserved variable displays triggered by the entry into the upper start winning port 33YA, is less than the upper limit value ("4" in this embodiment). If a negative judgment is made in step SB510, this processing is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if a positive judgment is made in step SB510, the processing proceeds to step SB511, and the upper reserve counter Na is incremented by 1.

[0337] In the following step SB512, the values of the jackpot random number counter CB1, the jackpot type determination counter CB2, and the reach selection counter CB3 are stored in the first empty reserve area of the first special variable reserve area. After step SB512, the process proceeds to step SB513.

[0338] In step SB513, a jackpot determination process is performed to determine whether the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 newly stored in the first special variable reserve area is a value corresponding to a jackpot. The jackpot determination process of step SB513 is the same as the jackpot determination process of step SB505, except for the small win determination, and the only difference is that the information on the variable display to be processed is based on winning into the upper start winning hole 33YA, so for convenience, detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0339] In the following step SB514, if it is determined in step SB513 that the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 is a value corresponding to a jackpot, a first jackpot type determination process is performed to determine the type of jackpot based on the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 newly stored in the first special variable reserve area.

[0340] Here, first, in the jackpot determination process performed immediately before, it is determined whether or not the jackpot winning flag has been set, and if it is determined to be negative, this process is terminated as it is.On the other hand, if it is determined to be positive, the first jackpot type determination table is taken into consideration, and if the value of the jackpot type determination counter CB2 newly stored in the first special variable reserve area is either the value "0, 1" corresponding to "16R probability variable jackpot A", the "16R probability variable jackpot A flag" is turned on, if it is either the value "2 to 5" corresponding to "16R probability variable jackpot B", the "16R probability variable jackpot B flag" is turned on, and if it is the value "6" corresponding to "4R probability variable jackpot A", the "4R probability variable jackpot A flag" is turned on. " is turned on, and if the value is any of "7 to 10" corresponding to "4R special jackpot B", the "4R special jackpot B flag" is turned on, if the value is "11" corresponding to "16R normal jackpot A", the "16R normal jackpot A flag" is turned on, if the value is any of "12 to 15" corresponding to "16R normal jackpot B", the "16R normal jackpot B flag" is turned on, and if the value is any of "16 to 19" corresponding to "4R normal jackpot B", the "4R normal jackpot B flag" is turned on.

[0341] If the "16R Probable Jackpot A" or "4R Probable Jackpot A" is won, that is, if the "High Support Mode Until Next Time" is granted after the jackpot ends, a lottery is held to determine whether or not to perform the non-notification effect, as in step SB506. If the lottery result indicates that the non-notification effect will be performed, the non-notification effect execution flag is turned on.

[0342] In the next step SB515, if it is determined in step SB513 that the value of the jackpot random number counter CB1 is not a value corresponding to a jackpot, a reach determination process is performed to determine the type of reach based on the value of the reach selection counter CB3 newly stored in the first special variable reserve area. Note that the reach determination process in step SB515 is the same as the reach determination process in step SB507, and the only difference is that the information on the variable display to be processed is based on the ball to the upper start winning hole 33YA, so for convenience, detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0343] In the next step SB516, the setting process of the reserved control command is performed. After that, this process ends. The setting process of the reserved control command in step SB516 is the same as the setting process of the reserved control command in step SB508, and the only difference is that the information on the variable display to be processed is based on the ball to the upper start winning hole 33YA, so for convenience, detailed explanation will be omitted.

[0344] Next, the through gate passing process in step SB305 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0345] In step SB601, it is determined based on the detection information of the through gate switch 225 whether the gaming ball has passed through the through gate 34 or not.

[0346] If a negative judgment is made in step SB601, this processing is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if a positive judgment is made in step SB601, that is, if it is judged that the gaming ball has passed through the through gate 34, in step SB602, it is judged whether or not the value of the normal hold counter Nc, which counts the number of reserved variable displays made by the normal symbol display device 41, is less than the upper limit value (4 in this embodiment). If a negative judgment is made here, this processing is terminated as it is. On the other hand, if a positive judgment is made in step SB602, that is, if the passage of the gaming ball to the through gate 34 is confirmed and the value of the normal hold counter Nc is < 4, the processing proceeds to step SB603, and the normal hold counter Nc is incremented by 1.

[0347] In the following step SB604, a random number related to the winning or losing is obtained. Specifically, the value of the normal symbol random number counter CB4 updated in the random number update process of step SB303 is stored in the first free memory area of the normal variable reserve area of RAM503. After that, the through gate passing process is completed. Therefore, the process of step SB604 constitutes part of the third winning or losing lottery.

[0348] Next, the flow of the main processing executed by CPU 501 in main control device 261 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 12. This main processing is started upon reset when power is turned on.

[0349] First, in step SB101, initial setting processing is performed when power is turned on. Specifically, a predetermined value is set in the stack pointer, and a wait processing is performed for, for example, about one second to wait for the sub-side control devices (sub-control device 262, dispensing control device 311, etc.) to become operable. In the following step SB102, RAM access is permitted.

[0350] Thereafter, data backup processing is performed on RAM 503 in CPU 501. That is, in step SB103, it is determined whether RAM clear switch 323 provided on power supply device 313 is pressed (ON). If it is pressed, the process proceeds to step SB112 to clear (delete) the backup data. On the other hand, if RAM clear switch 323 is not pressed, the process proceeds to the next step SB104 to determine whether power failure occurrence information is set in backup area 503a of RAM 503. If it is not set, no backup data is stored, and the process also proceeds to step SB112. If power failure occurrence information is set in backup area 503a, a RAM judgment value is calculated in step SB105. In the next step SB106, it is determined whether the RAM judgment value matches the RAM judgment value saved at the time of power failure, i.e., the validity of the backup. If the calculated RAM judgment value does not match the RAM judgment value saved at the time of power failure, the backed-up data has been destroyed, and the process also proceeds to step SB112.

[0351] In the processing of step SB112, an initialization command is sent to initialize the sub-controller 262, which is the sub-side control device, and the payout control device 311, etc. Upon receiving the initialization command, the sub-controller 262 executes its own initialization process as described below, and stores the value "0" of the game state determination value Xj, which corresponds to the initial setting of "normal state," in the game state storage area.

[0352] Thereafter, the process proceeds to RAM initialization processing (step SB113, etc.). The RAM judgment value is, for example, a checksum value at a work area address of RAM 503. Instead of this RAM judgment value, it is also possible to determine the validity of the backup based on whether or not a keyword written in a predetermined area of RAM 503 is correctly saved.

[0353] As described above, in the present pachinko machine 10, when it is desired to return to the initial state when the power is turned on, for example, when the hall opens for business, the power is turned on while pressing the RAM clear switch 323. Therefore, if the RAM clear switch 323 is ON, the process proceeds to RAM initialization processing (step SB113, etc.). Similarly, if no power outage occurrence information is set or if a backup abnormality is confirmed by a RAM judgment value (checksum value, etc.), the process proceeds to RAM 503 initialization processing (step SB113, etc.). That is, in step SB113, the used area of RAM 503 is cleared to 0, and in the following step SB114, the initial value of RAM 503 is set. Thereafter, in step SB115, interrupt permission is set, and the process proceeds to normal processing, which will be described later.

[0354] On the other hand, if the RAM erase switch 323 has not been pressed (step SB103: NO), the process at power recovery (process at power recovery) is executed on the condition that the power failure occurrence information has been set and the RAM judgment value (checksum value, etc.) is normal. That is, in step SB107, the stack pointer before the power failure is restored, and in step SB108, the power failure occurrence information is cleared.

[0355] In step SB109, a game status check process is executed to grasp the game status stored in RAM 503 at the time of power failure.

[0356] In the next step SB110, a recovery command is sent to the sub-controller 262, which is the sub-side control device, and the payout control device 311, etc., to restore the gaming state at the time of power failure. The recovery command sent to the sub-controller 262 includes information on the gaming state at the time of power failure identified in the gaming state check process (the gaming state determination value Xj, which will be described later).

[0357] In step SB111, the registers in use are restored from the backup area 503a of the RAM 503. After that, in step SB115, interrupt permission is set and the process proceeds to normal processing, which will be described later.

[0358] Here, the game status check process of step SB109 will be explained with reference to the drawings. Fig. 19 is a flowchart showing the game status check process, and Fig. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the correspondence between the lottery mode flag, support mode flag, game status specification counter Kj, and game status determination value Xj, which will be described later. The game status check process is also executed in the variable display setting process (step SB807) and the winning end setting process (step SB1216), which will be described later.

[0359] 19, in step SB1901, a process is executed to read various information related to the game state at the time of power-off, which is backed up and stored in the RAM 503. Specifically, the value of the lottery mode flag, the value of the support mode flag, and the value of the game state identification counter Kj are each read from the RAM 503.

[0360] The lottery mode flag is status determination information for determining whether the lottery mode is a "low probability mode" or a "high probability mode," and the flag value is set to "50(H)" when the lottery mode is a "low probability mode," and "53(H)" when the lottery mode is a "high probability mode." Note that the value "5" of the upper 4 bits of the lottery mode flag is added uniformly for noise prevention purposes and is not intended to determine the game status in particular.

[0361] The support mode flag is state determination information for determining the state of the winning support mode, and the flag value is set to "A0(H)" when the winning support mode is "low support mode." Note that the value "A" of the upper 4 bits of the support mode flag is added uniformly for noise prevention purposes and is not specifically intended to determine the game state.

[0362] In addition, if the winning support mode is "20 times high support mode," "30 times high support mode," "40 times high support mode," or "50 times high support mode," the flag value is set to "A1(H)."

[0363] In addition, if the winning support mode is "30 times - high support mode S", the flag value is set to "A2 (H)", and if it is "Until next time - high support mode", the flag value is set to "A3 (H)".

[0364] The game state identification counter Kj is state determination information that counts the number of times a variable display is executed after a jackpot ends and identifies the timing of switching the game state, and is set to a predetermined initial value when a jackpot ends, and is decremented by 1 each time a variable display is executed. For example, as will be described later, if the initial value of the game state identification counter Kj is set to "50," and the value of the counter Kj thereafter becomes "31," the variable display at that time can be identified as the 20th variable display after the jackpot ends.

[0365] In this embodiment, if a "16R special jackpot B", "4R special jackpot B", "16R normal jackpot B" or "4R normal jackpot B" is won, that is, if "20 times high support mode", "30 times high support mode", "40 times high support mode" or "50 times high support mode" is awarded after the jackpot ends, the initial value is set to "50".

[0366] In addition, if you win a "16R normal jackpot A" or a "4R normal jackpot A", that is, if you are granted "30 times high support mode S" after the jackpot ends, the initial value will be set to "30".

[0367] Also, if a "16R Probable Jackpot A", "4R Probable Jackpot A" or "JUB Jackpot" is won, that is, if the "High Support Mode Until Next Time" is granted after the jackpot ends, the initial value is set to "0". However, if the non-announcement effect execution flag is turned on and a non-announcement effect is executed, the initial value is set to "30". The non-announcement effect execution flag is turned off after the initial value is set.

[0368] Returning to the explanation of FIG. 19, in step SB1902, the value of the lottery mode flag read in step SB1901 is added to the value of the support mode flag.

[0369] In the following step SB1903, the logical product of the added value calculated in step SB1902 and a predetermined mask value ("07(H)" in this embodiment) is taken to extract the lower 3 bits of data and set it in a predetermined working area as the game status determination value Xj.

[0370] In step SB1904, it is determined whether the value of the gaming state determination value Xj is "1." In other words, it is determined whether the lottery mode is the "low probability mode" and the winning support mode is the "20 times high support mode," "30 times high support mode," "40 times high support mode," or "50 times high support mode."

[0371] If the determination here is negative, the process proceeds to step SB1905, where it is determined whether the value of the gaming state determination value Xj is "4." In other words, it is determined whether the lottery mode is the "high probability mode" and the winning support mode is the "20 times high support mode," "30 times high support mode," "40 times high support mode," or "50 times high support mode."

[0372] If an affirmative decision is made at step SB1904 or step SB1905, the process proceeds to step SB1909. On the other hand, if a negative decision is made at step SB1905, the process proceeds to step SB1906.

[0373] In step SB1906, it is determined whether the value of the gaming state determination value Xj is "2." In other words, it is determined whether the lottery mode is the "low probability mode" and the winning support mode is the "30 times high support mode S" state.

[0374] If the determination here is negative, the process proceeds to step SB1907, where it is determined whether the value of the gaming state determination value Xj is "5." In other words, it is determined whether the lottery mode is the "high probability mode" and the winning support mode is the "30 times high support mode S" state.

[0375] If an affirmative decision is made at step SB1906 or step SB1907, the process proceeds to step SB1912. On the other hand, if a negative decision is made at step SB1907, the process proceeds to step SB1908.

[0376] In step SB1908, it is determined whether the value of the gaming state determination value Xj is "6." In other words, it is determined whether the lottery mode is the "high probability mode" and the winning support mode is the "until next time high support mode."

[0377] If the determination here is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SB1914. On the other hand, if the determination here is negative, the process proceeds to step SB1916, where the value "6" of the gaming state determination value Xj is stored in a predetermined area of RAM 503, and the process ends.

[0378] If a positive determination is made in step SB1904 or step SB1905, the process proceeds to step SB1909, where it is determined whether the value of the game state identification counter Kj is "31." In other words, it is determined whether the variable display after the end of the jackpot has been performed for the 20th time. If the determination is positive, the process proceeds to step SB1913, and if the determination is negative, the process proceeds to step SB1910.

[0379] In step SB1910, it is determined whether the value of the game state identification counter Kj is "21." In other words, it is determined whether the variable display after the end of the jackpot has been performed for the 30th time. If the determination here is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SB1913, and if the determination here is negative, the process proceeds to step SB1911.

[0380] In step SB1911, it is determined whether the value of the game state identification counter Kj is "11." In other words, it is determined whether the variable display after the end of the jackpot has been performed for the 40th time. If the determination here is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SB1913, and if the determination here is negative, the process proceeds to step SB1912.

[0381] In step SB1912, it is determined whether the value of the game state identification counter Kj is "1." In other words, it is determined whether it is the "50th time (if the initial value is "50")" or the "30th time (if the initial value is "30")."

[0382] If a negative judgment is made here, the process proceeds to step SB1916, the value of the game status judgment value Xj ("1", "4", "2", or "5") is stored in a predetermined area of RAM 503, and this process is terminated.

[0383] On the other hand, if the determination in step SB1912 is affirmative, i.e., if the value of the gaming state identification counter Kj is "1," the process proceeds to step SB1913, where the value of the gaming state determination value Xj is changed to "7." Thereafter, the process proceeds to step SB1916, where the value "7" of the gaming state determination value Xj is stored in a predetermined area of RAM 503, and this process ends.

[0384] If a positive determination is made in step SB1908, the process proceeds to step SB1914, where it is determined whether the value of the game state identification counter Kj is "0." In other words, it is determined whether the winning support mode is the "Until Next Time High Support Mode," in which the non-announcement effects are not performed. If a positive determination is made here, the value of the game state determination value Xj, "6," is stored in a predetermined area of RAM 503, and the process ends.

[0385] On the other hand, if the determination in step SB1914 is negative, that is, if the mode is the "Until Next Time High Support Mode" in which a non-announcement effect is performed, the process proceeds to step SB1915, where the value of the gaming state determination value Xj is changed to "5." Thereafter, the process proceeds to step SB1916, where the value "5" of the gaming state determination value Xj is stored in a predetermined area of RAM 503, and this process ends. As a result, even if the state is the "Until Next Time High Support Mode," for a predetermined number of times (20 times in this embodiment), the same effect as when the lottery mode is the "high probability mode" and the winning support mode is the "30 Times High Support Mode S" is performed.

[0386] Next, the flow of normal processing will be explained with reference to the flowchart in Figure 13. In this normal processing, the main processing of the game is executed. In summary, the processing of steps SB201 to SB210 is executed as a periodic process with a cycle of 4 msec, and the counter update processing of steps SB211 and SB212 is executed in the remaining time.

[0387] First, in step SB201, an external output process is executed to transmit control signals based on the control contents of the special display devices 43L and 43R and the opening / closing device 37Y, etc., updated in the previous process, to each device, and to transmit output data such as commands to each sub-control device. Some more detailed examples are given below.

[0388] For example, based on the detection information of the various detection switches mentioned above, it is determined whether or not a game ball has entered various winning ports such as the general winning port 31, and if a prize ball has been entered, a prize ball payout command corresponding to the number of balls entered is sent to the payout control device 311.

[0389] Furthermore, if a command for flashing the error display lamp 104 is set, the command is output to the sub-controller 262 .

[0390] In addition, in the external output process, information for understanding the game status is output to the hall computer of the gaming hall, taking into consideration various information such as the lottery mode flag and the jackpot flag described later. Furthermore, output of error information to the hall computer is also executed in this output process.

[0391] For example, if a winning error is detected, an on signal (pulse signal) is output to the hall computer of the gaming hall via a specified terminal of the external relay terminal board 240, and if there is no winning error, an off signal is output.

[0392] Furthermore, when the decorative pattern is displayed variably by the performance display device 42, a variation pattern command, a pattern command, etc. are transmitted to the sub-control device 262. In response to this, the sub-control device 262, which has input the variation pattern command, the pattern command, etc., determines the variation mode of the performance display device 42 based on such various commands, and issues an instruction to the display control device 45 to display (variably display) the variation mode on the performance display device 42.

[0393] In step SB202, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated. More specifically, like other counters, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are incremented by 1, and when their counter values reach their upper limit values (198 and 240 in this embodiment), they are cleared to 0. The updated values of the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are then stored in the corresponding buffer areas of RAM 503.

[0394] In the following step SB203, the winning ball count signal received from the payout control device 311 is read. Next, in step SB204, the payout abnormality signal received from the payout control device 311 is read.

[0395] Then, in step SB205, the first display control process is executed. In this process, the control contents of the first and second special display devices 43L and 43R are set, and the big win determination and the change pattern of the decorative symbols in the effect display device 42 are set. The details of this first display control process will be described later.

[0396] In step SB206, variable winning device control processing is executed. In this processing, the control content of the variable winning device 32 is set to determine what kind of control is to be performed in the variable winning device 32. As a result, when a big win state or a small win state occurs, the opening and closing processing of the opening and closing plate 32a of the variable winning device 32 is repeatedly executed a predetermined number of times. The details of the variable winning device control processing will be described later.

[0397] In step SB207, the second display control process is executed. In this process, the control contents of the normal symbol display device 41 are set to determine what kind of control is performed in the normal symbol display device 41. The details of this second display control process will be described later.

[0398] In step SB208, an opening / closing accessory control process is executed. In this process, the control content of the opening / closing accessory 37Y is set to determine what control is to be performed in the opening / closing accessory 37Y. The details of this opening / closing accessory control process will be described later.

[0399] Thereafter, in step SB209, it is determined whether or not power failure occurrence information is set in backup area 503a of RAM 503. If power failure occurrence information is not set in backup area 503a, it is determined in step SB210 whether or not it is time to execute the next normal process, that is, whether or not a predetermined time (4 msec in this embodiment) has elapsed since the start of the previous normal process. If the predetermined time has already elapsed, the process proceeds to step SB201, and the processes from step SB201 onwards are repeatedly executed.

[0400] On the other hand, if a predetermined time has not yet elapsed since the start of the previous normal processing, the random number initial value counter CINI and the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are repeatedly updated within the remaining time until the timing of the next normal processing execution (steps SB211 and SB212).

[0401] That is, in step SB211, the random number initial value counter CINI is updated. Specifically, the random number initial value counter CINI is incremented by 1, and when the counter value reaches the upper limit (599 in this example), it is cleared to 0.

[0402] Furthermore, in step SB212, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are updated (similar to step SB202). Specifically, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are incremented by 1, and when their counter values reach their upper limit values (198, 240 in this example), they are cleared to 0. The updated values of the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 are then stored in the corresponding buffer areas of RAM 503.

[0403] Here, since the execution time of each process of steps SB201 to SB209 changes depending on the state of the game, the remaining time until the execution timing of the next normal process is not constant but fluctuates. Therefore, by repeatedly updating the random number initial value counter CINI using this remaining time, the random number initial value counter CINI (i.e., the initial value of the jackpot random number counter CB1) can be randomly updated, and similarly, the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 can also be randomly updated.

[0404] If power interruption information is set in the backup area 503a of RAM 503 (step SB209: YES), power has been interrupted, and the processing from step SB213 onward is performed as power interruption processing in the event of a power interruption. The power interruption processing begins with prohibiting interrupts in step SB213, saving the contents of each register used by CPU 501 to a stack area in step SB214, and storing the value of the stack pointer in backup area 503a in step SB215. Then, in step SB216, a power interruption notification command indicating that power has been interrupted is sent to other control devices (such as the dispensing control device 311). Then, in step SB217, a RAM determination value is calculated and stored in the backup area 503a. The RAM determination value is, for example, a checksum value at a work area address in RAM 503. Then, in step SB218, RAM access is prohibited, and an infinite loop continues until power is completely interrupted and processing can no longer be executed.

[0405] The processing of step SB209 is executed at the end of a series of processing steps SB201 to SB208 corresponding to changes in the game state, or at the end of one cycle of processing steps SB211 and SB212 performed within the remaining time. Therefore, in the normal processing of the main control unit 261, power interruption information is checked at the end of each processing step, so the amount of data stored in the backup area 503a of RAM 503 is reduced compared to when each processing step is in progress, and data can be stored more easily. Furthermore, when restoring the state before the power interruption, the amount of data stored in the backup area 503a is small, so restoration is easy, and the processing load on the main control unit 261 can be reduced. Furthermore, since interrupt processing is prohibited before data storage (step SB213), data at the time of the power interruption is prevented from being changed, and the state before the power interruption can be reliably stored.

[0406] Next, the first display control process of step SB205 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0407] In FIG. 21, step SB801 refers to various winning flags (big win flag and small win flag), which will be described in detail later, to determine whether the current state is a winning state (big win state or small win state). The winning state (big win state and small win state) includes a predetermined time during the winning state and a predetermined time after the winning state ends. The predetermined time after the winning state ends here refers to the time from the end of the winning state until the start of normal play (variable display on special display devices 43L and 43R). Generally, during this time period, the effect display device 42 displays various game states and modes that are granted after the winning state or the end of the winning state. The period from the time the variable display on special display devices 43L and 43R and effect display device 42 stops and displays a display corresponding to a winning state until the variable winning device 32 is opened (generally, during this time period, the effect display device 42 displays a display indicating the start of the winning state).

[0408] If the determination in step SB801 is affirmative, i.e., if the game is in a winning state, this processing is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination in step SB801 is negative, in step SB802, the setting status of the first display flag, which will be described in detail later, is checked to determine whether a variable display is being performed on the first or second special display device 43L, 43R (performance display device 42). More specifically, if the first display flag is set (if it is in the on state), it is considered that a variable display is being performed, and if the first display flag is cleared (if it is in the off state), it is considered that a stopped display is being performed, which corresponds to a state in which the variable display is stopped. Note that, as will be described in detail later, the first display flag is turned on when the variable display on the first and second special display devices 43L, 43R begins (see steps SB920 and SB807), and is turned off when the variable display on the first and second special display devices 43L, 43R is stopped (see step SB814).

[0409] If the judgment in step SB802 is negative, that is, if the state is not a winning state and the variable display is not in progress, proceed to step SB803, where it is determined whether the value of the lower hold counter Nb, which counts the number of pending variable displays (second variable displays) triggered by winning at the lower start winning port 33YB, is greater than 0.

[0410] If a positive judgment is made in step SB803, i.e., if at least one second variable display is stored as reserved, then in step SB804, 1 is subtracted from the lower reserved counter Nb. In this embodiment, if the judgment process in step SB803 determines that the second variable display is stored as reserved, then the second variable display is executed without executing the first variable display. In other words, even if the first variable display is stored as reserved earlier than the second variable display, the second variable display is consumed first (the first variable display is postponed).

[0411] In the following step SB805, a process is executed to shift the data stored in the second special variable reservation area. This data shift process shifts the data stored in reservation areas 1 to 4 of the second special variable reservation area sequentially to the execution area, with the data in each area being shifted in the following order: reservation area 1 → execution area, reservation area 2 → reservation area 1, reservation area 3 → reservation area 2, and reservation area 4 → reservation area 3. After step SB805, in step SB806, a process is executed to turn on / off the second reservation lamp 46b and a process is executed to cause the variable specification lamp 40 to illuminate red, and then the process proceeds to step SB807.

[0412] Also, if the determination in step SB803 is negative, that is, if no second variable display is stored in reserve, in step SB808, it is determined whether or not the upper reserve counter Na, which counts the number of reserved variable displays (first variable displays) triggered by winning into the upper start winning slot 33YA, is greater than 0. If the determination in step SB808 is negative, this process is terminated.

[0413] On the other hand, if the determination in step SB808 is affirmative, in step SB809, 1 is subtracted from the upper reserved counter Na. In the following step SB810, a process is executed to shift the data stored in the first special variable reserved area. This data shift process shifts the data stored in reserved areas 1 to 4 of the first special variable reserved area sequentially to the execution area, shifting the data in each area in the following order: reserved area 1 → execution area, reserved area 2 → reserved area 1, reserved area 3 → reserved area 2, and reserved area 4 → reserved area 3. After step SB810, in step SB811, the first reserved lamp 46a is turned on and off and the variable specification lamp 40 is illuminated blue, and then the process proceeds to step SB807. Note that in this embodiment, there is only one execution area for the special variable reserved area, and the data stored in the first special variable reserved area and the second special variable reserved area are shifted to a common execution area when a variable display based on that data is performed.

[0414] In step SB807, a variable display setting process is performed. Details of the variable display setting process will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0415] First, a game status check process is executed in step SB900. Note that this game status check process is the same as the game status check process in step SB109 (see FIG. 19), and therefore a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0416] Subsequently, in step SB901, it is determined whether the small win hit flag is on or not, thereby determining whether the variable display corresponds to a small win or not.

[0417] If it is determined that the winning combination corresponds to a small win, the process proceeds to step SB910. On the other hand, if it is determined that the winning combination does not correspond to a small win, the process proceeds to step SB902.

[0418] In step SB902, it is determined whether the big win hit flag is on, thereby determining whether the variable display corresponds to a big win.

[0419] If it is determined that the winning combination corresponds to a big win, the process proceeds to step SB903. On the other hand, if it is determined that the winning combination is neither a big win nor a small win, i.e., if the winning combination is a miss, the process proceeds to step SB912.

[0420] In step SB903, it is determined whether any of the above-mentioned various probability variable jackpot flags ("16R probability variable jackpot A flag", "16R probability variable jackpot B flag", "4R probability variable jackpot A flag", "4R probability variable jackpot B flag") is on, thereby determining whether the variable display corresponds to a "probability variable jackpot".

[0421] If the determination in step SB903 is affirmative, that is, if it is a "probable jackpot," then in step SB904, a fluctuation pattern is determined by referring to the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the "probable jackpot," and set in the fluctuation pattern command. Subsequently, in step SB905, a jackpot symbol (whether an odd symbol or an even symbol in this embodiment) is determined by referring to the symbol table corresponding to the "probable jackpot," and a symbol command corresponding to this (in this embodiment, "BZ1" or "BZ2," which will be described later) is set. Then, the process proceeds to step SB920.

[0422] If a negative determination is made in step SB903, the process proceeds to step SB906, where it is determined whether any of the above-mentioned various normal jackpot flags ("16R normal jackpot A flag," "16R normal jackpot B flag," "4R normal jackpot A flag," and "4R normal jackpot B flag") is on, thereby determining whether the variable display corresponds to a "normal jackpot." If a positive determination is made in step SB906, that is, if it is a "normal jackpot," a variable pattern is determined in step SB907 by referring to a variable pattern table corresponding to a "normal jackpot," and set in a variable pattern command. Subsequently, in step SB908, a jackpot symbol (whether an odd symbol or an even symbol in this embodiment) is determined by referring to a symbol table corresponding to a "normal jackpot," and a symbol command corresponding to this (in this embodiment, "BZ1" or "BZ2," which will be described later) is set. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step SB920.

[0423] However, in this embodiment, as described above, depending on the type of symbols displayed on the effect display device 42, it is impossible to determine the game state, such as the lottery mode, that is awarded after the jackpot ends. In other words, there is no clear correlation between the variable patterns or stopped symbols and the jackpot type, such as "odd symbols" being displayed as stopped for a "probable jackpot" and "even symbols" being displayed as stopped for a "normal jackpot." In this embodiment, the various tables are simply divided so that the occurrence rates of predetermined variable patterns and symbols differ depending on the type of jackpot, such as "odd symbols" being more likely to be displayed as stopped for a "probable jackpot." Therefore, for example, when a jackpot occurs, the variable patterns and stopped symbols may be selected based on a single jackpot table, regardless of the jackpot type, such as "probable jackpot" or "normal jackpot."

[0424] If a negative decision is made in step SB906, the process proceeds to step SB909, where it is determined whether the JUB jackpot flag is on, thereby determining whether the variable display corresponds to a "JUB jackpot." If a positive decision is made in step SB909, that is, if a "JUB jackpot" has occurred, the process proceeds to step SB910.

[0425] In step SB910, the fluctuation pattern is determined by referring to the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the "JUB big win" and "small win", and set in the fluctuation pattern command. After that, in step SB911, a symbol command corresponding to the chance symbol (in this embodiment, "BZ6" described later) is set, and the process proceeds to step SB920.

[0426] If the decision at step SB902 is negative, that is, if the result is a "miss," then at step SB912, it is determined whether the front or rear miss flag is on.

[0427] If the determination in step SB912 is affirmative, that is, if it is a "front or rear miss reach," then in step SB913, a fluctuation pattern is determined by referring to the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the "front or rear miss reach," and is set in the fluctuation pattern command, and the front or rear miss flag is turned off. Subsequently, in step SB914, it is set in the symbol command corresponding to the front or rear miss symbol (in this embodiment, "BZ3," which will be described later). Then, the process proceeds to step SB920.

[0428] On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step SB912, it is determined in step SB915 whether the flag other than front and rear misses is on. If a positive determination is made in step SB915, that is, if it is a "reach other than front and rear misses", a fluctuation pattern is determined in step SB916 by taking into consideration the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the "reach other than front and rear misses", and the fluctuation pattern is set in the fluctuation pattern command, and the flag other than front and rear misses is turned off. Subsequently, in step SB917, it is set in a pattern command corresponding to a pattern other than front and rear misses (in this embodiment, "BZ4" described later). Then, the process proceeds to step SB920.

[0429] Also, if the determination in step SB915 is negative, that is, if it is a "complete miss," in step SB918, a miss fluctuation pattern is determined by referring to the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to "complete miss" and set as the fluctuation pattern command. Subsequently, in step SB919, it is set as the symbol command corresponding to the complete miss symbol (in this embodiment, "BZ5" described later). Then, the process proceeds to step SB920.

[0430] Here, for convenience, the fluctuation pattern table and the fluctuation pattern command will be explained. In this embodiment, a fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the above-mentioned "probable jackpot" (hereinafter referred to as "probable jackpot fluctuation pattern table"), a fluctuation pattern table corresponding to "normal jackpot", a fluctuation pattern table corresponding to "JUB jackpot" and "small jackpot", a fluctuation pattern table corresponding to "reach before and after miss", a fluctuation pattern table corresponding to "reach other than before and after miss", and a fluctuation pattern table corresponding to "complete miss" (hereinafter referred to as "complete miss fluctuation pattern table") are provided in plural numbers according to the game state (the value of the game state determination value Xj is "0" to "7").

[0431] For example, with regard to the probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table, as shown in Figure 40(a), the probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the "normal state" where the game state determination value Xj is "0" is stored at the reference address "100".

[0432] Similarly, at "address 101," a probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table corresponding to a game state determination value Xj of "1" is stored, at "address 102," a probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table corresponding to a game state determination value Xj of "2" is stored, at "address 103," a probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table corresponding to a game state determination value Xj of "3" is stored, at "address 104," a probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table corresponding to a game state determination value Xj of "4" is stored, at "address 105," a probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table corresponding to a game state determination value Xj of "5" is stored, at "address 106," a probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table corresponding to a game state determination value Xj of "6" is stored, and at "address 107," a probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table corresponding to a game state determination value Xj of "7" is stored.

[0433] Furthermore, with regard to the complete miss / variation pattern table, as shown in Figure 40(b), the complete miss / variation pattern table corresponding to the "normal state" where the game state determination value Xj is "0" is stored at the reference address "700".

[0434] Similarly, at "address 701", a fluctuation pattern table for when the game status determination value Xj corresponds to a value of "1", at "address 702", a fluctuation pattern table for when the game status determination value Xj corresponds to a value of "2", at "address 703", a fluctuation pattern table for when the game status determination value Xj corresponds to a value of "3", at "address 704", a fluctuation pattern table for when the game status determination value Xj corresponds to a value of "4", at "address 705", a fluctuation pattern table for when the game status determination value Xj corresponds to a value of "5", at "address 706", a fluctuation pattern table for when the game status determination value Xj corresponds to a value of "6", and at "address 707", a fluctuation pattern table for when the game status determination value Xj corresponds to a value of "7".

[0435] Although not shown in the figures, for the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the above-mentioned "normal jackpot", the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the "JUB jackpot" and "small jackpot", the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the "reach of miss before or after", and the fluctuation pattern table corresponding to the "reach of other than miss before or after", similarly to the fluctuation pattern table for the above-mentioned special jackpot and the fluctuation pattern table for complete miss, multiple table groups corresponding to the game state determination value Xj values "0" to "7" are stored in consecutive numbers from a predetermined reference address.

[0436] Therefore, when determining the fluctuation pattern in steps SB904, SB907, SB910, SB913, SB916, and SB918, a process is first performed to select a table corresponding to a predetermined gaming state (the gaming state determination value Xj has a value of "0" to "7") from among a plurality of tables based on the gaming state determination value Xj identified in the gaming state check process (step SB900). In this case, the address where the table to be selected is stored can be identified by adding the gaming state determination value Xj to a reference address (for example, "address 100" for the probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table). In other words, the value of the gaming state determination value Xj itself serves as an offset value.

[0437] Then, a fluctuation pattern is determined based on the selected fluctuation pattern table (for example, the fluctuation pattern table for a guaranteed jackpot corresponding to the "normal state (Xj=0)" stored in "Address 100": see Figure 41), and a corresponding fluctuation pattern command is set.

[0438] The fluctuation pattern command in this embodiment is composed of two bytes, and the upper four bits of the upper byte are composed of information that specifies the game state. In this embodiment, the value of the game state determination value Xj is set as is. In addition, the lower four bits of the upper byte are composed of information that specifies the jackpot type, etc., and the lower eight bits of the lower byte are composed of information that specifies the fluctuation pattern (fluctuation time, reach type, etc.).

[0439] For example, as can be seen from the probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern table (see FIG. 40(a)) for the normal state (Xj = 0), in the probability variable jackpot fluctuation pattern command for the normal state, the upper four bits of the upper byte are set to "0," which is the value of the game state determination value Xj, and the following lower four bits are set to "F," which indicates a "probability variable jackpot." The remaining eight bits of the lower byte are set to values that specify a fluctuation pattern corresponding to the values of the fluctuation type counters CS1 and CS2 stored in the counter buffer of RAM 503. The sub-control device 262 stores the relationship between these fluctuation pattern commands and the fluctuation modes (effect patterns) of the decorative symbols in a table, and upon receiving a fluctuation pattern command, the fluctuation pattern (effect pattern) corresponding to the fluctuation pattern command can be executed.

[0440] Next, the symbol commands will be described in detail. The symbol commands are commands for causing the sub-controller 262 to determine the symbols to be stopped. In this embodiment, six categories are designated: a combination of odd-numbered jackpot symbols, a combination of even-numbered jackpot symbols, a combination of symbols with no front-to-back wins, a combination of symbols with no front-to-back wins, a combination of symbols with no front-to-back wins, a combination of symbols with no back-to-back wins, a combination of symbols with no back-to-back wins, a combination of symbols with no back-to-back wins, and a combination of symbols with chance wins. These categories are indicated by, for example, "BZ1," "BZ2," "BZ3," "BZ4," "BZ5," and "BZ6," and any one of these is set as the symbol command. Meanwhile, the sub-controller 262 stores the relationship between these commands and the symbols to be stopped in a table. Then, the sub-controller 262 displays the symbols to be stopped corresponding to the symbol commands.

[0441] An odd jackpot symbol combination is a combination of symbols consisting of the repeated numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9, and "BZ1" is set as the symbol command corresponding to the odd jackpot symbol combination. When "BZ1" indicating an odd jackpot symbol is set as the symbol command, the sub-control device 262 determines one of the symbol combinations consisting of the repeated numbers 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 as the stopped symbol.

[0442] An even jackpot symbol combination is a combination of symbols consisting of the repeated numbers 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8, and "BZ2" is set as the symbol command corresponding to the even jackpot symbol combination. When "BZ2" indicating an even jackpot symbol is set as the symbol command, the sub-control device 262 determines one of the symbol combinations consisting of the repeated numbers 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 as the stopped symbol.

[0443] The combination of front and rear miss patterns corresponds to a "front and rear miss reach" in which, after a reach occurs, the final stopping pattern stops just one pattern before or after the reach pattern, and the pattern command corresponding to the front and rear miss pattern combination is set to "BZ3".

[0444] A combination of symbols other than a miss before and after corresponds to a "reach other than a miss before and after" in which the final stopping symbol stops other than before and after the reach symbol after the reach occurs, and the symbol command corresponding to a combination of symbols other than a miss before and after is set to "BZ4".

[0445] The combination of symbols that is a complete miss corresponds to a "complete miss" that does not result in a reach, and "BZ5" is set as the symbol command that corresponds to the combination of symbols that is a complete miss.

[0446] In addition, the symbol command corresponding to the combination of chance symbols is set to "BZ6." Incidentally, there is one type of chance symbol, and in this example, as described above, the decorative symbols stopped and displayed in each symbol display area are "3," "4," and "1" from the top.

[0447]

[0047] Note that, as will be described in detail later, when "BZ3" to "BZ5" are set in the symbol command, the sub-controller 262 determines the symbol combination stored in the corresponding counter buffer of RAM 553 as the symbol to be stopped. Specifically, when "BZ3", which indicates a symbol combination of front and rear misses, is set in the symbol command, the sub-controller 262 that receives the symbol command determines the symbol combination corresponding to the front and rear miss reach stored in the front and rear miss reach symbol buffer of RAM 553 as the symbol to be stopped. When "BZ4", which indicates a symbol combination other than front and rear misses, is set in the symbol command, the sub-controller 262 determines the symbol combination corresponding to the reach other than front and rear miss stored in the non-front and rear miss reach symbol buffer of RAM 553 as the symbol to be stopped. When "BZ5", which indicates a symbol combination of complete misses, is set in the symbol command, the sub-controller 262 determines the symbol combination corresponding to the complete miss stored in the complete miss symbol buffer of RAM 553 as the symbol to be stopped.

[0448] Also, when "BZ6" is set in the symbol command, the sub-control device 262 selects a chance symbol as a combination of decorative symbols.

[0449] The variable pattern command and the symbol command set as described above are output in the external output process (step SB201) described later. Then, the sub-control device 262 that inputs these commands determines the variable mode of the performance display device 42 based on the commands, and issues an instruction to the display control device 45 to display (variably display) the variable mode on the performance display device 42.

[0450] In step SB920, a start setting process is performed to indicate that the conditions for performing a variable display on the special display devices 43L and 43R have been met. In this start setting process, a first display flag indicating whether or not a variable display is being performed on the special display devices 43L and 43R is turned on, and a first display timer setting process is performed.

[0451] The first display timer is a means for measuring the change time (remaining time of change display) in the special display devices 43L and 43R, and is taken into consideration when determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the change display.

[0452] In this embodiment, the variable display time of the special display devices 43L and 43R is set to a value corresponding to the variable pattern of the decorative symbols selected by the variable type counters CS1 and CS2. Based on the setting of this first display timer, when a control signal to start variable display is output to the special display devices 43L and 43R in the external output process of the next normal process, the variable display is started on the special display devices 43L and 43R. Then, after step SB920 is completed, the variable display setting process is completed.

[0453] Returning to the explanation of Figure 21, if the determination in step SB802 is affirmative, i.e., if a variable display is in progress, the process proceeds to step SB812, where a first display timer subtraction process is performed. Each time this process is performed, the value of the first display timer is subtracted by 4 msec. For example, if the variable time is 10 seconds (10,000 msec), the first display timer is set to "2500" and is subtracted by 1 every 4 msec.

[0454] Next, the process proceeds to step SB813, where it is determined whether the predetermined variable time has elapsed, taking into consideration the value of the first display timer after the subtraction. At this time, when the predetermined variable time has elapsed, that is, when the value of the first display timer becomes "0," a positive decision is made in step SB813.

[0455] If the determination in step SB813 is negative, in step SB817, a switch display setting is made to continue the variable display of the special display devices 43L and 43R, and this processing ends. Based on the settings of the switch display setting, a control signal to switch the display is output to the special display devices 43L and 43R in the external output processing of the next normal processing. This realizes the switch display (variable display) of the special display devices 43L and 43R at the timing of the first display control processing, that is, every 4 ms.

[0456] On the other hand, if the determination in step SB813 is affirmative, the first display flag is cleared (turned off) in step SB814, and stop display settings are made in step SB815 to display stop displays on special display devices 43L and 43R.

[0457] Based on the settings of the stop display setting, a control signal to display a stop is output to the special display devices 43L and 42R in the external output process of the next normal process. For example, in the case of a "16R probability variable jackpot A", a "9-" is displayed as a stop (for example, lit for only a few seconds).

[0458] Next, in step SB816, a fluctuation end time setting process is performed, and then this process is terminated. The fluctuation end time setting process will now be described with reference to FIG.

[0459] First, in step SB1001, the jackpot hit flag and the small hit hit flag are taken into consideration to determine whether the stop display corresponds to a jackpot or a small hit. If it corresponds to a jackpot or a small hit, the process proceeds to step SB1002, where a hit is set. Specifically, the process performs setting processes for the jackpot mid-flag, the small hit mid-flag, the first variable flag, the first variable timer, the opening number counter, the winning counter Vx, etc. Then, after step SB1002 is completed, the setting process at the time of the fluctuation end is completed.

[0460] The jackpot flag is state determination information for determining whether or not a jackpot state is occurring, and here, "1" indicating the occurrence of a jackpot state is set as the flag value (turned on).

[0461] The small win flag is state determination information for determining whether or not a small win state is in progress, and here, similar to the big win flag, the flag value is set to "1" (turned on), indicating the occurrence of a small win state.

[0462] The first variable flag is state determination information for determining whether the variable winning device 32 is in an open state.

[0463] The first variable timer is a timer for measuring the opening time of the variable winning device 32 (the time when the special prize state occurs) and the interval between each special prize state, and is taken into consideration when determining whether a specified time has elapsed since the opening or closing of the opening / closing plate 32a. In the winning setting process of step SB1002, a predetermined value corresponding to each winning type is set by taking into consideration the opening / closing pattern control table (see FIG. 42). For example, if the first winning is a "long opening" as described above, such as in a "16R guaranteed jackpot A," the first variable timer is set to "7500," and if the first winning is a "short opening" as described above, such as in a "JUB jackpot," the first variable timer is set to "100." As a result, the maximum opening time (specified time) per opening / closing operation of the opening / closing plate 32a is set to "30 seconds" or "0.4 seconds."

[0464] In addition, as shown in Figure 42, the opening and closing pattern control table pre-sets the number of times the special prize state occurs (number of rounds) in various winning states, the opening time of the opening and closing plate 32a in each special prize state (each round), and the interval time between each special prize state.

[0465] The opening number counter is state determination information for determining the number of times a special prize state occurs during a big win state or a small win state, that is, the number of times the opening and closing process ("long opening" or "short opening") of the variable winning device 32 is executed. In the winning setting process of step SB1002, an initial value corresponding to each type of winning is set with reference to the opening and closing pattern control table. For example, in the case of a "16R certain variable jackpot A," "16" indicating 16 times is set, and in the case of a "JUB jackpot," "20" indicating 20 times, which is the total of 5 "short openings" and 15 "long openings," is set as the initial value.

[0466] The winning counter Vx is a winning counting means that counts the number of game balls that have won in the variable winning device 32. In this embodiment, during the switch reading process of the timer interrupt process (see FIG. 14), it is determined whether or not a winning has occurred in the variable winning device 32 based on the detection information of the count switch 223, and if it is determined that a winning has occurred in the variable winning device 32, the value of the winning counter Vx is incremented by one.

[0467] Furthermore, in the winning setting process of step SB1002, the opening / closing pattern control table is taken into consideration to set a prescribed number K1, which is the maximum number of prizes expected to be won in the variable winning device 32 per one opening / closing operation of the opening / closing plate 32a (one special prize state). As mentioned above, the prescribed number K1 is predetermined for each opening type (operation mode of the opening / closing member per one opening / closing operation), such as "long opening" or "short opening." For example, for a "long opening," the prescribed number K1 is set to "10," and for a "short opening," the prescribed number K1 is set to "3."

[0468] In the hit setting process of step SB1002, the setting of an opening command that announces the start of a big hit or small hit is also carried out. However, in the case of a "JUB big hit", the setting of the opening command is carried out after the end of five "short openings" (such as the special prize state start process of step SB1217 described later). As a result, in the case of a "JUB big hit", the big hit notification performance is carried out after the end of five "short openings", and up to this point it is indistinguishable from the case of a small hit.

[0469] Now, in step SB1001, if it is determined that the result does not correspond to a big win or a small win, that is, if it is determined that the big win hit flag and the small win hit flag are off, the process proceeds to step SB1003.

[0470] In step SB1003, it is determined whether the counter value of the support count counter is 0. The support count counter is a means for measuring the duration of the "high support mode" (the number of variable displays), and as will be described later, after the end of the jackpot, a value corresponding to each type of jackpot is set as the counter value.

[0471] Here, if the counter value of the support count counter is "0", this process is terminated. On the other hand, if the support count counter is set (if the counter value is other than "0"), it is assumed that the high support mode is being set, and in step SB1004, a process is performed to subtract 1 from the value of the support count counter. In step SB1004, a process is also performed to subtract 1 from the value of the game state specification counter Kj. Then, the process proceeds to step SB1005.

[0472] In step SB1005, it is determined whether the counter value of the support count counter is "0". In other words, it is determined whether the current variable display is the predetermined number of times variable display after the end of the jackpot (after the high support mode is granted). Here, if the value of the support count counter is "0", in step SB1006, the value of the support mode flag is switched to "A0(H)" which indicates "low support mode", and this process ends.

[0473] On the other hand, if it is determined in step SB1005 that the counter value of the support count counter is not "0", this process ends.

[0474] Next, the variable prize winning device control process in step SB206 will be described with reference to the flowchart in FIG.

[0475] First, in step SB1201, it is determined whether the big win flag or the small win flag is on. If the determination here is negative, this process ends.

[0476] If the decision in step SB1202 is affirmative, the count value of the first variable timer is decremented by one in the following step SB1202.

[0477] In the next step SB1203, it is determined whether the first variable flag is on. If the determination here is affirmative, that is, if the variable winning device 32 is in the open state, it proceeds to step SB1204, and it is determined whether the count value of the first variable timer is "0", that is, whether the opening time (specified time "30 seconds" or "0.4 seconds") per opening / closing operation ("long opening" or "short opening") of the opening / closing plate 32a remains.

[0478] If the determination in step SB1204 is negative, the process proceeds to step SB1205, where it is determined whether the value of the winning counter Vx is equal to or greater than the specified number K1, i.e., whether the number of game balls that have won the variable winning device 32 in one special prize state has reached the maximum expected number of winnings (the specified number "10" or "3"). If the determination in step SB1205 is negative, i.e., if the timing for closing the variable winning device 32 (the timing for ending the special prize state) has not yet arrived, the process ends.

[0479] On the other hand, if an affirmative decision is made in step SB1204 or step SB1205, the process proceeds to step SB1206, where the first variable timer is set.

[0480] Here, the first variable timer is set to a predetermined value (for example, "750" equivalent to "3 seconds", or "250" equivalent to "1 second") by referring to the opening / closing pattern control table to determine whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of the special prize state (for example, whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of a big win or small win, or whether the interval between the end of a predetermined special prize state and the start of the next special prize state has elapsed, etc.).

[0481] Thereafter, the process proceeds to step SB1207, where it is determined whether the counter value of the opening number counter is "0", that is, whether the number of times the special prize state ("long opening" or "short opening") has been executed has reached a specified number of times.

[0482] If the determination in step SB1207 is affirmative, the opening end setting process is performed in step SB1210, and the process ends. In the end setting process in step SB1210, the first variable flag is turned off and the winning end flag is turned on.

[0483] If a negative judgment is made in step SB1207, that is, if the number of times the special prize state ("long release" or "short release") has been executed has not reached the specified number of times, special prize transfer processing is performed in step SB1211, and this processing is terminated.

[0484] In the special prize sending process of step SB1211, the value of the opening number counter is decremented by 1 and the first variable flag is turned off. As a result, the opening and closing process is repeated until the number of times the special prize state is executed reaches the specified number of times.

[0485] Now, if the above step SB1203 makes a negative judgment, that is, if it is within a predetermined time after the end of the special prize state (within a predetermined time after the end of a win, or during an interval between special prize states), proceed to step SB1212 and determine whether the value of the first variable timer is "0".

[0486] If the determination in step SB1212 is affirmative, that is, if a predetermined time has elapsed since the end of the special prize state and it is time to move on to the next process (the start of the next special prize state or the start of normal play), the process proceeds to step SB1215. On the other hand, if the determination in step SB1212 is negative, the process ends.

[0487] In step SB1215, the winning end flag is taken into consideration to determine whether or not to end the big win state or the small win state.

[0488] If the decision in step SB1215 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SB1216 to perform a winning termination setting process, and then the process ends.

[0489] On the other hand, if a negative decision is made in step SB1215, the special prize state start process is performed in step SB1217, and then this process is terminated.

[0490] In the win end setting process of step SB1216, the big win flag or small win flag is turned off, and the lottery mode flag is switched, the support mode flag is switched, the support count counter is set, the game status notification command is set, and the ending command that announces the end of the big win or small win is set.

[0491] In the lottery mode flag switching process, the lottery mode flag is switched and set based on the various jackpot flags described above. As a result, when the "high probability mode" is set after the jackpot ends (when various "probability variable jackpot flags" or "JUB jackpot flags" are on), the flag value is set to "53(H)", which indicates the occurrence of the "high probability mode". On the other hand, when the "low probability mode" is set (when various "normal jackpot flags" are on), the flag value is set to "50(H)", which indicates the occurrence of the "low probability mode".

[0492] However, if the small win flag is on, the lottery mode flag is not switched, and the flag value for the original mode is set as is. For example, if the "high probability mode" is set before the small win state occurs (the flag value of the lottery mode flag is "53(H)"), the "high probability mode" (the flag value of the lottery mode flag is "53(H)") will remain set even after the small win ends.

[0493] In the support mode flag switching process, the support mode flag is switched and set based on the various jackpot flags described above. As a result, if "20 times high support mode," "30 times high support mode," "40 times high support mode," or "50 times high support mode" is granted after the jackpot ends, the flag value is set to "A1(H)," if it is "30 times high support mode S," the flag value is set to "A2(H)," and if it is "until next time high support mode," the flag value is set to "A3(H)."

[0494] In the support count counter setting process, the support count counter is switched based on the various jackpot flags described above. As a result, if "20 times high support mode," "30 times high support mode," "40 times high support mode," or "50 times high support mode" is granted after the jackpot ends, the support count counter value is set to "20," which corresponds to 20 variable display cycles, "30," which corresponds to 30 variable display cycles, "40," which corresponds to 40 variable display cycles, or "50," which corresponds to 50 variable display cycles. Also, if "30 times high support mode S" is granted, the support count counter value is set to "30," which corresponds to 30 variable display cycles. If "Until next time high support mode" is granted, the support count counter value is set to a virtually unreachable value (for example, "99999," which corresponds to 99,999 variable display cycles).

[0495] The game status notification command is a command for notifying the sub-control device 262 of the game status that will be set after the big win ends. In setting this command, a game status check process is first performed. This game status check process is the same as the game status check process of step SB109 (see FIG. 19) above, so a detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

[0496] The game status notification command includes a game status determination value Xj relating to the new game status determined by the game status check process. As will be described later, the sub-control device 262 that receives this command switches the game status (game status determination value Xj) that it has determined to the new game status (game status determination value Xj). Note that the game status notification command may be omitted, and instead, for example, the game status determination value Xj may be included in an ending command or the like that notifies the end of the jackpot state.

[0497] Incidentally, the big win flag, small win flag, and various "big win flags" are turned off after various processes such as the lottery mode flag switching process are completed. Also, when a win setting (step SB1002) is performed in the setting process at the end of the fluctuation in Fig. 22, the lottery mode flag may be reset once (set to "50(H)"), and the "high probability mode" may be interrupted during a big win or small win.

[0498] In the special prize state start process of step SB1217, the first variable flag is turned on, and the opening time ("7500" or "100") for the next special prize state is set in the first variable timer with reference to the opening / closing pattern control table, and the specified number K1 for the next special prize state is set. Furthermore, the value of the prize counter Vx is reset to "0".

[0499] Furthermore, based on the on / off status of the first variable flag, various control signals are output to the variable winning device 32 in the external output processing of the next normal processing. When the first variable flag is on, a control signal to open the opening / closing plate 32a is output to the variable winning device 32, and the large winning opening is opened. On the other hand, when the first variable flag is off, a control signal to close the opening / closing plate 32a is output to the variable winning device 32, and the large winning opening is closed.

[0500] Next, the second display control process of step SB207 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0501] In Fig. 25, in step SB2101, the setting status of the second display flag, which indicates whether or not a variable display is being performed on the normal pattern display device 41, is checked to determine whether or not a variable display is being performed on the normal pattern display device 41. In detail, if the second display flag is on, it is considered that a variable display is being performed on the normal pattern display device 41, and if the second display flag is off, it is considered that a stopped display is being performed, which corresponds to a state in which the variable display is stopped on the normal pattern display device 41.

[0502] If the determination in step SB2101 is negative, the process proceeds to step SB2102, where it is determined whether the value of the normal hold counter Nc is greater than 0. If the value of the normal hold counter Nc is 0, the process ends.

[0503] Also, if the variable display is not in progress and the value of the normal hold counter Nc is greater than 0, proceed to step SB2103. In step SB2103, 1 is subtracted from the normal hold counter Nc. In step SB2104, a process is executed to shift the data stored in the normal variable hold area. This data shift process is a process of shifting the data stored in the first to fourth hold areas of the normal variable hold area to the execution area side in order, with the data in each area being shifted in the following order: hold 1 area → execution area, hold 2 area → hold 1 area, hold 3 area → hold 2 area, hold 4 area → hold 3 area.

[0504] After that, in step SB2105, a start setting process is executed. In this process, a process is performed to indicate that the conditions for performing a variable display in the normal pattern display device 41 have been met. In detail, the second display flag is turned on, and a second display timer setting process is performed. The second display timer is a means for measuring the variable time (remaining time) of the variable display performed in the normal pattern display device 41, and is taken into consideration when determining whether a predetermined time has elapsed since the start of the variable display.

[0505] In this embodiment, in the "low support mode", the variable time of the variable display performed by the normal pattern display device 41 is set to 2 seconds, so the second display timer is set to "500". Also, in the "high support mode", the variable time of the variable display performed by the normal pattern display device 41 is set to 0.4 seconds, so the second display timer is set to "100".

[0506] Based on the setting in the start setting process, when a control signal to start variable display is output to the normal pattern display device 41 in the external output process of the next normal process, variable display will start on the normal pattern display device 41. As described above, the normal pattern display device 41 is configured to light and display "○" or "×" as the normal pattern, and if "○" is displayed, it will be switched to "×", and if "×" is displayed, it will be switched to "○". Then, after step SB2105 is completed, the second display control process is completed.

[0507] If the determination in step SB2101 is affirmative, that is, if a variable display is being performed on the normal symbol display device 41, the process proceeds to step SB2106, where a second display timer subtraction process is performed. Each time this process is performed, the count value of the second display timer is subtracted by 1.

[0508] Next, the process proceeds to step SB2107, where it is determined whether the count value of the second display timer is "0", that is, whether the variable time has elapsed. If the determination in step SB2107 is affirmative, the second display flag is turned off in step SB2108, and a normal pattern stop display setting is performed in step SB2109 to perform a stop display on the normal pattern display device 41. Then, based on the setting contents of this normal pattern stop display setting, a control signal to perform a stop display is output to the normal pattern display device 41 in the external output process in the next normal process. That is, if there is a win, the "○" pattern (winning pattern) is displayed as a stop (for example, lit for only a few seconds), and if there is a loss, the "X" pattern is displayed as a stop.

[0509] As mentioned above, whether or not a win occurs is determined based on the value of the normal symbol random number counter CB4 stored in the execution area of the normal variable reserve area.

[0510] Specifically, of the numbers 0 to 9 of the normal pattern random number counter CB4, the winning values are two, "0, 1", in the "low support mode" and eight, "0 to 7", in the "high support mode".

[0511] Next, the process proceeds to step SB2110, where a setting process is performed at the end of the variation, and the process is terminated. In this process, if the stop display corresponds to a win, a setting process is performed to open and close the opening / closing device 37Y. Specifically, the second variable flag is turned on, and the opening time is set in the second variable timer.

[0512] The second variable flag is state determination information for determining whether the opening / closing device 37Y is in the open state or not.

[0513] The second variable timer is a means for measuring the opening time (remaining time) of the opening / closing device 37Y, and is taken into consideration when determining whether a specified time has elapsed since the opening started. In this embodiment, the opening time of the opening / closing device 37Y differs between the "high support mode" and the "low support mode," and in the "high support mode," the second variable timer is set to "1000," and in the "low support mode," the second variable timer is set to "100."

[0514] On the other hand, if a negative judgment is made in step SB2107, in step SB2111, a switching display setting is made to continue the variable display of the normal pattern display device 41, and this processing is terminated. Then, based on the setting contents of this switching display setting, in the external output processing in the next normal processing, a control signal to switch display is output to the normal pattern display device 41. Specifically, if the current lighting is "○", it is switched to "×", and if it is "×", it is switched to "○". This realizes the variable display of the normal pattern display device 41 at the timing of the second display control processing, that is, every 4 ms.

[0515] Next, the opening and closing accessory control process of step SB208 will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

[0516] First, in step SB2201, it is determined whether or not the second variable flag indicating whether or not the opening / closing accessory 37Y is in the open state is on. If it is determined that the second variable flag is not on (the opening / closing accessory 37Y is in the closed state), this process is terminated.

[0517] On the other hand, if the determination in step SB2201 is affirmative, i.e., if the second variable flag is on, the opening / closing device 37Y is considered to be in the open state, and second variable timer subtraction processing is performed in step SB2202. Each time this processing is performed, the value of the second variable timer is subtracted by 1.

[0518] Next, the process proceeds to step SB2203, where the value of the second variable timer after the subtraction is taken into consideration to determine whether the specified open time has elapsed. Here, when the specified open time has elapsed, that is, when the value of the second variable timer becomes "0," a positive determination is made in step SB2203. If a negative determination is made here, the process ends.

[0519] On the other hand, if the determination in step SB2203 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step SB2204, where an end setting process is performed, and then the process ends. In the end setting process in step SB2204, the second variable flag is turned off.

[0520] Furthermore, based on the on / off status of the second variable flag, various control signals are output to the opening / closing device 37Y in the external output process of the next normal process. When the second variable flag is on, a control signal to open the movable blade 37Ya is output to the opening / closing device 37Y, and the opening / closing device 37Y is in an open state. On the other hand, when the second variable flag is off, a control signal to close the movable blade 37Ya is output to the opening / closing device 37Y, and the opening / closing device 37Y is in a closed state. This makes it impossible for game balls to enter the lower start winning opening 33YB.

[0521] Next, we will explain the dispensing control executed by the CPU 511 in the dispensing control device 311. For convenience of explanation, first, the reception interrupt process will be explained with reference to Figure 27, and then the main process will be explained with reference to Figure 28.

[0522] FIG. 27 is a flowchart showing the reception interrupt process executed by the dispensing control device 311. The reception interrupt process is a process executed by interrupting when the dispensing control device 311 receives a command transmitted from the main control device 261. When the dispensing control device 311 confirms that the command transmitted from the main control device 261 has been received, other processes executed by the CPU 511 in the dispensing control device 311 are temporarily suspended, and the reception interrupt process is executed. When the reception interrupt process is executed, first, in step SB3001, the command transmitted from the main control device 261 is stored in the command buffer of RAM 513. In step SB3002, the command reception flag is turned on to record that the command has been transmitted from the main control device 261, and the reception interrupt process is terminated. As described above, when a command is stored in the command buffer, the storage pointer is referenced and stored in a predetermined storage area, and the storage pointer is updated so that the next received command can be stored in the next storage area.

[0523] In this embodiment, the reception process of a command transmitted from main control device 261 is performed by an interrupt process that is executed when the command is received, but, for example, in the timer interrupt process shown in Fig. 29, before the command determination process (step SB3201) is performed, it may be confirmed whether or not a command has been received, and if a command has been received, the command may be stored in a command buffer in RAM 513 and the command reception flag may be turned on, and if a command has not been received, the process may proceed to command determination process. In such a case, it is confirmed whether or not a command has been received by checking the port corresponding to the command input of the input / output port at predetermined intervals.

[0524] Next, the main processing of the dispensing control device 311 will be described with reference to Fig. 28. Fig. 28 is a flowchart showing the main processing of the dispensing control device 311, and this main processing is started upon reset when the power is turned on.

[0525] First, in step SB3101, initial setting processing is performed when power is turned on. Specifically, a predetermined value is set in the stack pointer and the interrupt mode is set. Then, in step SB3103, RAM access is permitted and in step SB3104 an external interrupt vector is set.

[0526] Thereafter, in step SB3106, it is determined whether power failure occurrence information is set in backup area 513a of RAM 513. If power failure occurrence information is set in backup area 513a, a RAM judgment value is calculated in step SB3107, and in the following step SB3108, it is determined whether the RAM judgment value matches the RAM judgment value saved at the time of power failure, i.e., whether the backup is valid. The RAM judgment value is, for example, a checksum value at a work area address in RAM 513. It is also possible to determine the validity of the backup based on whether a keyword written in a predetermined area of RAM 513 is saved correctly.

[0527] If power outage information is not set in step SB3106, or if a backup abnormality is confirmed based on the RAM judgment value (checksum value, etc.) in step SB3108, the process proceeds to initialization of RAM 513 from step SB3115 onwards.

[0528] At step SB3115, all areas of RAM 513 are cleared to 0, and at step SB3116, initial values are set for RAM 513. Thereafter, at step SB3117, the CPU peripheral devices are initialized, and the process proceeds to step SB3114 to enable interrupts.

[0529] On the other hand, provided that power outage information has been set in step SB3106 and that the RAM judgment value (checksum value, etc.) is normal in step SB3108, processing upon power recovery (processing upon recovery from power outage) is executed. That is, the stack pointer before the power outage is restored in step SB3109, the power outage information is cleared in step SB3110, and the payout permission flag that permits the payout of prize balls is cleared in step SB3111. Also, in step SB3112, the CPU peripheral devices are initialized, and in step SB3113, the used registers are restored from the backup area 513a of RAM 513. Furthermore, in step SB3114, interrupts are permitted.

[0530] After interrupts are permitted in step SB3114, the process of step SB3122 determines whether power-off occurrence information is set in backup area 513a. If power-off occurrence information is set, it means that power has been cut off, and the processes of steps SB3123 and onward are performed as power-off processing in the event of a power outage. The power-off processing begins with prohibiting interrupt processing in step SB3123, followed by command judgment processing (described later) in the next step SB3124. Then, in step SB3125, the contents of each register used by CPU 511 are saved to the stack area, in step SB3126 the value of the stack pointer is stored in backup area 513a, in step SB3127 a RAM judgment value is calculated and saved in backup area 513a, and in step SB3128 RAM access is prohibited. This infinite loop continues until power is completely cut off and processing can no longer be executed. Here, the RAM judgment value is, for example, a checksum value in the stack area and work area backed up in RAM 513.

[0531] In addition, since the processing of step SB3122 checks the power outage occurrence information after the processing performed when the power is turned on is completed, the amount of data stored in backup area 513a of RAM 513 is smaller than when each processing is in progress, and storage is easier. Also, when returning to the state before the power outage, the amount of data stored in backup area 513a is small, so recovery is easy, and the processing load on dispensing control device 311 can be reduced.

[0532] Next, the timer interrupt process of the dispensing control device 311 will be described with reference to the flowchart of Figure 29. This timer interrupt process is started periodically (every 2 msec period in this embodiment).

[0533] In the timer interrupt process, first, a command is acquired from main control unit 261, and a judgment process for that command is performed (step SB3201). This command judgment process will be described below with reference to FIG.

[0534] Figure 30 is a flowchart showing the command determination process performed by the dispensing control device 311. In the command determination process (steps SB3124, SB3201), first, in step SB3301, it is determined whether or not the command reception flag is on. The command reception flag is turned on when a command transmitted from the main control device 261 is received in the reception interrupt process described above (see Figure 27).

[0535] If it is determined in step SB3301 that the command reception flag is off, no new command has been received from main control device 261, and this process is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined in step SB3301 that the command reception flag is on, the received command is read from RAM 513 in step SB3302, and the command reception flag is turned off in step SB3303. By turning off the command reception flag in step SB3303, the processing of steps SB3302 to SB3311 can be skipped until a new command is received, thereby reducing the control of dispensing control device 311.

[0536] The processing of steps SB3304 to SB3306 determines the type of command read from RAM 513. In step SB3304, it is determined whether the command sent from main control device 261 is a payout initialization command, in step SB3305 it is determined whether it is a payout return command, and in step SB3306 it is determined whether it is a prize ball command.

[0537] If the command sent from main control unit 261 is a payout initialization command, step SB3307 determines whether the payout permission flag is already on, and if the payout permission flag is off, it means that main control unit 261 instructed RAM 513 to initialize when power was turned on, so step SB3308 clears the working area (area) other than the stack area of RAM 513 to 0, and step SB3309 sets the initial value of RAM 513. Thereafter, step SB3311 turns on the payout permission flag, and permission to pay out prize balls is set.

[0538] As described above, the main control device 261 initializes RAM 503 after transmitting the payout initialization command, and the payout control device 311 initializes RAM 513 after receiving the payout initialization command, so the timing at which RAM 503 is initialized and the timing at which RAM 513 is initialized are approximately the same. Therefore, even if the payout control device 311 receives a command transmitted from the main control device 261 due to a difference in initialization timing, it is possible to prevent problems such as the RAM 513 being initialized and being unable to perform control corresponding to the received command. Furthermore, since the payout permission flag is turned on after RAM 513 is initialized, it is possible to reliably set permission for the payout of prize balls.

[0539] On the other hand, if the payout permission flag is already set in step SB3307, the command determination process is terminated without clearing the working area of RAM 513 or initializing RAM 513. That is, the process in step SB3307 prohibits the initialization of RAM 513 while the payout permission flag is set. Since the payout initialization command is transmitted only when the RAM clear switch 323 is set to on when the power is turned on, it is not received while the payout permission flag is set. In such a case, it is possible that the payout control device 311 has recognized it as a payout initialization command due to noise or other factors. Therefore, if the working area of RAM 513 is cleared (step SB3308) and the initial value of RAM 513 is set (step SB3309) while the payout permission flag is set to on, a problem such as the failure to pay out remaining winning balls would occur, resulting in a loss to the player. However, by preventing the initialization of RAM 513 while the payout permission flag is set to on, the player is prevented from incurring a loss.

[0540] Furthermore, if the command sent from the main control device 261 is a payout restoration command (step SB3304: NO, step SB3305: YES), the main control device 261 and payout control device 311 will return to the state they were in before the power was cut off, and the payout permission flag is turned on in step SB3311 to permit the payout of prize balls. In other words, if there is information that a power outage has occurred and the main control device 261 and payout control device 311 have returned to the state they were in before the power was cut off, the payout of prize balls will be permitted. When the payout permission flag is turned on in the processing of step SB3311, processing based on the command stored in a specified memory area of the command buffer has ended, and the read pointer is updated to the read pointer corresponding to the next memory area.

[0541] Furthermore, if the command sent from the main control device 261 is a prize ball command (step SB3305: NO, step SB3306: YES), in step SB3310, the received number of prize balls is added to the total number of prize balls and stored, and in step SB3311, a payout permission flag is turned on to permit the payout of prize balls. At this time, the payout control device 311 sequentially reads the prize ball commands stored in the command buffer (ring buffer) and adds the number of prize balls corresponding to the command to the total number of prize balls stored in a specified buffer area and stores the result. Since prize balls corresponding to the number of prize balls are paid out based on the prize ball command sent from the main control device 261, the prize ball command is a payout instruction command that instructs the payout of prize balls. Furthermore, when a prize ball command is received, payout permission is immediately set, allowing prize balls to be paid out quickly in response to a win. When the payout permission flag is turned on in the processing of step SB3311, processing based on the command stored in a specified memory area of the command ...

Claims

[Claim 1] A game board having a game area on the front side; a lottery means for holding a lottery when a predetermined opportunity is realized based on a predetermined game played by a player; a game value granting means for granting a predetermined game value when a winning result is obtained by the lottery; a first rotation means configured to be rotatable about an axial direction in the front-rear direction in a predetermined area of the game area and to be able to change its state between at least a predetermined rotation state and a predetermined stop state, and having a visual confirmation portion through which the rear side can be seen; a predetermined decorative means provided on the rear side of the first rotating means in the gaming area, the first rotation means is configured to change from the predetermined stopped state to the predetermined rotation state when a predetermined condition is satisfied based on the predetermined game by the player; This gaming machine is The relative positional relationship between the first rotation means in a front view of the predetermined area and the second rotation means that is movable in the game area and rotatable in a predetermined manner is configured to be changeable between a first positional relationship in which at least a part of the first rotation means and at least a part of the second rotation means do not overlap in the front view, and a second positional relationship in which at least a part of the first rotation means and at least a part of the second rotation means overlap in the front view, In the first positional relationship, At least a part of the predetermined decorative means is visible through the visible portion of the first rotating means when viewed from the front, In the second positional relationship, At least a part of the second rotating means that overlaps with the visible portion of the first rotating means in the front view is visible through the visible portion of the first rotating means, and an area of at least a part of the predetermined decorative means that is blocked by the second rotating means is not visible through the visible portion of the first rotating means, At least a part of the rear area of the game board is visible from the front, The first rotation means is configured to be rotatable in a front region of the game board, The second rotation means is configured to be movable from the front region to the rear region of the game board, This gaming machine is The system is configured so that a predetermined advantageous state advantageous to a player is more likely to occur when the first rotation means and the second rotation means are in a specific second positional relationship than when the first rotation means and the second rotation means are in the predetermined second positional relationship, This gaming machine is In the predetermined area, the plurality of second rotating means are configured to be individually movable, the plurality of second rotating means are configured to be individually approachable to the first rotating means, This gaming machine is, a gaming machine characterized in that the first rotating means is configured such that the diameter of the first rotating means having a circular front view shape in the front view of the predetermined area is at least larger than the diameter of the second rotating means having a circular front view shape.

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