gaming machines

Abstract

To reduce costs. [Solution] The slot machine is equipped with a reel having a predetermined reel tape T1 on which a plurality of symbols P1 to P10 are arranged, and the plurality of symbols P1 to P10 are composed of a plurality of types of symbols including a specific symbol P5. The symbol P5 has a green area that makes the green color visible, and is composed of a predetermined number (8 types) of inks used for printing. By using the predetermined number (8 types) of inks that compose the symbol P5, more than half (10 or more, for example 15) of the plurality of symbols P1 to P10 can be composed. This allows for cost reduction.

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] Conventionally, gaming machines (slot machines) equipped with multiple reels with symbols arranged on their outer peripheries have been known. These types of gaming machines assign a certain gaming value to gaming media such as medals or pachinko balls, and players play to acquire these gaming media. Furthermore, these types of gaming machines perform an internal lottery and start the rotation of the multiple reels when the player operates a start lever to start the game. When the player operates a stop button to stop the game, the multiple reels are stopped in a manner corresponding to the results of the internal lottery. The game result is determined by the symbol combination displayed on a winning determination line when the multiple reels are stopped, and medals or other items are paid out according to the game result.

[0003] This type of gaming machine has a reel tape that is wound around the outer circumference of the reel frame to form the reel, and this reel tape has multiple types of patterns formed by printing multiple types of paint (each color or transparent) on top of a transparent base material (see Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-124255 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, increasing the number of different types of paint used to print on reel tape increases costs, so there has been a demand for reducing the cost of reel tape by reducing the number of different types of paint used as much as possible.

[0006] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a gaming machine that allows for cost reduction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention is a gaming machine, 20 or 21 pieces a reel having a predetermined reel tape on which the above-mentioned patterns are arranged, The aforementioned 20 or 21 pieces The design is made up of multiple types of designs, including specific designs, The specific design is a design having a green area that makes green visible, The specific design is configured with a predetermined number of types of ink used for printing, When the predetermined number of types of ink constituting the specific pattern are used, 20 or 21 pieces The green area may be included in more than half of the patterns, and the more than half of the patterns may include a pattern that does not have the green area. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, costs can be reduced. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing the external configuration of a gaming machine according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram illustrating the functional blocks of the gaming machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a reel of a reel unit of the gaming machine according to the first embodiment. [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing a reel tape of the gaming machine according to the first embodiment. FIG. [Figure 5]Figures showing the patterns related to the first embodiment, where (a) is a diagram showing the 7A pattern, (b) is a diagram showing the 7B pattern, (c) is a diagram showing the 7C pattern, (d) is a diagram showing the BAR pattern, (e) is a diagram showing the watermelon A pattern, (f) is a diagram showing the watermelon B pattern, (g) is a diagram showing the bell pattern, (h) is a diagram showing the replay pattern, (i) is a diagram showing the blank A pattern, and (j) is a diagram showing the blank B pattern. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross section of a reel tape. [Figure 7] FIG. 1A is a diagram showing the background design of a first pattern, and FIG. 1B is a diagram showing the background design of a second pattern. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the relationship between ink types and each layer according to the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a sheet of reel tape after printing and before cutting for the gaming machine according to the second embodiment. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing the symbols according to the second embodiment, in which (a) is a diagram showing a bell symbol, (b) is a diagram showing a replay symbol, (c) is a diagram showing a cherry symbol, (d) is a diagram showing a watermelon symbol, (e) is a diagram showing a white 7 symbol, (f) is a diagram showing a silver BAR symbol, (g) is a diagram showing a black BAR symbol, (h) is a diagram showing a red 7 symbol, (i) is a diagram showing a diamond symbol, and (j) is a diagram showing a bonus symbol. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between ink types and layers according to the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] First Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below. Note that the embodiment described below does not unduly limit the content of the present invention described in the claims. Furthermore, not all of the configurations described in the embodiment are necessarily essential components of the present invention. Furthermore, in the following description, the side toward the player (nearby) will be referred to as "front" and the opposite side as "rear."

[0011] [Overview of gaming machine configuration] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the exterior configuration of a slot machine 1 according to this embodiment of the present invention. The slot machine 1 of this embodiment is a so-called reel-type gaming machine, and is configured as a medal-less gaming machine in which gaming value available to a player is recorded electromagnetically based on a lending signal output from an external device provided outside the slot machine 1 and configured to electromagnetically lend and settle electronic medals that constitute gaming value, and a dedicated unit SU (see FIG. 2) serving as a specific unit. The slot machine 1 is configured to store information on the number of recorded electronic medals as the number of gaming medals and to transmit the stored number of gaming medals to the dedicated unit SU. The dedicated unit SU records the number of gaming medals received from the slot machine 1 on a recording medium such as an IC card and dispenses it to settle the electronic medals.

[0012] The slot machine 1 of this embodiment is housed in a box-shaped cabinet consisting of a cabinet BX, an upper front door UD, and a lower front door DD, and houses a reel unit RU consisting of multiple reels R1 to R3 (in order, R1 is the left reel, R2 is the center reel, and R3 is the left reel).The cabinet of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment also houses a control board that is equipped with a CPU, ROM (an example of an information storage medium), RAM, etc. and controls the operation of the slot machine 1.

[0013] The outer periphery of each of the reels R1 to R3 shown in FIG. 1 is divided into 20 regions (hereinafter, each region will be referred to as a "frame") at regular intervals, and one of several types of symbols is arranged in each frame.

[0014] The upper front door UD and the lower front door DD are provided so that they can be opened and closed separately. The upper front door UD is provided with a display device 410 as a display means for displaying effects consisting of various videos and images to assist and enhance the game. The display device 410 has a display area 410a for displaying images, and a specific area 410b facing the reels R1 to R3 is made up of a translucent liquid crystal display, so that the rotating and stopped states of the reels R1 to R3 can be observed through the display device 410. When the reels R1 to R3 are stopped, three symbols (top, middle, and bottom symbols) arranged consecutively on the outer periphery of each of the reels R1 to R3, among the multiple types of symbols arranged at regular intervals on the outer periphery, can be observed from the front of the slot machine 1 through the display device 410.

[0015] Furthermore, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, an upper row, a middle row, and a lower row are provided for each reel as display positions for observing symbols through the display device 410, and an activated line L1 is set for an activated line formed by a combination of the display positions of each reel. In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the number of electronic medals required for one game, the so-called specified number (specified number), is set to three (first specified number) or two (second specified number), and when electronic medals equivalent to the specified number are inserted, the activated line L1 formed by the middle row of reels R1 to R3 is activated.

[0016] The game result is determined by the symbol combination stopped and displayed on the valid line L1 (valid line), and if the symbol combination on the valid line L1 is a symbol combination corresponding to a predetermined role, that role is considered to have won, and control according to the winning role is executed.

[0017] The lower front door DD is provided with various operating means, such as a max bet button MB as an inserting operation means for setting the electronic medals stored in the slot machine 1 to an inserted state, a start lever SL as a game start operation means for allowing the player to perform a start operation that triggers the rotation of the reels R1 to R3 and start a game, stop buttons B1 to B3 as stop operation means for allowing the player to perform a stop operation that triggers the stopping of each of the reels R1 to R3 that are driven to rotate by the stepping motor, a counting button KB as a counting operation means for transmitting the number of game medals stored in the slot machine 1 to the dedicated unit SU, and a settlement button AB for performing a settlement operation that cancels the inserted state and returns the electronic medals that have been set to the inserted state to the medal count counter 311 (see FIG. 2).

[0018] Furthermore, the lower front door DD is provided with a main control display device 10D controlled by the CPU of the main control board 1000 (see FIG. 2). The main control display device 10D is made up of a 7-segment display or the like, and displays various game information such as information on the winning combination in the current game, and information (alert display) suggesting how to press stop button B1, stop button B2, and stop button B3 related to the payout of electronic medals. The alert display displayed on the main control display device 10D corresponds to a winning combination command, which is a control signal created based on winning information, which is information on the winning combination in the current game, when a specified number of electronic medals are inserted and the start lever SL is operated.

[0019] In addition, the front lower door DD is provided with a game medal count display device MD controlled by a medal count control CPU 31 (see Figure 2). The game medal count display device MD is made up of a 7-segment display or the like, and functions as a conceptual receptacle by displaying the number of game medals stored in the slot machine 1.

[0020] The front lower door DD is provided with a plurality of sound devices 420 for producing sound effects. The sound devices 420 output a variety of sounds to assist and liven up the game.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the slot machine 1 of this embodiment. The slot machine 1 of this embodiment has, as control boards, a main control board 1000, a sub-control board 2000, and a medal count control board 3000. The main control board 1000 has a main control CPU 1001 (game control means) that controls the progress of the game by controlling the game played using game values. The sub-control board 2000 has a sub-control CPU 2001 that controls the presentation related to the game. The medal count control board 3000 has a medal count control CPU 3001 that manages electronic medals and controls the number of game medals by being configured to be able to communicate with a dedicated unit SU.

[0022] The main control CPU 1001 functions as setting change means 100, deposit acceptance means 105, random number generation means 110, internal lottery means 120, reel control means 130, winning determination means 140, payout control means 150, game state transition control means 160, assist time control means (AT control means) 170, and complete control means 180. Each means constituting the main control CPU 1001 reads out and executes each control program stored in advance in main storage means 190 when executing each control process.

[0023] The setting change means 100 performs control (setting change control) to change the setting values ​​stored in the setting value storage means 191 of the main storage means 190. The setting change means 100 operates when a setting key is inserted into a setting key cylinder KC provided on the main control board 1000 and the setting key is turned, turning on the setting change switch SS provided inside the setting key cylinder KC. When the power is turned on with the setting change switch SS in the ON state, the setting change means 100 transitions to a setting change permitted state in which setting changes are permitted. On the other hand, the setting change means 100 is configured not to transition to a setting change permitted state when the setting change switch SS is in the ON state while the power is on.

[0024] In the setting change permitted state, the setting change means 100 cyclically changes the setting value in the order of Setting 1 → Setting 2 →... → Setting 6 → Setting 1 →... each time it receives an input signal output by operating the setting change button BS provided on the power supply device, and determines the setting value based on receiving a start signal output by operating the start lever SL. In the slot machine 1, the winning probability of some of the winning areas that can be won in the internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120 is changed according to the setting value determined in the setting value storage means 191. In other words, the setting change means 100 is configured to be able to change the setting value, which is a value that can change the winning probability of a combination in the internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120.

[0025] In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when the setting change control is executed by the setting change means 100, the control relating to the game state executed by the game state transition control means 160 and the control relating to the advantageous zone executed by the AT control means 170 are configured to be initialized, the game state is set to a non-replay time (hereinafter, replay time is also referred to as "RT") state described later, and the control relating to the auxiliary game executed by the AT control means 170 before the setting change is also initialized and a normal zone is set. Meanwhile, in the slot machine 1, when the power supply to the main control CPU 1001 is cut off (power interruption) and then the power supply is resumed, the control relating to the game state executed by the game state transition control means 160 and the control relating to the advantageous zone executed by the AT control means 170 are configured to be resumed from the state before the power interruption, and the control relating to the auxiliary game executed by the AT control means 170 before the power interruption is also configured to be maintained in the state before the power interruption.

[0026] The deposit acceptance means 105 accepts an input signal output when the max bet button MB is operated (bet operation) while a number of game medals equal to or greater than a specified number is stored in the medal number counter 311 described below during the deposit acceptance period for accepting the deposit of electronic medals, and sets the electronic medals stored in the medal number counter 311 to an inserted state up to the specified number set for each game state, and performs processing to enable the game start operation on the start lever SL based on the fact that electronic medals equivalent to the specified number have been set to the inserted state.

[0027] In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the first pressing of the start lever SL, which is enabled based on the setting of the inserted state of electronic medals equivalent to the specified number, is accepted as a game start operation by the player, which triggers the start of rotation of the reels R1 to R3 and also triggers the internal lottery means 120, which will be described later, to execute an internal lottery. The specified number set for each game state will be described later in detail.

[0028] In addition, the deposit acceptance means 105 accepts an input signal output when the settlement button AB is operated during the period from when the electronic medals are set to the inserted state until the start lever SL is operated to cancel the inserted state and adds the same number of electronic medals set to the inserted state to the number of game medals stored in the medal number counter 311, thereby settling the electronic medals set to the inserted state.

[0029] The random number generation means 110 is a means for generating random numbers for lotteries. In this embodiment, the term "random number" includes not only values ​​that are generated randomly in the mathematical sense, but also values ​​that may be generated regularly but whose acquisition timing is irregular, and therefore may function as random numbers.

[0030] The internal lottery means 120 is a means for conducting an internal lottery to determine whether a winning combination will be achieved based on the start signal output when the player performs a start operation on the start lever SL, and performs lottery table selection processing, random number determination processing, lottery flag setting processing, etc.

[0031] In the lottery table selection process, an internal lottery table to be used for the internal lottery is selected based on the current game state from among the multiple internal lottery tables stored in the internal lottery table storage means 192 of the main storage means 190. In each internal lottery table, various combinations such as replays, small combinations, and bonuses, and non-wins (misses) are associated with each of multiple random numbers (for example, 65,536 random numbers from 0 to 65,535).

[0032] In the following description, a bonus means a role that activates a reel or a reel continuous operation device when won, a bonus being activated means that a bonus is won and activates a reel or a reel continuous operation device, and a bonus state means that the reel or reel continuous operation device is activated.

[0033] In the random number determination process, a random number (random number for lottery) generated by the random number generation means 110 is obtained for each game based on the start signal output when the start lever SL is operated to start, and the obtained random number is compared with the internal lottery table selected in the lottery table selection process, and it is determined based on the comparison result whether or not a winning combination has been achieved.

[0034] In the lottery flag setting process, based on the result of the random number determination process, the lottery flag corresponding to the winning combination is set from a non-established state (first flag state, OFF state) to a established state (second flag state, ON state). In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when two or more types of combinations are simultaneously won, the lottery flags corresponding to the two or more types of combinations are set to an established state. Note that the slot machine 1 of this embodiment provides a lottery flag (carry-over flag) that can carry over its established state to the next game or thereafter until a prize is won, and a lottery flag (non-carry-over flag) that is reset to an unestablished state without carrying over its established state to the next game or thereafter regardless of whether a prize is won or not. In addition, the lottery flag setting information is stored in the lottery flag storage means 193 of the main storage means 190.

[0035] The reel control means 130 executes reel rotation control, which starts the rotation of the reels R1 to R3 and controls the rotation pattern of the reels R1 to R3, based on the player's start operation of the start lever SL and the output of a start signal. Furthermore, when the reels R1 to R3 are in a steady rotation state at a predetermined speed (for example, approximately 80 rpm), the reel control means 130 executes control to validate a stop operation by operating the stop buttons B1 to B3 corresponding to each reel. When the stop buttons B1 to B3 are operated to stop and a reel stop signal is output, the reel control means 130 executes control (reel stop control) to stop each of the reels R1 to R3 corresponding to the stop button B1 to B3 that was operated to stop.

[0036] In the following description, when the reel control means 130 starts the rotation of the reels R1 to R3 and the player operates each of the active stop buttons B1 to B3, the first operation will be referred to as the first stop operation, the second operation as the second stop operation, and the third operation as the third stop operation.

[0037] In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, the reels R1 to R3 that are spinning corresponding to the pressed stop button are stopped within a predetermined period of 190 ms (milliseconds, msec) from the time when the stop button B1 to B3 is pressed. In the following description, pressing the stop buttons B1 to B3 is also referred to as an operation. Furthermore, the slot machine 1 may be configured to output a stop signal not only when the stop buttons B1 to B3 are pressed, but also when, for example, an operation of pressing and releasing the pressed stop buttons B1 to B3 is performed.

[0038] Here, when the rotating reels are stopped within 190 ms from the time the stop button is pressed, the stop position of each rotating reel is configured to be able to rotate a maximum of four frames from the time the stop button is pressed until the reel stops, depending on the diameter and rotation speed of each reel. Therefore, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, for reels R1 to R3, the range in which symbols can be pulled onto the pay line L1 (pull-in range) is a total of five frames, from the frame displayed on the pay line L1 at the time the stop button is pressed until the reel rotates four frames.

[0039] When executing reel stop control, the reel control means 130 performs a logic calculation process to determine the stop position of the spinning reel based on a predetermined priority through logic calculations including a pull-in process to stop the spinning reel so that a winning combination for which the lottery flag is set to a hit state can be won as much as possible, and a kick-off process to stop the spinning reel so that a winning combination for which the lottery flag is set to a non-hit state cannot be won, and a table reference process to determine the stop position of the spinning reel by referring to a stop control table stored in the reel control data storage means 194 of the main storage means 190, thereby stopping the spinning reel and displaying a pattern on the pay line L1 (hereinafter, stopping the spinning reel by reel stop control and displaying a pattern on the pay line L1 is also referred to as a "stop display").

[0040] In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when multiple types of small winning combinations are won in the internal lottery, there are two methods for determining the priority of the candidate stop positions: a method for determining the priority according to the number of symbol combinations that can be displayed on the activated line L1 (number priority control), and a method for determining the priority according to the number of electronic medals to be paid out based on the payout predetermined for the small winning combination (number priority control). However, when the number priority control is executed, if multiple small winning combinations with the same payout are won, the priority of the candidate stop positions that can win each small winning combination is treated as being the same.

[0041] The winning determination means 140 performs a winning determination process to determine whether or not a winning combination has been achieved based on the stopping state of the reels R1 to R3. Specifically, by referring to the winning determination table stored in the winning determination table storage means 195 of the main storage means 190, it determines whether or not the symbol combination displayed on the pay line L1 when all of the reels R1 to R3 have stopped is a winning form of a predetermined winning combination. The winning determination table is prepared so that the presence or absence of a bonus, replay, or small winning combination can be determined (hereinafter referred to as "winning determination") based on the symbol combination displayed on the pay line L1 when each reel has stopped. In the following description, the symbol combination that indicates the winning form of a winning combination will also be referred to as the "winning symbol combination."

[0042] In the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, each process is executed based on the determination result of the winning determination process by the winning determination means 140. As each process executed based on the determination result of the winning combination, for example, when a small combination is won, a process is executed to determine the number of game medals to be paid out of electronic medals by the payout control means 150, when a replay is won, a process is executed to make the payout control means 150 execute the next game without consuming electronic medals, and when a combination that triggers a transition of the game state, such as a bonus, is won, a process is executed to make the game state transition control means 160 transition the game state.

[0043] The payout control means 150 performs a payout process for paying out electronic medals according to the game results. Specifically, when a small winning combination is achieved, the payout number of electronic medals in the game is determined based on the payout amount predetermined for each combination, and the number of game medals corresponding to the determined payout number is added to the medal number counter 311 to virtually pay out the medals.

[0044] Furthermore, when the winning determination means 140 determines that a symbol combination indicating a winning replay among a plurality of types of replay roles described later has been stopped and displayed on the pay line L1, and the replay wins, the payout control means 150 performs a replay process (replay process) to set the machine to a ready state in which the next game can be played without inserting electronic medals. That is, in the slot machine 1 of this embodiment, when a replay wins, an automatic insertion process is performed to automatically insert a specified number of electronic medals without using the electronic medals in the player's possession, and the machine waits for the start operation of the start lever SL to be performed next time, with the same pay line L1 as in the previous game set.

[0045] In addition, in the slot machine 1, during the period from the game in which a replay is won until the start of the next game, i.e., during the period in which a specified number of electronic medals are automatically inserted by the replay process but the game has not started, even if the settlement button AB is operated, the number of game medals equal to the specified number will not be added to the medal number counter 311.

[0046] The game state transition control means 160 performs a process for transitioning game states between multiple game states and a process for activation and termination of bonuses. Here, the transition condition for each game state may be one condition or multiple conditions. When multiple conditions are defined, the game state can be transitioned to another game state based on the fulfillment of any one of the multiple predetermined conditions or the fulfillment of all of the multiple predetermined conditions.

[0047] The AT control means 170 uses data stored in the AT control data storage means 196 to control the transition between an advantageous zone (advantageous period), which is a zone (period) during which control related to instruction functions including auxiliary games that display notifications on the main control display device 10D to assist in winning specific roles, and a normal zone (non-advantageous period), which is a zone (period) during which control related to auxiliary games (control related to instruction functions) based on the results of internal lottery by the internal lottery means 120 cannot be executed, and constitutes an auxiliary game control means that performs control related to the normal zone, advantageous zone, and auxiliary games.

[0048] The AT control data storage means 196 stores data (various flags, counters, etc. that are set to ON or OFF by specified control processing) used in various controls related to multiple types of presentation states, including normal states and AT states, that are executed within the advantageous zone.

[0049] The AT control means 170 sets the presentation state to the AT state (assist time state) under predetermined conditions in the advantageous zone, and displays information (an example of operation instruction information) corresponding to the operation mode of the stop buttons B1 to B3 that makes it possible to win the specific role that has been won on the main control display device 10D consisting of a 7-segment display, thereby performing an operation notification to assist in the winning of the specific role. Furthermore, in the slot machine 1, when the operation notification by the AT control means 170 is executed, the presentation control means 200, which will be described later, executes a navigation effect in which an indicator corresponding to the correct batting order is displayed on the display device 410. In this way, in the slot machine 1, in the AT state, the operation mode of the stop buttons B1 to B3 is notified by the operation notification and the winning assistance of the navigation effect, thereby executing an auxiliary game (AT game, notification game) that is advantageous to the player.

[0050] More specifically, when a predetermined termination condition for terminating the advantageous zone, which will be described later, is met, the AT control means 170 executes a predetermined termination process that terminates the advantageous zone and starts the normal zone from the next game, and a predetermined initialization process that initializes information related to the advantageous zone, such as various flags and numerical values ​​set within the advantageous zone.

[0051] The AT control means 170 executes an update process (advantageous zone difference number update process) that cumulatively records in the advantageous zone counter 196a the difference value (difference in number of medals, number of medals won) obtained by subtracting the number of electronic medals paid out by the number of electronic medals inserted from the game that started the advantageous zone. When the AT control means 170 is in control of the advantageous zone, regardless of the game state, it executes advantageous zone difference number update process that cumulatively updates the value stored in the advantageous zone counter 196a to a value equivalent to the difference in number of electronic medals.

[0052] Furthermore, in the advantageous zone difference number update process, when the stored value of the advantageous zone counter 196a is subtracted because the number of electronic medals paid out in the game is less than the specified number, the AT control means 170 also sets the subtracted result in the advantageous zone counter 196a even if the stored value of the advantageous zone counter 196a becomes less than the value "0." In other words, the AT control means 170 is configured to be able to set a negative value in the advantageous zone counter 196a.

[0053] When more than 2400 electronic medals are won in the advantageous zone, that is, when the value stored in the advantageous zone counter 196a exceeds the value "2400," the AT control means 170 determines that a specific termination condition has been met as a predetermined termination condition for ending the advantageous zone, and executes a predetermined termination process that ends the advantageous zone and starts the normal zone from the next game. Therefore, in the slot machine 1, for example, if the value stored in the advantageous zone counter 196a is a negative value of "-900" before the transition to a presentation state in which electronic medals can be won, a total of 3301 electronic medals can be won in the presentation state in which electronic medals can be won: 900 medals until the value stored in the advantageous zone counter 196a becomes "0" and 2401 medals until the value stored in the advantageous zone counter 196a becomes "2401" or more.

[0054] In a predetermined initialization process, the AT control means 170 initializes all information used in various control processes in the advantageous zone, such as each flag set to ON in the advantageous zone and values ​​set in the advantageous zone. Note that the AT control means 170 can also end the advantageous zone when a predetermined end condition (normal end condition) other than the specific end condition is met, and also executes the predetermined initialization process and predetermined end process when the normal end condition is met. Details of the normal end condition set by the AT control means 170 in this embodiment will be described later.

[0055] The complete control means 180 controls the activation of a complete function, which is a function that stops the slot machine 1 when the cumulative number of electronic medals won since the slot machine 1 was powered on reaches a predetermined value (for example, 19,000 medals). The complete control means 180 executes an update process (complete acquired number update process) that cumulatively records the difference value (number of medals difference, number of medals won) obtained by subtracting the number of electronic medals paid out in each game by the number of electronic medals inserted into the medal acquired number counter 197a of the complete storage means 197. Note that the complete control means 180 does not update the stored value of the medal acquired number counter 197a when a replay wins.

[0056] In a complete winning number update process that updates the stored value of the earned medal counter 197a, if the stored value of the earned medal counter 197a becomes less than the value "0" when the stored value of the earned medal counter 197a is subtracted because the number of electronic medals paid out in the game is less than the specified number, the complete control means 180 sets the stored value of the earned medal counter 197a to the value "0." This allows the complete control means 180 to fix the value when the stored value of the earned medal counter 197a reaches its lowest point to the value "0." Therefore, in the control process that uses the stored value of the earned medal counter 197a, it is not necessary to vary the value that serves as the judgment threshold depending on the specific numerical value at the lowest point, and the load of the control process that uses the stored value of the earned medal counter 197a can be reduced.

[0057] The complete control means 180 determines that the conditions for activating the complete function are met when the number of medals acquired from the lowest point of the number of electronic medals paid out after the slot machine 1 is turned on reaches 19,000, that is, when the stored value of the medal acquisition number counter 197a reaches the value "19,000."

[0058] When none of the Regular Bonus (RB) as a first type special feature, the Regular Big Bonus (RBB) as a feature continuous operation device related to the first type special feature, and the Challenge Big Bonus (CBB) as a feature continuous operation device related to the second type special feature is operating, the complete control means 180 activates the complete function after the stop buttons B1 to B3 are operated to stop and the reels R1 to R3 are stopped in a game in which the conditions for activating the complete function are met, based on the establishment of the conditions for activating the complete function.

[0059] On the other hand, when any of RB, RBB or CBB is activated, the complete control means 180 activates the complete function after the stop buttons B1 to B3 are operated to stop and the reels R1 to R3 stop in a game in which the activated RB, RBB or CBB has ended.

[0060] When the complete function is activated, the complete control means 180 sets the complete function activation flag stored in the complete flag storage means 197b of the complete storage means 197 to the ON state. When the complete function activation flag is set to the ON state, the slot machine 1 enters a play-stop state, and no further play can be performed until the complete function activation flag is set to the OFF state. The complete function activation flag that has been set to the ON state is reset to the OFF state by opening the upper front door UD of the slot machine 1 and operating the setting change button BS provided inside. With this configuration, when the complete function is activated, the slot machine 1 is configured so that the complete function cannot be released by an operation by the player.

[0061] The sub-control CPU 2001 functions as the performance control means 200. Each means constituting the sub-control CPU 2001 reads out and executes each control program stored in advance in the sub-storage means 210 when executing each control process.

[0062] The effect control means 200 controls effects related to the game, such as image and video effects using the display device 410 and sound effects using the sound device 420, based on the effect data stored in the effect control data storage means 211 of the sub-storage means 210. Specifically, when a player operates each component of the slot machine 1, such as the max bet button MB, the start lever SL, the stop buttons B1 to B3, or the count button KB, or when a game event such as a change in the game state occurs, the effect control means 200 controls the execution of effects to liven up the game, assist the game, and notify the player that an operation has been performed, by executing effects such as lighting or flashing of lamps and LEDs and sound output from the sound device 420. In addition, the effect control means 200 causes each component of the effect device 400 to execute effects based on each effect state.

[0063] The medal count control CPU 3001 functions as the medal count control means 300. Each means constituting the medal count control CPU 3001 reads out and executes each control program stored in advance in the medal count storage means 310 when executing each control process.

[0064] The medal count control means 300 is configured to be able to transmit signals to the dedicated unit SU via the lending device connection terminal board 40, and is also configured to be able to receive signals transmitted from the dedicated unit SU via the lending device connection terminal board 40. The medal count control CPU 3001 stores the number of game medals, which is the total number of electronic medals that can be used for games in the slot machine 1, using a medal count counter 311, and displays the number of game medals stored in the medal count counter 311 on the game medal number display device MD.

[0065] The medal count control means 300 mainly updates (adds or subtracts) the number of game medals stored (held) in the medal count counter 311 in response to commands received from the main control board 1000, notifications received from the dedicated unit SU, or operation of the count button KB incorporating the count switch 126. The medal count control means 300 also displays the number of game medals updated in this way on the game medal number display device MD.

[0066] Specifically, when the counting button KB is operated while play is possible, the medal count control means 300 transmits a value corresponding to the number of game medals stored in the medal count counter 311 to the dedicated unit SU via the lending device connection terminal board 40, and subtracts the number of medals corresponding to the transmitted value from the medal count counter 311. Here, "while play is possible" means a state in which the gaming machine and the dedicated unit SU are electrically connected, both the gaming machine and the dedicated unit SU are powered on, neither the gaming machine nor the dedicated unit SU is undergoing maintenance, and no errors that prevent play from occurring. Furthermore, when the slot machine 1 is not connected to the dedicated unit SU, the slot machine 1 controls the counting button KB so that the stored value of the medal count counter 311 is not decremented by operation of the counting button KB, thereby preventing a situation in which a signal is not sent to the dedicated unit SU even though the stored value of the medal count counter 311 has been decremented.

[0067] If the count button KB is pressed for less than 500 ms, the medal count control means 300 transmits the value "1" corresponding to 1 medal to the dedicated unit SU via the lending device connection terminal board 40, and decrements the stored value of the medal count counter 311 by the value "1." Also, if the count button KB is pressed for 500 ms or more, the medal count control means 300 transmits the value "50" corresponding to 50 medals to the dedicated unit SU via the lending device connection terminal board 40 at the timing of counting after 500 ms has elapsed, and decrements the stored value of the medal count counter 311 by the value "50." Thereafter, every time 300 ms has elapsed while the count button KB is pressed, the medal count control means 300 transmits the value "50" corresponding to 50 medals to the dedicated unit SU via the lending device connection terminal board 40, and decrements the stored value of the medal count counter 311 by the value "50." Furthermore, if the stored value of the medal count counter 311 is less than the value "50" when 500 ms or more has elapsed since the counting button KB was pressed, the medal count control means 300 transmits a value corresponding to the stored value of the medal count counter 311 to the dedicated unit SU via the lending device connection terminal board 40, and subtracts the value corresponding to the stored value from the stored value of the medal count counter 311, thereby setting the stored value of the medal count counter 311 to the value "0".

[0068] When the stored value of the medal count counter 311 becomes equal to or greater than the value "16369," the medal count control means 300 determines that a medal overflow has occurred, in which the number of game medals stored exceeds 16368, which is the limit set for storage in the slot machine 1. In the slot machine 1, a medal overflow error occurs based on the determination that a medal overflow has occurred, and when the count button KB is operated to count the number of game medals stored in the medal count counter 311 and the stored value of the medal count counter 311 becomes equal to or less than the value "16368," the medal overflow error is canceled.

[0069] When the power is turned on with a medal count clear button CL provided inside the gaming machine pressed, the medal count control means 300 initializes the medal count counter 311 and clears (initializes) the medal count by setting the stored value of the medal count counter 311 to the value "0." This allows the slot machine 1 to initialize, when the power is turned on, the information on the number of medals remaining in the medal count counter 311 before the power was turned off.

[0070] [Reel unit details] Next, the reel unit RU will be described in detail. Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the reels of the reel unit of the gaming machine according to the first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 3, the reel unit RU includes a stepping motor M provided for each of the reels R1 to R3 to rotate the reels, the reels R1 to R3 supported on the drive shafts of the stepping motors M, and a reel sensor 26, which is a transmission optical sensor provided corresponding to each of the reels R1 to R3 and detects the rotational position of each of the reels R1 to R3. The reel unit RU also includes a reel backlight BLi provided for each of the reels R1 to R3 to illuminate each reel from the inside toward the front, and a reflector RL that reflects and guides light from the reel backlight BLi forward. The reel backlight BLi has a plurality of LEDs (light emitting diodes) as light sources and a backlight substrate BLB on which the LEDs as light sources are mounted, and on the backlight substrate BLB, a total of six LEDs, for example, arranged in three columns and two rows, are arranged in each opening of the reflector RL. Note that, although not shown in the figure in this embodiment, reel illumination lights are also arranged, for example, above and below the specific area 410b (see FIG. 1), to illuminate the surfaces of the reels R1 to R3 from the outside.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 3, the reel R1 has a reel frame FR1, a thin, strip-shaped reel tape T1 on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction (circumferential direction) Y, and an index portion 27. The second reel R2 has a reel frame FR2, a thin, strip-shaped reel tape T2 on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction (circumferential direction) Y, and an index portion 27. The third reel R3 has a reel frame FR3, a thin, strip-shaped reel tape T3 on which a plurality of symbols are arranged in a line along the longitudinal direction (circumferential direction) Y, and an index portion 27. The index portion 27 is held by the reel frames FR1 to FR3 so as to be able to block the optical axis of the reel sensor 26, and the reel sensor 26 detects the rotational position of each reel based on the timing at which the index portion 27 blocks and transmits the optical axis of the reel sensor 26.

[0072] Each of the reel frames FR1 to FR3 has a hub portion 24 attached to the rotating shaft of the stepping motor M, a first rim portion 21 and a second rim portion 22, a plurality of connection portions 23 connecting the first and second rim portions 21, 22, and a plurality of spoke portions 25, and is integrally formed from a synthetic resin with high translucency (transparent in this embodiment).

[0073] The first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 are formed in an annular shape concentric with the rotation axis of the stepping motor M, and are spaced apart in the left-right direction (axial direction), i.e., in the short side direction (width direction) X perpendicular to the longitudinal direction Y of the reel tapes T1 to T3. A plurality of connection portions 23 are provided at different positions on the circumference of the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22, and extend in the short side direction X to bridge between the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22, connecting the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22.

[0074] The reel frame may have no connecting portion, and the first and second rim portions may be formed independently and connected via the reel tape. The reel frame may also be made of a colored synthetic resin, and if it is made of a colored synthetic resin (e.g., black synthetic resin), it becomes possible to form the index portion integrally with the reel frame.

[0075] A plurality of spokes 25 are provided at different circumferential positions on either the first rim portion 21 or the second rim portion 22, connect either the first rim portion 21 or the second rim portion 22 to the hub portion 24, and transmit the rotational force of the stepping motor from the hub portion 24 to the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22. In this embodiment, the spokes 25 connect the hub portion 24 to the second rim portion 22.

[0076] The first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 each have a cylindrical end support surface 21a, 22a formed on their outer peripheries. The end support surface 21a has a predetermined width in the left-right direction (for example, approximately 3.5 mm to 6.5 mm) and abuts against the back surface (inner surface) of the reel tapes T1 to T3 to support the left and right ends of the reel tapes T1 to T3 in the radial direction of the reel. In this embodiment, the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 are formed so that the width of the end support surface 21a and the width of the end support surface 22a in the short direction X are approximately the same. The first rim portion and the second rim portion may also be formed so that the widths of the end support surfaces are different.

[0077] Additionally, the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 have flange portions 21b, 22b that are located outboard of the end support surfaces 21a, 22a in the left-right direction and can come into contact with the ends of the reel tapes T1 to T3 in the short direction X. The flange portions 21b, 22b are formed to have a width of, for example, approximately 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm in the left-right direction, and regulate the left-right positions of the reel tapes T1 to T3.

[0078] The connection portion 23 is formed with a connection support surface 23a that is continuous with the end support surfaces 21a, 22a of the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22 and that supports the reel tapes T1 to T3 in the radial direction of the reel between the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22. This connection support surface 23a and the above-mentioned end support surfaces 21a, 22a form a support surface FRa that supports the reel tapes T1 to T3 in the radial direction of the reel.

[0079] [Reel tape mounting structure] Next, the attachment structure of the reel tapes T1 to T3 will be described with reference to Figures 3, 4, and 6. Figure 4 is a diagram showing the reel tape of the gaming machine according to the first embodiment, and Figure 6 is a diagram showing a cross section of the reel tape. Note that, since the attachment structures of the reel tapes T1 to T3 are similar, the attachment structure of the reel tape T1 will be described below as an example, and details of the attachment structures of the reel tapes T2 and T3 will be omitted.

[0080] As shown in Figures 3, 4, and 6, adhesive regions are formed on the back surface of both ends of the reel tape T1 in the lateral direction X. Adhesive members 65, 65, such as double-sided tape, are attached to the reel tape T1 to adhere it to the end support surface 21a of the first rim portion 21 and the end support surface 22a of the second rim portion 22. When viewed from the obverse side of the reel tape T1, these adhesive regions include a right adhesive region within a distance b inward from the right end T1c of the reel tape T1 in the lateral direction X, and a left adhesive region within a distance b inward from the left end T1d (the edge on the X2 side) of the reel tape T1 in the lateral direction X. For example, the distance b is set to a range of 4 mm to 6 mm, and the adhesive regions are desirably larger in the left-right direction (in the lateral direction X) than the end support surfaces 21a, 22a by approximately 1 mm (e.g., 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm).

[0081] The reel tape T1 wound (wound) around the reel frame FR1 is held by the reel frame FR1 with the adhesive member 65 adhering the right adhesive area formed on the inner surface (back surface) to the end support surface 21a and the left adhesive area formed on the inner surface to the end support surface 22a.

[0082] As described above, the reel tape T1 is formed so that its length in the longitudinal direction Y is longer than the circumferential length (circumferential length) of the end support surfaces 21a, 22a, and is wound (wound) around the reel frame FR1 so that one end (starting end) T11 on one side in the longitudinal direction Y and the other end (terminating end) T12 on the other side overlap from the radial outside of the reel. When the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1, the transparent portion 63 and the pattern P6, which is the pattern (pattern No. 19) located on the farthest other side in the longitudinal direction Y, overlap in the radial direction of the reel. In other words, when the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1, the outer surface (front surface, outer peripheral surface) of the transparent portion 63 is covered by the other end T12 in the longitudinal direction Y.

[0083] When the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1, the other end T12, which is the other end of the reel tape T1 in the longitudinal direction Y, and the one end T11, which is one end of the reel tape T1, are adhered to each other by an adhesive member 66 such as double-sided tape. This adhesive member 66 extends inward from the other end T1b along the short direction X within a distance c. The adhesive member 66 enables the back surface of the other end T12 and the front surface of the one end T11 of the reel tape T1 to maintain close contact. Note that the distance c is set to, for example, a distance between 8 mm and 12 mm. The adhesive members 65 and 66 are preferably made of double-sided tape or the like made of a material that is white, milky white, transparent, or the like and that easily transmits light from the reel backlight BL, but may also be made of an adhesive or the like applied to the back surface of the reel tape T1.

[0084] [Reel tape details] As shown in Figure 3, the reel tape T1 (and the same for reel tape T2 and reel tape T3) is wound around the support surface FRa of the reel frame FR1 (reel frame FR2, reel frame FR3) in a cylindrical (endless) shape, with one end T11 on the Y1 side in the longitudinal direction Y overlapping the other end T12 on the Y2 side in the longitudinal direction Y from the outside.

[0085] The reel tape T1 shown in Fig. 4 is a view from the front side (the outer peripheral surface side when wound around the reel frame FR1 (see Fig. 3)). As shown in Fig. 4, the multiple designs arranged on the reel tapes T1 to T3 are composed of, for example, numbers, character strings, fruits, characters, etc., which are designed specifically for each model, or a combination of these.

[0086] These multiple designs include, for example, design P1 (design "7A"), design P2 (design "7B"), design P3 (design "7C"), design P4 (design "BAR"), design P5 (design "Watermelon A"), design P6 (design "Watermelon B"), design P7 (design "Bell"), design P8 (design "Replay"), design P9 (design "Blank A"), design P10 (design "Blank B"), etc. (See FIG. 5.) Details of the color schemes of these designs (the ink colors used) and the background H will be described later.

[0087] The patterns P1 (pattern "7A"), P2 (pattern "7B"), P3 (pattern "7C"), and P4 (pattern "BAR") are formed to have a larger width in at least the short direction X than the other patterns, making them more visible, and are patterns that can be displayed on the valid line L1 or within the specific area 410b when the stop button is operated at a predetermined timing depending on the results of the internal lottery, etc., and are patterns that form a pattern combination that will trigger a transition to a state advantageous to the player, such as a bonus state or an AT state (assist state).

[0088] Pattern P5 (pattern "Watermelon A") and pattern P6 (pattern "Watermelon B") are patterns that can be displayed on the valid line L1 or within the specific area 410b when the stop button is operated at a predetermined timing depending on the results of the internal lottery, etc., and are patterns that form pattern combinations of chance roles (so-called rare roles) that will trigger a lottery that is advantageous to the player, or pattern combinations that will trigger a bonus that is advantageous to the player.

[0089] The symbols P7 (symbol "bell") and P8 (symbol "replay") are symbols that can be displayed on the valid line L1 or in the specific area 410b regardless of when the stop button is pressed depending on the results of the internal lottery, etc., and are symbols that form symbol combinations for small wins and replays when a win is won.

[0090] The symbols P9 ("blank A") and P10 ("blank B") are symbols that can be displayed on the pay line L1 or in the specific area 410b when the stop button is pressed at a predetermined timing based on the results of an internal lottery. Even if they line up in a straight line on the pay line L1 or in the specific area 410b, they do not constitute a winning combination; they are symbols that constitute a losing combination. Note that, depending on the machine, the symbols P9 ("blank A") and P10 ("blank B"), when stopped in a straight line or in a specific shape (such as a mountain or L-shape), do not constitute a winning combination, but may trigger a chance lottery favorable to the player or notify the player that a favorable situation exists. Furthermore, the symbols P9 ("blank A") and P10 ("blank B") may be combined with other symbols to form special minor combinations (such as a single-coin combination).

[0091] Each of the above-mentioned patterns P1, P2, P3, P4, P5, P6, P7, and P8 has edge portions P1a, P2a, P3a, P4a, P5a, P6a, P7a, and P8a that form the outer edges (contours) of the patterns by being printed with paint, as will be described in detail later, and colored portions P1b, P2b, P3b, P4b, P5b, P6b, P7b, and P8b that are colored inside the edge portions P1a, P2a, P3a, P4a, P5a, P6a, P7a, and P8a.

[0092] When viewed from the radial direction, the above-mentioned symbols P1, P2, P3, and P4 are arranged such that edge portions P1a, P2a, P3a, and P4a partially overlap with the first rim portion 21, the second rim portion 22, and the adhesive members 65, 65 in the short-side direction X, and colored portions P1b, P2b, P3b, and P4b do not overlap with either the first rim portion 21 or the second rim portion 22. This allows the light from the reel backlight BL that passes through colored portions P1b, P2b, P3b, and P4b to be unobstructed by the first rim portion 21 and the second rim portion 22, making the symbols P1, P2, P3, and P4 appear larger in the short-side direction X.

[0093] Meanwhile, each of the above-mentioned designs P9 and P10 has edge portions P9a and P10a that form the edges of the outer shapes of the designs, and colored portions P9b and P10b that form patterns inside the edge portions P9a and P10a. In the designs P9 and P10, the edge portions P9a and P10a and the colored portions P9b and P10b are drawn by lines, and the background forming layer 61 that forms the background H, which is the background portion described in detail later, is printed inside the designs for the remaining portions. In other words, the portions of the colored portions P9b and P10b of the designs P9 and P10 other than the lines are the same color as the background H.

[0094] As shown in Fig. 4, the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1 (i.e., with the other end T12 overlapping the transparent portion 63), and the longitudinal direction Y is equally divided into 20 virtual regions (i.e., one frame), i.e., in each of a predetermined number (20) of regions aligned in the longitudinal direction Y of the reel tapes T1 to T3, one of the patterns P1 to P10 is arranged. The numbers on the left side of the reel tape T1 shown in Fig. 4 indicate the pattern number, with the side closest to one end T11 being pattern 0, and from there, in order in the Y2 direction, one of the patterns P1 to P10 is arranged in the arrangement shown in Fig. 4 as pattern 1, pattern 2, pattern 3, ..., pattern 19. In addition, in reel tape T2 and reel tape T3, the arrangement is different from the arrangement of reel tape T1 shown in Figure 4, and one of the above patterns P1 to P10 is similarly arranged in the case virtual area as patterns 0 to 19.

[0095] In this embodiment, the symbols arranged in each virtual area (one frame) are arranged so that the center of the virtual area, where the center line of the X-direction (width direction) and the center line of the Y-direction (circumferential direction) of the virtual area intersect, coincides with the center of the virtual area, where the center line of each symbol at both ends in the X-direction (width direction) and the center line of each symbol at both ends in the Y-direction (circumferential direction) intersect. However, this is not limited to this, and the center of the symbol may be arranged so that it is offset from the center of the virtual area depending on the shape and arrangement of the symbol. In this embodiment, particularly for the No. 19 symbol, where the adhesive member 66 is arranged on the back side, the adhesive member 66 is arranged so that it overlaps the edge portion 7a of the symbol P7 but does not overlap the colored portion P7b. This prevents the colored portion P7b from becoming dark, and the symbol P7 is configured to be neat and easy to see. For example, if the height distance of this pattern P7 in the Y direction (circumferential direction) is even greater, the center of the pattern can be shifted in the Y1 direction relative to the center of the virtual area, thereby preventing the colored portion P7b of the pattern P7 from becoming difficult to see due to the shadow of the adhesive material 66.

[0096] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the reel tape T1 at a portion where, for example, a design P1 is arranged. Reel tapes T1 to T3 differ in the arrangement of designs (the type of design, the number of specific designs, the order in which the designs are arranged, etc.) and the identification markings 70 for identifying them, but other configurations are similar. Therefore, the following description will be given using reel tape T1 as an example, and descriptions of the same configurations of reel tape T2 and reel tape T3 as reel tape T1 will be omitted.

[0097] 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the types of ink and each layer according to the first embodiment. As shown in FIGS. 4, 6, and 8, the reel tape T1 is configured by laminating printed layers, which are silk-screened with multiple types of paint or the like having different colors and transparencies, on the back surface of a transparent synthetic resin substrate 60. For example, from the side closest to the back surface of the substrate 60, a design forming layer (design portion) 67 that forms multiple designs, a background forming layer 61 that forms a background H that is an area extending around the designs when viewed from the front side, a backing forming layer 68 that blocks light from the reel backlight BL in the design forming layer 67 and the background H, and a transparent crinkle forming layer (diffusion layer) 64 that diffuses light from the reel backlight BL in the area where the backing forming layer 68 is not formed, and each layer is formed by screen printing or the like. The order of the paint layers (ink layers) of each color shown in FIG. 8 is such that the ink layer closest to the back surface of the substrate 60 is on the left side of the figure, and the order of printing increases toward the right side of the figure.

[0098] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the pattern-forming layer 67 is generally composed of a border-forming layer 67a and a color-forming layer 67b. As shown in FIG. 8, the border-forming layer 67a is formed by printing a black (BL) layer (ink layer) that forms the borders P1a-P10a of the patterns P1-P10. That is, the borders P1a-P10a form the outlines (contours) of the patterns and are formed in black with the black paint so as to be less permeable to light (visible light) from the reel backlight BL, i.e., to have low brightness. Note that the border-forming layer 67a only needs to form at least the borders of the patterns, and a portion of the interior region of the borders may be formed with the same paint or the like as the paint that forms the borders. Furthermore, the border-forming layer 67a is not limited to being formed with the same paint or the like for each pattern, and may be formed with different paints for each pattern. In addition, although the edge portion of this embodiment is described as being formed in black using black paint, it may be dark gray, dark blue, or the like.

[0099] The color forming layer 67b is formed by layering paints of multiple colors. That is, the border forming layer 67a and the color forming layer 67b form the shape (design) of each pattern when viewed from the front surface of the reel tape T1. The color forming layer 67b is formed, for example, by printing, in order from the side closest to the back surface of the base material 60, a black (BK) layer, a dark pink (PK1) layer, a light blue (WB) layer, a light pink (PK2) layer, an orange (OL) layer, a yellow (YL) layer, and a gray (GR) layer, so as to form the color scheme of each pattern P1 to P10, which will be described in detail later. As shown in FIG. 6, the color forming layer 67b is formed so as to partially overlap the border forming layer 67a, and the printing area is set so that no gap occurs between the border forming layer 67a and the color forming layer 67b even if printing misalignment occurs. The black (BK) layer is basically used as the border forming layer 67a, but depending on the design, it may also be used as the color forming layer 67b for the patterns and the outlines of the patterns.

[0100] The color forming layer 67b is formed of, for example, a paint of a pink, light blue, yellow, or the like, which has a higher saturation and brightness than the border forming layer 67a (black). In FIG. 6, the color forming layer 67b is shown in a single color, i.e., as a single layer, but this is not limited thereto. As will be described in detail later, the paint forming the color forming layer 67b is made of paint of multiple colors that differ for each design. In other words, the color forming layer 67b is formed by overlapping multiple colored color forming layers. Details of the color forming layer 67b will be described later.

[0101] In this embodiment, the pattern forming layer 67 is described as having a layer of light blue paint and a layer of pink paint as intermediate colors to improve the design of the pattern, but it may also be formed without these and with layers of only the four primary colors of the printed material, or it may even have layers of other intermediate colors added.

[0102] 6 and 8, the background forming layer 61 includes a background pattern forming layer 61m printed on the side closer to the back surface of the substrate 60 and for forming a background pattern Hm, which will be described in detail later, a first background forming layer 61a printed as the first layer of the background H on the side closer to the back surface of the substrate 60 next to the background pattern forming layer 61m, and a second background forming layer 61b printed on the opposite side of the substrate 60 with the first background forming layer 61a in between. In the first embodiment, the background pattern forming layer 61m is formed of a light orange (LW) layer, the first background forming layer 61a is formed of a white first layer (hereinafter referred to as "white 1 (WH1)"), and the second background forming layer 61b is formed of a white second layer (hereinafter referred to as "white 2 (WH2)"). These white 1 (WH1) layer and white 2 (WH2) layer are made of the same ink layer, and in background H, basically a white 1 (WH1) layer and a white 2 (WH2) layer are printed, meaning that background H is formed so that it has a two-layer structure of white ink layers.

[0103] 6, in the coloring formation layer 67b of the pattern formation layer 67, only the white 1 (WH1) layer used for the background H is printed in the portion where white is desired to be expressed, and the white 2 (WH2) layer is not printed. As a result, the white portion of the coloring formation layer 67b is configured to transmit light from the reel backlight BL more easily than the two-layer structure of the background H, and to express a bright white color.

[0104] 4, a transparent portion 63 is formed at one end T11 on one side in the longitudinal direction Y of the reel tape T1 (the Y1 direction side, the lower side in FIG. 4), where neither the pattern forming layer 67 nor the background forming layer 61 is formed. The transparent portion 63 (one end T11) is arranged so as to overlap and be hidden by the other end T12 when the reel tape T1 is wound around the reel frame FR1; in other words, it is formed so that the background H is connected around at least one circumference.

[0105] As shown in FIGS. 6 and 8, the backing formation layer 68 is printed on the opposite side of the substrate 60 across the background formation layer 61 and is formed of a silver (SL) layer. The paint (ink) of this silver (SL) layer is made of a light-blocking paint, i.e., it is configured to make it difficult for light from the reel backlight BL to pass through. In addition, in the first embodiment, the backing formation layer 68 is printed so as not to overlap the colored formation layer 67b of the design formation layer 67 and so as to partially overlap the border formation layer 67a. In other words, it is printed in the same area as the second background formation layer 61b (white 2 (WH2) layer) of the background H. As a result, the colored portions P1b to P10b of each of the designs P1 to P10 are configured to easily transmit light from the reel backlight BL, i.e., to make the patterns of the designs P1 to P10 brighter. In addition, the backing forming layer 68 is printed so that it partially overlaps the edge forming layer 67a, thereby preventing light from the reel backlight BL from passing through outside the edge forming layer 67a even if printing misalignment occurs.

[0106] 6 and 8, the transparent crinkle-forming layer 64 is printed on the opposite side of the backing forming layer 68 from the substrate 60, i.e., it is the last layer to be formed of all the printed layers, and is formed by irradiating ultraviolet-curable transparent paint (ink) with ultraviolet light after printing to harden and shrink the paint, thereby generating wrinkles (fine irregularities), forming a crinkle (TP) layer. Also, in this first embodiment, the transparent crinkle-forming layer 64 is printed so as to overlap and cover the pattern forming layer 67, i.e., so as to cover the areas of each of the patterns P1 to P10. As a result, the light from the reel backlight BL that is transmitted through the colored portions P1b to P10b of each of the patterns P1 to P10 is diffused by being irregularly bent or reflected by the transparent shrinkage-forming layer 64, preventing the LEDs of the reel backlight BL from shining in dots, or so-called point light, and preventing the patterns P1 to P10 from looking bad and improving the visibility of the patterns P1 to P10.

[0107] [About the background pattern] Next, the above-mentioned background H and its background pattern Hm will be described in detail with reference to Figures 6, 7, and 8. Figure 7(a) is a diagram showing the background pattern of the first pattern, and Figure 7(b) is a diagram showing the background pattern of the second pattern. Note that in order to explain the background H, the diagrams shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b) show one frame with the patterns P1 to P10 omitted (erased).

[0108] As described above, the background H is composed of, from the back surface of the substrate 60, as shown in Figures 6 and 8, a background pattern forming layer 61m, which is a layer on which light orange (LW) ink is printed, a first background forming layer 61a, which is a layer on which white 1 (WH1) ink is printed, and a second background forming layer 61b, which is a layer on which white 2 (WH2) ink is printed.

[0109] In the first embodiment, the background H is described as being made of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) inks so that the base color of the background H is a whitish color. However, the invention is not limited to this, and any color may be used as long as it is a light color that is less noticeable (has less impact) than the patterns P1 to P10. That is, the base color of the background H may be, for example, light pink, light blue, light purple, light orange, etc., as long as it is a color that is different from the background pattern Hm. Also, in the first embodiment, the background pattern Hm is described as being made of light orange (LW) ink. However, the invention is not limited to this, and any color may be used as long as it is a light color that is less noticeable (has less impact) than the patterns P1 to P10. That is, the color of the background pattern Hm may be, for example, white, light pink, light blue, light purple, etc., as long as it is a color that is different from the base color of the background H.

[0110] 7(a) and 7(b), the background H is configured to have a background pattern Hm on each end of the reel tape T1 in the short-side direction X, and a background center portion HC between them, i.e., the background H is printed on the reel tapes T1 to T3 to both ends in the short-side direction X. The background center portion HC is an area where the background pattern Hm is not formed, that is, the portion where the designs P1 to P10 are not formed is printed in white using two layers, the first background forming layer 61a and the second background forming layer 61b.

[0111] On the other hand, the background pattern Hm is printed closer to the base material 60 than the first background forming layer 61a and the second background forming layer 61b, and is formed to have a width of, for example, about 15 mm from the right end T1c and the left end T1d, which are both ends in the short direction X of the reel tape T1.Of the patterns P1 to P10 described in detail below, the pattern Hm does not overlap with the pattern P5 (pattern "Watermelon A"), pattern P6 (pattern "Watermelon B"), pattern P7 (pattern "Bell"), pattern P8 (pattern "Replay"), pattern P9 (pattern "Blank A"), and pattern P10 (pattern "Blank B") (see Figure 5).In other words, these patterns P4 to P10 are printed so as to fit within the area of ​​the background center HC.

[0112] The background pattern Hm is formed at both ends of the reel tape T1 in the short direction X after cutting, as will be described later in detail, and includes a pattern end Hmed, which is located at a distance d of, for example, about 2 mm from the right end T1c and the left end T1d, respectively, and does not have the pattern shapes Hmk1 and Hmk2 described later, and a pattern forming portion Hmmn, which is formed with a width of, for example, about 13 mm from the pattern end Hmed and actually has the pattern shapes Hmk1 and Hmk2. The pattern end Hmed and the pattern forming portion Hmmn are printed so as to overlap at least partially with the pattern P1 (pattern "7A"), pattern P2 (pattern "7B"), pattern P3 (pattern "7C"), and pattern P4 (pattern "BAR") of the patterns P1 to P10, which will be described later in detail. In particular, the pattern end Hmed is printed so as to overlap partially with the edges P1a to P4a of the patterns P1 to P4 (see FIG. 5). As a result, the patterns P1 to P4 are arranged to have the largest possible size in the short-side direction X of the reel tape T1, and can be formed as patterns that have the strongest impact among all the patterns.

[0113] Furthermore, the pattern-forming portion Hmmn of the background pattern Hm is formed so that the boundary portion of the pattern end portion Hmed is the darkest light orange (WL) (e.g., 70% light orange (WL)), and the light orange (WL) gradually fades out continuously or in stages toward the background center portion HC (i.e., toward the center in the short direction of the reel tape T1), creating a so-called gradation. The pattern shape Hmk1 formed in this pattern-forming portion Hmmn is formed so that it is the darkest color of the pattern end portion Hmed (e.g., 70% light orange (WL)), creating a so-called solid pattern, while the pattern shape Hmk2 is formed so that there is no ink of the background pattern Hm (e.g., 0% light orange (WL)), creating a so-called white pattern. Therefore, although the pattern-forming portion Hmmn of the background pattern Hm has pattern shapes Hmk1 and Hmk2, all of the patterns are printed using only one type (one color) of light orange (WL) ink.

[0114] There are two types of background patterns Hm: a first pattern HmP1 shown in Fig. 7(a) and a second pattern HmP2 shown in Fig. 7(b). These patterns form a pattern for one frame, which is the area in which the symbols P1 to P10 are arranged, and are printed so that the first pattern HmP1 and the second pattern HmP2 are alternately arranged in the longitudinal direction Y of the reel tape T1. Specifically, the first pattern HmP1 shown in Fig. 7(a) is a pattern in which, for example, a pattern shape Hmk2, a pattern shape Hmk1, and a pattern shape Hmk2 are arranged in this order in the longitudinal direction Y, and the second pattern HmP2 shown in Fig. 7(b) is a pattern in which, for example, a pattern shape Hmk1, a pattern shape Hmk2, and a pattern shape Hmk1 are arranged in this order in the longitudinal direction Y. These first pattern HmP1 and second pattern HmP2 are printed so as to be arranged as the background of the symbols 0 to 19 (see Fig. 4).

[0115] 4, the background forming layer 61 that forms the background H and the backing forming layer 68 formed thereon are formed to be longer in the longitudinal direction Y1 than the area of ​​the No. 0 symbol. That is, the background forming layer 61 has a background overlapping portion 61ov that is an area where the other end T1b of the reel tape T1 overlaps, and the backing forming layer 68 has a backing overlapping portion 68ov that is an area where the other end T1b of the reel tape T1 overlaps. Therefore, the end 61ed of the background forming layer 61 and the end ed of the backing forming layer 68 are positioned to protrude further in the longitudinal direction Y1 than the area of ​​the No. 0 symbol. In other words, the background H is formed to be longer than the area of ​​the No. 0 to No. 19 symbols where the symbols P1 to P10 are arranged. The pattern shape Hmk1 and the pattern shape Hmk2 are not formed in this background overlapping portion 61ov. As a result, even if a misalignment occurs in the attachment position when the other end T1b of the reel tape T1 is overlapped on the transparent portion 63 and wound around the reel frame FR1 and adhered, the pattern shape Hmk1 and pattern shape Hmk2 will not be interrupted, and since the pattern forming portion Hmmn and pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm are formed up to the background overlap portion 61ov, the transparent portion 63 is prevented from being exposed and the light from the reel backlight BLi is prevented from leaking out directly, thereby preventing a deterioration in appearance.

[0116] 7(a) and 7(b), the pattern end portions Hmed of the background pattern Hm are printed at a predetermined distance d (e.g., 2 mm) from the right end T1c and left end T1d, which are both ends of the reel tape T1 in the short direction X, in a uniform density of, for example, 70% pale orange (WL). Note that this 70% refers to a state in which the size of the mesh of the silk printing plate (mesh area ratio) is set to 70% of the area of ​​the printed region; in the actual printed state, the ink applied through the mesh spreads on the back surface of the reel tape T1, resulting in a nearly seamless printing.

[0117] (About the edges of the background pattern) The three reel tapes T1 to T3 are printed on a single sheet-like substrate 60, arranged side by side in the short direction X, and then cut to produce the respective reel tapes T1 to T3. The three reel tapes T to T3 are printed side by side with no gaps between them, but the outer edges of the reel tape T1 and reel tape T3 (for example, the left edge T1d of the reel tape T1 (see FIG. 4)) are also cut as margins. When this cutting is performed, there is a risk that the cutting position may be off by up to about 0.5 mm due to errors in the cutting machine. However, in the reel tapes T1 to T3 of the first embodiment, as described above, the background pattern Hm is printed with a uniform density at a predetermined distance d (e.g., 2 mm) from the pattern end Hmed, which is larger than the cutting error, so that even if the cutting position is shifted, the background pattern Hm does not change significantly, preventing the appearance of the reel tapes T1 to T3 from deteriorating after cutting. This also reduces individual differences between gaming machines due to deviations in the cutting position, preventing players from misunderstanding the product. When cutting the reel tapes T1 to T3, the longitudinal ends (e.g., one end T1a and the other end T1b (see FIG. 4)) are also cut, but because the above-mentioned background overlap portion 61ov is formed by, for example, about 2 mm, it is possible to similarly prevent the appearance from deteriorating even if the cutting position is shifted.

[0118] In this embodiment, the pattern end Hmed is formed at a predetermined distance d (for example, 2 mm) in the short direction X. However, since the error of the cutting machine is, for example, at most about 0.5 mm, it is sufficient if the predetermined distance d is equal to or greater than the error of the cutting machine. However, since there is a risk that the pattern end Hmed will be lost due to misalignment during cutting, the predetermined distance d is preferably 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less so as not to compress the background pattern Hm area. In this case, the width of the adhesive member 65 (see FIG. 4) that adheres the reel tapes T1 to T3 to the reel frames FR1 to FR3 may be made larger than or equal to the width of the adhesive member 65 so as to make the adhesive member 65 less noticeable.

[0119] [Details of each design] Next, the detailed size and color scheme (type of ink used) of each of the symbols P1 to P10 will be explained using Figures 5 and 8. Figure 5 is a diagram showing the symbols according to the first embodiment, with (a) showing the 7A symbol, (b) showing the 7B symbol, (c) showing the 7C symbol, (d) showing the BAR symbol, (e) showing the watermelon A symbol, (f) showing the watermelon B symbol, (g) showing the bell symbol, (h) showing the replay symbol, (i) showing the blank A symbol, and (j) showing the blank B symbol.

[0120] As shown in Figure 5(a), pattern P1 (pattern "7A") is 32.10 mm in length (longitudinal direction Y) and 76.50 mm in width (shortitudinal direction X), and is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction, with the edge P1a in particular being positioned so as to overlap with the pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm (see Figure 7(a)). In other words, it is the pattern with the greatest width, and combined with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to be a pattern with a relatively strong impact out of all the patterns. As shown in Figures 5(a) and 8, the edge P1a of the pattern P1 (pattern "7A") is formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and the colored portion P1b is formed as a colored forming layer 67b using patterns (inner outline and spiral pattern) using dark pink (PK1) ink, a pattern (spiral pattern) using light blue (WB) ink, a pattern (petal pattern) using light pink (PK2) ink, and a pattern (painted portion inside the edge P1a) using white 1 (WH1) ink.Furthermore, a layer of chijimi (TP) ink is formed as a transparent crepe forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P1. In other words, a total of six colors of ink are used to form the shape of the pattern.

[0121] As shown in Figure 5(b), pattern P2 (pattern "7B") is 32.10 mm in length (longitudinal direction Y) and 76.50 mm in width (shortitudinal direction X). It is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction, and in particular, the edge P2a is positioned so as to overlap with the pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm (see Figure 7(b)). In other words, it is the pattern with the largest width, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to be a pattern with a relatively strong impact out of all the patterns. 5(b) and 8, the pattern P2 (pattern "7B") has an edge P2a formed as an edge forming layer 67a with black (BL) ink, and a colored portion P2b formed as a colored forming layer 67b with a pattern (petal pattern) with light pink (PK2) ink and a pattern (painted portion inside the edge P2a) with white 1 (WH1) ink. The transparent crinkle forming layer 64 is not formed for the pattern P2 (pattern "7B"), which means that a total of three colors of ink are used to form the shape of the pattern.

[0122] As shown in Figure 5(c), pattern P3 (pattern "7C") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of "32.10 mm" and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of "76.50 mm", and is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction, with the edge P3a in particular being positioned so as to overlap with the pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm (see Figure 7(a)). In other words, it is the pattern with the greatest horizontal width, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to be a pattern with a relatively strong impact out of all the patterns. As shown in Figures 5(c) and 8, the edge P3a of the pattern P3 (pattern "7C") is formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and the colored portion P3b is formed as a colored forming layer 67b using a pattern (spiral pattern) using dark pink (PK1) ink, a pattern (spiral pattern) using light blue (WB) ink, a pattern (inner outline) using yellow (YL) ink, and a pattern (painted portion inside the edge P3a) using white 1 (WH1) ink.Furthermore, a layer of chijimi (TP) ink is formed as a transparent crinkle forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P3. In other words, a total of six colors of ink are used to form the shape of the pattern.

[0123] As shown in Figure 5(d), pattern P4 (pattern "BAR") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of "33.00 mm" and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of "76.50 mm", and is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction, and in particular, edge P4a is positioned so as to overlap with the pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm (see Figure 7(b)), meaning that it is the pattern with the greatest vertical width, and combined with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to be a pattern with a relatively strong impact out of all the patterns. As shown in Figures 5(d) and 8, the edge P4a of the pattern P4 (pattern "BAR") is formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and the colored portion P4b is formed as a colored forming layer 67b using a pattern (the outline of the letters BAR) using dark pink (PK1) ink, a pattern (the painted part inside the edge P4a) using light pink (PK2) ink, and a pattern (the painted part inside the letters BAR) using white 1 (WH1) ink.Furthermore, a layer of crepe (TP) ink is formed as a transparent crepe forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P4. In other words, a total of five colors of ink are used to form the shape of the pattern.

[0124] As shown in Figure 5(e), pattern P5 (pattern "Watermelon A") is 29.70 mm in vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size and 41.50 mm in horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size, and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 7(a)). In other words, it is a pattern with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is composed of a pattern with a relatively medium impact out of all the patterns. As shown in FIG. 5(e) and FIG. 8, the pattern P5 (pattern "Watermelon A") has an edge P5a formed as an edge forming layer 67a with black (BL) ink, and a colored portion P5b formed as a color forming layer 67b with a pattern (watermelon stripes and seeds) with black (BL) ink, a pattern (watermelon cross section pattern) with dark pink (PK1) ink, a green pattern (watermelon surface pattern, orange stem pattern) with light blue (WB) and yellow (YL) ink, and an orange (OL) pattern. A pattern made of ink (pattern of the orange surface), a pattern made of gray (GR) ink (pattern of the orange shadow), and a pattern made of white 1 (WH1) ink (pattern of the cross section of the skin of the watermelon, pattern of the orange depressions) are formed, and further, a layer made of chijimi (TP) ink is formed as a transparent chijimi-forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the design P5, that is, the shape of the design is formed using a total of eight colors of ink, which is the largest number (number) of colors of all the designs. In particular, the green pattern made of light blue (WB) and yellow (YL) ink forms a green area ArG that makes the green color visible, that is, the design P5 (design "watermelon A") is a design having a green area ArG that makes the green color visible.

[0125] As shown in Figure 5(f), pattern P6 (pattern "Watermelon B") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 28.60 mm and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of 43.00 mm, and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 7(b)). In other words, it is a pattern with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is composed of a pattern with a relatively medium impact out of all the patterns. As shown in Figures 5(f) and 8, the edge portion P6a of the pattern P6 (pattern "Watermelon B") is formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and the colored portion P6b is formed as a color forming layer 67b, with a pattern using black (BL) ink (watermelon stripes and seeds), a pattern using dark pink (PK1) ink (watermelon cross-section pattern), a green pattern using light blue (WB) and yellow (YL) ink (watermelon surface pattern, orange stem pattern), a pattern using orange (OL) ink (orange surface pattern), and a pattern using white 1 (WH1) ink (watermelon skin cross-section pattern, orange depression pattern).Furthermore, a layer using chijimi (TP) ink is formed as a transparent chijimi forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P6. In other words, a total of seven colors of ink are used to form the shape of the pattern. It should be noted that this symbol P6 (symbol "watermelon B") is not arranged on the reel tape T1 (see FIG. 4), but is arranged on the reel tapes T2 and T3.

[0126] As shown in Figure 5(g), pattern P7 (pattern "bell") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of "30.00 mm" and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of "43.30 mm", and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 7(a)). In other words, it is a pattern with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is composed of a pattern with a relatively medium impact out of all the patterns. As shown in Figures 5(g) and 8, the edge P7a of the pattern P7 (the "bell" pattern) is formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and the colored portion P7b is formed as a colored forming layer 67b using a pattern using black (BL) ink (the pattern of the bell's outline), a pattern using yellow (YL) ink (the pattern of the bell's surface), and a pattern using orange (OL) ink (the pattern of the darkened part of the bell).Furthermore, a layer using crepe (TP) ink is formed as a transparent crepe forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P7. In other words, the shape of the pattern is formed using a total of four colors of ink.

[0127] As shown in Figure 5(h), pattern P8 (pattern "Replay") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 27.50 mm and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of 37.00 mm, and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 7(b)). In other words, it is a pattern with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and is configured to have a relatively medium impact among all the patterns. As shown in Figures 5(h) and 8, the pattern P8 (pattern "REPLAY") has an edge P8a formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and a colored portion P8b formed as a colored forming layer 67b using a pattern (inner outline of edge P8a) using black (BL) ink, a pattern (the letters REP) using light blue (WB) ink, and a pattern (painted portion inside edge P4a) using white 1 (WH1) ink.Furthermore, a layer of crepe (TP) ink is formed as a transparent crepe forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P8. In other words, the shape of the pattern is formed using a total of four colors of ink.

[0128] As shown in Figure 5(i), pattern P9 (pattern "Blank A") is 25.95 mm in length (longitudinal direction Y) and 35.70 mm in width (transverse direction X), and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 7(a)). In other words, it is a pattern with the smallest vertical and horizontal widths, and coupled with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to have a relatively weak impact among all the patterns. Also, as shown in Figures 5(i) and 8, pattern P9 (pattern "Blank A") has no border, and the colored portion P9b serves as the colored formation layer 67b, forming a pattern (outer outline and inner star pattern) with gray (GR) ink, while the background H is exposed in the other parts, meaning that the interior of the pattern is painted with the background H formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2). As for the design P9 (design "blank A"), the transparent wrinkle-forming layer 64 is not formed, that is, the shape of the design is formed using only one color of ink.

[0129] As shown in Figure 5(j), the design P10 (design "Blank B") is 29.90 mm in length (longitudinal direction Y) and 40.95 mm in width (transverse direction X), and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 7(a)). In other words, it is a design with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and, combined with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to have a relatively low impact among all the designs. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 5(j) and 8, the design P10 (design "Blank B") has no border, and the colored portion P10b serves as the colored formation layer 67b, forming a pattern (outer outline and inner star pattern) with gray (GR) ink, while the background H is exposed in the other parts, meaning that the interior of the design is painted with the background H, which is formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2). For the design P10 (design "blank B"), the transparent wrinkle-forming layer 64 is not formed, that is, the shape of the design is formed using only one color of ink.

[0130] (Regarding the number of ink printing processes for design P2 (design "7B") and design P1 (design "7A")) Next, the number of ink printing processes for design P2 (design "7B") and design P1 (design "7A") will be explained. As mentioned above, the shape of design P2 (design "7B") is formed using a total of three colors (three types) of ink: black (BL), light pink (PK2), and white 1 (WH1) (see FIG. 5(b)), and the number of printing (application) processes for the three colors of ink is three. In other words, design P2 (design "7B") has the smallest number of ink types of all designs P1 to P10, and is the design that uses the fewest types of ink. On the other hand, the shape of design P1 (design "7A") is formed using a total of six colors (six types) of ink: black (BL), dark pink (PK1), light blue (WB), light pink (PK2), white 1 (WH1), and chijimi (TP) (see Figure 5(a)), and the printing (application) process for the six colors of ink is carried out six times. Of the inks that form design P1 (design "7A"), black (BL), light pink (PK2), and white 1 (WH1) are the inks used in design P2 (design "7A"). Therefore, when design P2 (design "7B"), which requires the fewest ink types, is completed, more than half of the ink printing processes for design P1 (design "7A") are completed, and the remaining printing processes are limited to only three types: dark pink (PK1), light blue (WB), and chijimi (TP). In other words, design P1 (design "7A") is more than half complete, and the remaining printing processes are less than half. This allows the number of types of ink (paint) used for design P1 (design "7A") to be reduced, while design P1 (design "7A") is brought closer to completion, and the cost of completing reel tapes T1 to T3 on which design P1 is arranged can be reduced.

[0131] (Regarding the number of ink printing processes for design P2 (design "7B") and design P4 (design "BAR")) Next, the number of ink printing processes for the first design, design P2 (design "7B"), the second design, design P4 (design "BAR"), and the third design, design P1 (design "7A"), will be explained. As described above, the shape of design P2 (design "7B") is formed using a total of three colors (three types) of ink: black (BL), light pink (PK2), and white 1 (WH1) (see FIG. 5(a)). In other words, the first number of types of ink is three, and the number of printing (application) processes for the three colors of ink is three. In other words, design P2 (design "7B") has the smallest number of types of ink among all the designs P1 to P10, and is the design that uses the fewest types of ink. On the other hand, the shape of design P4 (design "BAR") is formed using a total of five colors (five types) of ink: black (BL), dark pink (PK1), light pink (PK2), white 1 (WH1), and chijimi (TP) (see Figure 5(d)). In other words, the number of types of ink is five as the second quantity, and the number of printing (application) processes for the five colors of ink is five. Also, of the inks that form design P4 (design "BAR"), black (BL), light pink (PK2), and white 1 (WH1) are the inks used in design P2 (design "7B"). Therefore, when design P2 (design "7B"), which uses the fewest ink types, is completed, more than half of the ink printing steps for design P4 (design "BAR") are completed, and the remaining printing steps are limited to only two types of ink: dark pink (PK1) and chijimi (TP). In other words, design P4 (design "BAR") is more than half complete, and the remaining printing steps are less than half. This allows the number of types of ink (paint) used for design P4 (design "BAR") to be reduced, while design P4 (design "BAR") is brought closer to completion, and the cost for completing reel tapes T1 to T3 on which design P4 is arranged can be reduced.

[0132] (Summary of the effect of completing pattern P2 (pattern "7B")) As explained above, when the three-color ink printing process is completed to complete design P2 (design "7B"), the other multiple designs (at least design P1 (design "7A") and design P4 (design "BAR")) can be more than half completed, that is, they can be closer to completion. Therefore, when design P2 (design "7B") is completed, more than half of the multiple designs will be completed, and overall, the cost to complete reel tapes T1 to T3 can be reduced.

[0133] (Regarding the completion of multiple other patterns by completing pattern P5 (pattern "Watermelon A")) Next, it will be explained how completing the specific design P5 (design "Watermelon A") leads to the completion of multiple other designs. As described above, the shape of the design P5 (design "Watermelon A") is formed using a total of eight colors (eight types) of ink: black (BL), dark pink (PK1), light blue (WB), yellow (YL), orange (OL), gray (GR), white 1 (WH1), and chijimi (TP) (see FIG. 5(e)). In other words, the number of types of ink is "8," which is the predetermined number, and the number of processes for printing (applying) the eight colors of ink is eight. In other words, design P5 (design "Watermelon A") has the largest number of types of ink among all the designs P1 to P10, and is the design that uses the most types of ink.

[0134] On the other hand, the shape of the design P3 (design "7C") is formed using a total of six colors (six types) of ink: black (BL), dark pink (PK1), light blue (WB), yellow (YL), white 1 (WH1), and chijimi (TP) (see Figure 5(c)), and the printing (application) process for the six colors of ink is carried out six times. All of these six colors of ink are the same inks used in design P5 (design "Watermelon A").

[0135] Furthermore, the shape of pattern P6 (pattern "Watermelon B") is formed using a total of seven colors (seven types) of ink: black (BL), dark pink (PK1), light blue (WB), yellow (YL), orange (OL), white 1 (WH1), and chijimi (TP) (see Figure 5(f)), and the printing (application) process for the seven colors of ink is carried out seven times. All of these seven colors of ink are the same inks used in pattern P5 (pattern "Watermelon A").

[0136] Furthermore, the shape of the design P7 (design "Bell") is formed using a total of four colors (four types) of ink: black (BL), yellow (YL), orange (OL), and chijimi (TP) (see Figure 5(g)), and the printing (application) process for the four colors of ink is carried out four times. All of these four colors of ink are the same inks used in design P5 (design "Watermelon A").

[0137] The shape of the design P8 (design "Replay") is formed using a total of four colors (four types) of ink: black (BL), light blue (WB), white 1 (WH1), and twill (TP) (see Figure 5(i)), and the printing (application) process for the four colors of ink is carried out four times. All four colors of ink are the same as those used in design P5 (design "Watermelon A").

[0138] Therefore, by completing the design P5 (design "Watermelon A") printed with eight colors of ink, five different designs are completed, including design P3 (design "7C"), design P6 (design "Watermelon B"), design P7 (design "Bell"), and design P8 (design "Replay"). In other words, five different designs, which are more than half of the ten designs P1 to P10, are completed. In other words, by completing design P5 (design "Watermelon A"), more than half of the designs are completed, so there is no need to prepare different ink types for the other designs (design P3, design P6, design P7, design P8), and the number of ink types can be reduced. This allows for cost reduction in the completion of reel tapes T1 to T3 on which multiple designs (design P3, design P6, design P7, design P8) including design P5 are arranged.

[0139] (Regarding the composition of more than half of the design using the ink that constitutes design P5 (design "Watermelon A")) As described above, by using eight colors of ink that constitute (form) the symbol P5 (the symbol "watermelon A") (in other words, that establish the symbol P5), it is possible to constitute (form) (i.e., establish) the symbols P3 (the symbol "7C"), P6 (the symbol "watermelon B"), P7 (the symbol "bell"), and P8 (the symbol "replay") in addition to the symbol P5 (the symbol "watermelon A"). As shown in FIG. 4, on a reel tape T1 that is a predetermined reel tape (for example, the reel tape on the left reel), one symbol P3 (the symbol "7C"), four symbols P5 (the symbol "watermelon A"), four symbols P7 (the symbol "bell"), and six symbols P8 (the symbol "replay") are arranged, which in total constitutes 15 symbols, or more than half of the 20 symbols. In other words, by using the eight colors of ink that make up the design P5 (design "Watermelon A"), it is possible to construct (form) (in other words, complete) 15 designs, which is more than half of the designs on the reel tape T1. This allows for cost reduction in the production of the reel tape T1 on which multiple designs (designs P3, P7, and P8) including the design P5 are arranged.

[0140] Although the reel tape T1 is described as not having the pattern P6 (the "watermelon B") arranged thereon, it is also possible to change one or more of the four patterns P5 (the "watermelon A") to the pattern P6 (the "watermelon B"). Even in this case, the fact remains that by using the eight colors of ink that make up the pattern P5 (the "watermelon A"), it is possible to create 15 patterns, which is more than half of the multiple patterns on the reel tape T1.

[0141] Second Embodiment Next, a second embodiment, which is a partial modification of the first embodiment, will be described with reference to Figures 9, 10, and 11. Figure 9 shows a reel tape sheet after printing and before cutting for a gaming machine according to the second embodiment, and Figure 10 shows symbols according to the second embodiment, with (a) showing a bell symbol, (b) showing a replay symbol, (c) showing a cherry symbol, (d) showing a watermelon symbol, (e) showing a white 7 symbol, (f) showing a silver BAR symbol, (g) showing a black BAR symbol, (h) showing a red 7 symbol, (i) showing a diamond symbol, and (j) showing a bonus symbol. Figure 11 shows the relationship between the types of ink and each layer according to the second embodiment. Note that in the description of this second embodiment, the same reference numerals are used for parts similar to those in the first embodiment, and their description will be omitted.

[0142] [About the background pattern] First, the background pattern Hm of the reel tapes T1 to T3 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 9. In the background pattern Hm in the first embodiment, a first pattern HmP1 and a second pattern HmP2 are alternately arranged in a pattern of one frame in the longitudinal direction Y. In contrast, the background pattern Hm in the second embodiment, as shown in Fig. 9, is configured by printing a left-side pattern HmP3 and a right-side pattern HmP4 of four frames each repeatedly in the longitudinal direction Y and connected continuously. That is, the background pattern Hm according to the second embodiment is configured by arranging a plurality of left-side patterns HmP3 and right-side patterns HmP4 in the longitudinal direction Y, each of which has a pattern shape equal to a length obtained by dividing a predetermined number (20) of regions in the longitudinal direction Y by a predetermined number (5). Furthermore, while the background pattern Hm in the first embodiment was described as being formed with light orange (LW) ink (see Figure 8), the background pattern Hm in this second embodiment is formed with very light pink (PK4) ink (see Figure 11).

[0143] Specifically, the left-side pattern HmP3 arranged on the left side in the lateral direction X (X2 direction side) is composed of a pattern shape Hmk3 which is a so-called solid pattern, a pattern shape Hmk4 which is a so-called outline pattern, and a pattern shape Hmk5 which is a so-called outline line pattern, arranged in a predetermined order and with predetermined sizes. Similarly, the right-side pattern HmP4 arranged on the right side in the lateral direction X (X1 direction side) is composed of a pattern shape Hmk3 which is a so-called solid pattern, a pattern shape Hmk4 which is a so-called outline pattern, and a pattern shape Hmk5 which is a so-called outline line pattern, arranged in a predetermined order and with predetermined sizes.

[0144] In this way, by arranging the left-side pattern HmP3 and the right-side pattern HmP4 alternately in patterns of four frames each in the longitudinal direction Y, in the reel tapes T1 to T3 having 20 frames (20 designs lined up), 20 frames can be divided by four frames, so there are no remaining five patterns.When these reel tapes T1 to T3 are wound around and adhered to the reel frames FR1 to FR3, the patterns are lined up neatly without interruption, improving the design and visibility.

[0145] Furthermore, specific area 410b (see FIG. 1), which makes reels R1-R3 visible, displays three frames (three symbols) when reels R1-R3 are stopped. Therefore, the left-side pattern HmP3 and the right-side pattern HmP4, which are patterns for four frames, can display four different background patterns Hm depending on the stop position. That is, for example, when the symbol "white 7" (number 3) on reel tape T1 of FIG. 9 stops at the top of specific area 410b, when the symbol "watermelon" (number 2) stops at the top of specific area 410b, when the symbol "bell" (number 1) stops at the top of specific area 410b, and when the symbol "diamond" (number 0) stops at the top of specific area 410b, the left-side pattern HmP3 and the right-side pattern HmP4 display different patterns depending on the stop position. This prevents the variation in background pattern Hm when the reels are stopped from becoming monotonous and improves the design.

[0146] The left-side pattern HmP3 and the right-side pattern HmP4 each have a pattern shape Hmk5, which is a pattern of outlined lines, and the pattern shape Hmk5 is formed, for example, with a width and a length of approximately 13 mm to 14 mm, and is formed in a shape that matches the pattern of the colored portion P16b of the "silver BAR" pattern (described in detail below) arranged as the 17th pattern on the reel tape T3. In other words, in the second embodiment, there is a design correlation between the background pattern Hm and the patterns of the colored portion P16b, which can improve the design.

[0147] (About the edges of the background pattern) In the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the three reel tapes T1 to T3 are printed on a single sheet-like substrate 60, arranged side by side in the short direction X, as shown in FIG. 9, and then cut to produce the respective reel tapes T1 to T3. Note that the three reel tapes T to T3 are printed side by side with no gaps between them, but the outer edges of the reel tape T1 and reel tape T3 (for example, the left edge T1d of reel tape T1 and the right edge T3c of reel tape T3) are also cut as margins. When this cutting is performed, there is a risk that the cutting position may be off by up to about 0.5 mm due to errors in the cutting machine. However, as described above, the reel tapes T1 to T3 of the second embodiment are also printed with a uniform density at a predetermined distance d (e.g., 2 mm) from the pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm that is greater than the cutting error. Therefore, even if the cutting position is shifted, the background pattern Hm does not change significantly, preventing the appearance of the reel tapes T1 to T3 from being degraded after cutting. This also reduces individual differences between gaming machines due to deviations in the cutting position, preventing players from misunderstanding the product. Furthermore, when the reel tapes T1 to T3 are cut, the longitudinal ends (one end T1a and the other end T1b of the reel tape T1, one end T2a and the other end T2b of the reel tape T2, and one end T3a and the other end T3b of the reel tape T3) are also cut. However, because the above-mentioned background overlap portion 61ov is formed by, for example, about 2 mm, it is similarly possible to prevent the appearance from being degraded even if the cutting position is shifted.

[0148] [Details of each design] Next, the detailed sizes and color schemes (types of ink used) of the patterns P11 to P20 arranged on the reel tapes T1 to T3 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 10 and 11. In the second embodiment, as shown in Figure 11, the pattern forming layer 67 has a gold (GL) ink layer as part of the color forming layer 67b, which is closer to the back surface of the base material 60 than the black (BL) ink that is the edge forming layer 67a that forms the edges P11a to P20a of the patterns P11 to P20. The color forming layer 67b is formed by printing, for example, a gold (GL) layer, a black (BK) layer, a blue (BU) layer, a red (RD) layer, a light blue (WB) layer, a dark pink (PK1) layer, a pink (PK2) layer, a light pink (PK3) layer, a purple (PU) layer, an orange (OL) layer, a yellow (YL) layer, a gray (GR) layer, and a light orange (LW) layer in order from the side closest to the back surface of the base material 60, so as to form the color scheme of each of the patterns P11 to P20, which will be described in detail later. The background pattern forming layer 61m is formed of an ultra-light pink (PK4) layer, the first background forming layer 61a is formed of a white 1 (WH1) layer, the second background forming layer 61b is formed of a white 2 (WH2) layer, and the transparent crinkle forming layer 64 is formed of a crinkle (TP) layer. That is, in the second embodiment, 17 types (17 colors) of ink are used. Note that in the second embodiment, the backing layer 68 (see FIG. 8) is not formed on the reel tapes T1 to T3, and light from the reel backlight BLi easily passes through, so that the entire reel tapes T1 to T3 are brightly illuminated inside the specific area 410b, and even when a liquid crystal image is displayed in the specific area 410b, the designs on the reel tapes T1 to T3 are easily visible.

[0149] As shown in Figure 10(a), pattern P11 (pattern "bell") is 28.00 mm in vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size and 42.00 mm in horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size, and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 9). In other words, it is a pattern with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to have a relatively medium impact among all the patterns. As shown in Figures 10(a) and 11, the pattern P11 (pattern "bell") has an edge P11a formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and a colored portion P11b formed as a colored forming layer 67b, with a pattern using black (BL) ink (pattern of the bell's outline), a pattern using yellow (YL) ink (pattern of the bell's surface), a pattern using orange (OL) ink (pattern of the bell's darkened surface), and a pattern using gray (GR) ink (pattern of the bell's darkened part), and further a pattern (shiny pattern of the bell) in which the background H (a layer formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2)) is exposed is formed. In addition, a transparent crepe-forming layer 64 is formed by forming a layer of crepe (TP) ink to cover the entire back side of the pattern P11, that is, a total of five colors of ink are used to form the shape of the pattern, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of the background H.

[0150] As shown in FIG. 10(b), the pattern P12 (pattern "Replay") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 26.00 mm and a horizontal (transverse direction X) size of 40.00 mm. It is arranged so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see FIG. 9). In other words, it is a pattern with the smallest vertical and horizontal widths. In particular, the area of ​​the area where the pattern is arranged, calculated by multiplying the vertical width (26 mm) and the horizontal width (40 mm), is 1040 mm. 2) is the smallest design among all the designs P11 to P20, and is configured to be the design with the weakest impact among all the designs. Also, as shown in Figures 10(b) and 8, the design P12 (design "REPLAY") has an edge P12a formed as an edge forming layer 67a with black (BL) ink, and a colored part P12b formed as a color forming layer 67b with a pattern (the painted part inside the edge P12a, the letters REP) with light blue (WB) ink, and the background H is exposed in the other parts, that is, the inside of the design is painted with the background H formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2). Furthermore, a transparent crepe-forming layer 64 is formed by forming a layer of crepe (TP) ink to cover the entire back side of the pattern P8, that is, the shape of the pattern P12 (pattern "Replay") is formed using a total of three colors of ink, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of the background H.

[0151] As shown in Figure 10(c), pattern P13 (pattern "cherry") is 26.00 mm in vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size and 43.00 mm in horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size, and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 9). In other words, it is a pattern with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to have a relatively medium impact out of all the patterns. As shown in Figures 10(c) and 11, the pattern P13 (pattern "cherry") has an edge P13a formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and a colored portion P13b formed as a color forming layer 67b, with a pattern using black (BL) ink (watermelon stripes and seeds), a pattern using dark pink (PK1) ink (watermelon cross-section pattern), a green pattern using light blue (WB) and yellow (YL) ink (watermelon surface pattern, orange stem pattern), a pattern using orange (OL) ink (orange surface pattern), and a pattern using white 1 (WH1) ink (watermelon skin cross-section pattern, orange depression pattern), and further a pattern (shiny cherry pattern) in which the background H (a layer formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2)) is exposed is formed. In addition, a transparent crepe-forming layer 64 is formed by forming a layer of crepe (TP) ink to cover the entire back side of the pattern P13, that is, a total of seven colors of ink are used to form the shape of the pattern, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of the background H.

[0152] As shown in Figure 10(d), pattern P14 (pattern "watermelon") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 30.00 mm and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of 47.00 mm, and is positioned so as not to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 9). In other words, it is a pattern with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to have a relatively medium impact among all the patterns. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 10(d) and 11, the pattern P14 (pattern "watermelon") has an edge P14a formed as an edge forming layer 67a using black (BL) ink, and a colored portion P14b formed as a color forming layer 67b, with a pattern using black (BL) ink (watermelon stripes and seeds), a pattern using pink (PK2) ink (watermelon cross-section pattern), a green pattern using light blue (WB) and yellow (YL) ink (watermelon surface pattern), a pattern using light pink (PK3) ink (heart pattern), and a pattern using gray (GR) ink (heart shadow pattern), and further with a pattern (pattern of the skin of the watermelon cross-section) that exposes the background H (a layer formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2)). In addition, a layer of chijimi (TP) ink is formed as a transparent chijimi forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P14, that is, the shape of the pattern is formed using a total of seven colors of ink, which is the largest variety (number) of colors among all the patterns, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of background H.

[0153] As shown in Figure 10(e), pattern P15 (pattern "White 7") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of "32.00 mm" and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of "76.00 mm", and is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction, with the edge P15a in particular being positioned so as to overlap with the pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm (see Figure 9), meaning that it is the pattern with the greatest width, and coupled with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to be a pattern with a relatively strong impact out of all the patterns. 10(e) and 11, the pattern P15 (pattern "White 7") has an edge P15a formed as an edge forming layer 67a with black (BL) ink, a colored portion P15b formed as a colored forming layer 67b with a pattern (the decorative line pattern of the edge P15a) with gold (GL) ink and a pattern (the diagonal line pattern and petal pattern inside) with purple (PU) ink, and the background H is exposed in the other parts, that is, the inside of the pattern is painted with the background H formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2). Furthermore, a layer of crepe (TP) ink is formed as a transparent crepe forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P15, that is, the shape of the pattern is formed using a total of four colors of ink, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of the background H.

[0154] As shown in Figure 10(f), pattern P16 (pattern "Silver BAR") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 29.00 mm and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of 70.00 mm, and is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 9). In other words, it is a relatively large pattern, and combined with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to have a relatively strong impact among all the patterns. 10(f) and 11, the pattern P16 (pattern "Silver BAR") has an edge P16a formed as an edge forming layer 67a with black (BL) ink, a colored portion P16b formed as a colored forming layer 67b with a pattern (the painted portion inside the edge P16a) with gray (GR) ink, and further has a pattern (the pattern of the BAR letters, a circular pattern) that exposes the background H (a layer formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2)). Also, a layer of crepe (TP) ink is formed as a transparent crepe forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P16. In other words, the shape of the pattern is formed using a total of three colors of ink, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of the background H.

[0155] As shown in Figure 10(g), pattern P17 (pattern "black BAR") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of "30.50 mm" and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of "70.00 mm", and is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 9). In other words, it is a relatively large pattern, and combined with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to have a relatively strong impact among all the patterns. 10(g) and 11, the pattern P17 (pattern "black BAR") has an edge P17a formed as an edge forming layer 67a with black (BL) ink, a colored portion P17b formed as a colored forming layer 67b with a pattern (the painted portion inside the edge P17a) with red (RD) ink, and a pattern (the pattern of the letters BAR) in which the background H (a layer formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2)) is exposed. Also, a layer of crepe (TP) ink is formed as the transparent crepe forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P16. In other words, the shape of the pattern is formed using a total of three colors of ink, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of the background H.

[0156] As shown in Figure 10(h), pattern P18 (pattern "Red 7") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of "32.00 mm" and a horizontal (transverse direction X) size of "76.00 mm", and is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction, and in particular, the edge P18a is positioned so as to overlap with the pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm (see Figure 9), meaning that it is the pattern with the largest horizontal width, and combined with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to be a pattern with a relatively strong impact out of all the patterns. Furthermore, as shown in Figures 10(h) and 11, the pattern P18 (pattern "Red 7") has an edge P18a formed with black (BL) ink as the edge forming layer 67a, and a colored portion P15b formed with the color forming layer 67b, with a pattern formed with gold (GL) ink (decorative line pattern of edge P18a), a pattern formed with red (RD) ink (painted portion inside edge P17a), a pattern formed with pink (PK) ink (pattern of the character's head), a pattern formed with light orange (LW) ink (pattern of the character's face), and a pattern formed with white 1 (WH1) ink (star pattern), and further with a pattern (circle pattern) that exposes the background H (a layer formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2)). In addition, a layer of chijimi (TP) ink is formed as a transparent chijimi forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P18, that is, the shape of the pattern is formed using ink of the largest number (total of seven colors) (including the pattern of white 1 (WH1)), excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of background H.

[0157] As shown in Figure 10(i), pattern P19 (pattern "diamond") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 28.00 mm and a horizontal (shortitudinal direction X) size of 52.00 mm, and is positioned so as to overlap with the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction (see Figure 9). In other words, it is a pattern with medium vertical and horizontal widths, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is composed of a pattern with a relatively medium impact out of all the patterns. 10(i) and 11, the edge P19a of the design P19 (diamond design) is formed as the edge forming layer 67a with black (BL) ink, and the colored portion P19b is formed as the color forming layer 67b with a pattern (the decorative line pattern of the edge P19a) with gold (GL) ink, a pattern (the diamond pattern portion) with pink (PK2) ink, a pattern (the painted portion inside the edge P19a) with light pink (PK3) ink, and a pattern (the painted portion inside the diamond) exposing the background H (a layer formed of two layers of white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2)). Furthermore, a layer of crepe (TP) ink is formed as the transparent crepe forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the design P19. In other words, the shape of the design is formed using a total of five colors of ink, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of the background H.

[0158] As shown in FIG. 10(j), the pattern P20 (pattern "BONUS") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 33.00 mm and a horizontal (transverse direction X) size of 74.00 mm. The pattern P20 is arranged so as to overlap the background pattern Hm in the horizontal direction, and in particular, the edge P20a is arranged so as to overlap the pattern end Hmed of the background pattern Hm (see FIG. 9). In other words, the pattern P20 has the maximum vertical width. In particular, the area (2442 mm) of the region where the pattern is arranged is the sum of the vertical width (33 mm) and the horizontal width (74 mm). 2) is the largest design among all the designs P11 to P20, and together with the types (number) of colors used, it is configured to be the design with the strongest impact among all the designs. Also, as shown in Figures 10(j) and 11, the design P20 (design "BONUS") has an edge P20a formed of black (BL) ink as the edge forming layer 67a, and a colored portion P20b formed of the color forming layer 67b, in which a pattern (the outline pattern of the letter "ONUS") with gold (GL) ink, a pattern (the painted portion of the letter "B") with blue (BU) ink, a pattern (the painted portion inside the edge 20a) with light blue (WB) ink, a pattern (a star pattern) with orange (OL) ink, and a pattern (a lightning bolt pattern) with yellow (YL) ink are formed. In addition, a layer of chijimi (TP) ink is formed as a transparent chijimi forming layer 64 so as to cover the entire back side of the pattern P20, that is, the shape of the pattern is formed using a total of seven colors of ink, which is the largest variety (number) of colors, excluding white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2) of background H.

[0159] [About the difference in impact between the "Bonus" and "Replay" symbols] Next, the difference in impact between the symbol P20 (symbol "BONUS") and the symbol P12 (symbol "REPLAY") will be explained. As described above, the symbol P20 (symbol "BONUS") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 33.00 mm and a horizontal (transverse direction X) size of 74.00 mm. The area of ​​the region in which the symbol is arranged relative to the longitudinal direction Y and the transverse direction X (2442 mm 2 ) is the largest design among all the designs P11 to P20, and the type of ink used is the largest, with a total of seven different colors. On the other hand, the design P12 (design "Replay") has a vertical (longitudinal direction Y) size of 26.00 mm and a horizontal (transverse direction X) size of 40.00 mm, and the area of ​​the area in which the design is arranged relative to the longitudinal direction Y and the transverse direction X (1040 mm 2) is the smallest symbol among all symbols P11 to P20, and the type of ink used is the fewest, a total of three types. In short, there is no symbol with more ink types than symbol P20 (symbol "bonus"), and there is no symbol with fewer ink types than symbol P12 (symbol "replay").

[0160] In this way, the symbol P20 (symbol "BONUS") has a strong impact due to the largest area in which it is arranged, and also has a strong impact due to the greatest number of ink types, and these factors combine to make it the most impactful of all the symbols P11 to P20. Conversely, the symbol P12 (symbol "REPLAY") has a weak impact due to the smallest area in which it is arranged, and also has a weak impact due to the smallest (least) number of ink types, and these factors combine to make it the least impactful of all the symbols P11 to P20. Therefore, a suitable difference in impact can be provided between the symbol P20 (symbol "BONUS") (largest symbol) and the symbol P12 (symbol "REPLAY") (smallest symbol).

[0161] [Possibilities for other embodiments] In the first and second embodiments, the first background forming layer 61A and the second background forming layer 61B are described as being formed from the same paint (for example, white 1 (WH1) and white 2 (WH2)), but this is not limited to this and paints of similar colors may be used, and further, particularly in the second embodiment, the second background forming layer 61B may be a light-blocking layer (a backing layer, a so-called silver backing) formed from a paint that blocks light (for example, a paint of black, dark gray, navy blue, etc.).

[0162] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the background H is described as having a background color formed by white paint of the first background forming layer 61A, but this is not limited to this and any background color may be used, and a white background color is particularly preferable, and it may also be one that contains, for example, a lustrous pigment.

[0163] In the first and second embodiments, the edges of each design are described as being formed with a low-brightness paint (black (BL) ink), but this is not limiting. Any low-brightness paint, such as dark gray or navy blue, may be used. However, it is particularly preferable to use paint of similar colors for each design. Note that similar colors include not only the same color but also similar colors, such as magenta for red, cyan for blue, gray for black, etc. Specifically, similar colors are colors that have a color difference (ΔE * ab) is a color with a small color difference, preferably a color with a color difference of less than 10, more preferably less than 5.0. * ab is ΔE * ab=√((ΔL * ) 2 +(Δa * ) 2 +(Δb * ) 2 ) and the larger the value, the greater the difference in color when viewed visually.

[0164] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, each of the symbols P1 to P20 is described as having no light-transmitting portion formed as a crinkle with only a transparent paint that transmits the light of the reel backlight BLi, but this is not limiting, and for example, light-transmitting portions may be formed in the eyes of a character, a star symbol, shiny parts, etc., so that a portion of the symbol shines relatively brightly. In this case, it is preferable to form a crinkle on the back surface of the light-transmitting portion so that the light of the reel backlight BLi does not shine as a spotlight due to the light-transmitting portion.

[0165] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, the color forming layer 67b is described as a single layer of paint of various colors or a mixed color of multiple layers that forms the colored portion inside the pattern, but it is not limited to this and may also be one that expresses shades using dots, etc.

[0166] In the first and second embodiments, the slot machine 1 has been described as a so-called full-screen LCD machine having the display device 410, which is a liquid crystal display, covering the specific area 410b, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the display device 410 may be disposed in a location other than the specific area 410b. Even in this case, by adding a transparent paint to the background H of the reel tapes T1 to T3 to allow the illumination of the reel backlight BL to easily pass through, the reels R1 to R3 can be brightened, and the appearance can be improved by making the symbols easier to see.

[0167] Furthermore, in the first and second embodiments, reel R1 is positioned on the far left side, reel R2 is positioned to the right of reel R1, and reel R3 is positioned on the far right side, but this is not limited to this, and reels R1 to R3 may be positioned in any order, and there is also reel R4 (the fourth reel) in addition to reels R1 to R3, and it may be positioned in any position.

[0168] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, the pattern P20 (pattern "Bonus") is described as an example of a maximum pattern in which the area in which the pattern is arranged is the largest, and the pattern P3 (pattern "Replay") is described as an example of a minimum pattern in which the area in which the pattern is arranged is the smallest, but this is not limited to this, and the maximum pattern may be a pattern in which the length in at least one of the longitudinal direction Y and the lateral direction X is the largest, and conversely, the minimum pattern may be a pattern in which the length in at least one of the longitudinal direction Y and the lateral direction X is the smallest.

[0169] In the second embodiment, the background pattern Hm is configured such that one pattern shape (left-side pattern HmP3 and right-side pattern HmP4) is a length obtained by dividing 20 (20-frame) areas in the longitudinal direction Y by the number "5" (i.e., a length of 4 frames), and the pattern shapes of "5" are lined up consecutively in the longitudinal direction. However, the background pattern Hm is not limited to this. For example, the length may be a length obtained by dividing a 20-frame area by "4" (i.e., a length of 5 frames), a length obtained by dividing a 20-frame area by "2" (i.e., a length of 10 frames), a length obtained by dividing a 21-frame area by "7" (i.e., a length of 3 frames), a length obtained by dividing a 21-frame area by "3" (i.e., a length of 7 frames), a length obtained by dividing a 16-frame area by "4" (i.e., a length of 4 frames), etc. In other words, one pattern of the background pattern Hm may have any length as long as it is divided so as to be divisible by the number of patterns arranged on the reel tape. [Explanation of symbols]

[0170] 1...Slot machine (amusement machine) ArG…Green area P1~P4, P6~P10...Design P5...Pattern (specific pattern) R1~R3...Reel T1~T3...Reel tape

Claims

[Claim 1] A reel having a predetermined reel tape on which 20 or 21 patterns are arranged, The 20 or 21 symbols are composed of a plurality of types of symbols including a specific symbol, The specific design is a design having a green area that makes green visible, The specific design is configured with a predetermined number of types of ink used for printing, When the predetermined number of types of ink constituting the specific design are used, more than half of the 20 or 21 designs can be formed, A gaming machine, wherein more than half of the symbols include symbols that do not have the green area.

Images