gaming machines

Abstract

To provide a game machine capable of increasing the degree of freedom in design of moving means.SOLUTION: Since guide modes of a first long hole 672 and a second long hole 673, and a curved long hole 674 for guiding movement of a light emission operation performance unit 700 differ, a mode of a load to be applied and a numerical value of strength required for improving durability are allowed to differ. Therefore, a shape and strength of a part that is a part of the light emission operation performance unit 700 and is guided by the first long hole 672 and the second long hole 673, and the curved long hole 674 can be configured to differ, a degree of freedom in design of the part that is the part of the light emission operation performance unit 700 and is guided by the first long hole 672, the second long hole 673, and the curved long hole 674 can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 58

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In gaming machines such as pachinko machines, Materials There is a gaming machine in which the ball is configured to be displaceable (Patent Document 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-200914 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the conventional gaming machine described above, About the materials The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and Improvements to materials The object of the present invention is to provide a gaming machine that allows players to [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] To achieve this object, the gaming machine described in claim 1 comprises a gaming board, a first displacement member, a second displacement member, and a drive means, and is configured so that the first displacement member can be displaced relative to the second displacement member as the second displacement member is displaced, and a surface that can be seen in a predetermined area when viewed in a predetermined direction can be changed between a first surface and a second surface by the relative displacement of the first displacement member, and the drive means is configured to generate a drive force that displaces the second displacement member, and the first displacement member can be positioned at a first position and a second position different from the first position, and the second position is a position where the visibility of the first displacement member is lower than that of the first position, and the relative displacement and the change in the visible surface are caused by the driving force, and at least a portion of the first displacement member is located forward of a predetermined position on the front side of the gaming board at the first position, and the gaming machine is configured such that when the first displacement member is located at the first position, a predetermined portion of the first surface is located closer to the front of the gaming machine than a specific portion of the second surface, and when the first displacement member is located at the second position, the specific portion is located closer to the front of the gaming machine than the predetermined portion. When the first displacement member is positioned at the first position, the first surface is configured to be visible when viewed in the predetermined direction, and the second surface is configured to be visible when viewed in a specific direction different from the predetermined direction; when the first displacement member is positioned at the second position, the second surface is configured to be visible when viewed in the predetermined direction, and the second surface is also configured to be visible when viewed in the specific direction; and even when the first displacement member is relatively displaced, the second surface is configured to be visible when viewed in the specific direction. .

[0006]

[0007] [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the gaming machine of claim 1, No. 1 Displacement Improvements to materials It is possible.

[0009]

[0010] [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a front view of a pachinko machine according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a front view of the game board of a pachinko machine. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the pachinko machine. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view of the game board taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 2A is a front view of the throwing unit, and FIG. 2B is a side view of the throwing unit. [Figure 8] 1A is an exploded perspective front view of the throwing unit, and FIG. 1B is an exploded perspective rear view of the throwing unit. [Figure 9] FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the sorting unit, and FIG. 2(b) is a side view of the sorting unit. [Figure 10] FIG. [Figure 11] FIG. [Figure 12] 12(a) is a cross-sectional view of the sorting unit taken along line XIIa-XIIa in FIG. 9(a), and FIG. 12(b) is a cross-sectional view of the sorting unit taken along line XIIb-XIIb in FIG. 12(a). [Figure 13] 12(a) and 12(b) are partially enlarged cross-sectional views of the sorting unit in the range XIIIa of FIG. 12(b). [Figure 14] FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the passage unit, and FIG. 2(b) is a side view of the passage unit. [Figure 15] FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board and operation unit in the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. [Figure 19] FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. [Figure 21] FIG. [Figure 22] FIG. [Figure 23] FIG. [Figure 24] FIG. 2 is an exploded front perspective view of the central structural unit. [Figure 25] FIG. 2 is an exploded rear perspective view of the central structural unit. [Figure 26] FIG. 26 is an enlarged front view of the game board in range XXVI of FIG. 18. [Figure 27] 27 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board taken along line XXVII-XXVII in FIG. [Figure 28] FIG. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board taken along line XXVIII-XXVIII in FIG. 26. [Figure 29] FIG. [Figure 30] FIG. [Figure 31] FIG. 19 is an enlarged front view of the game board in range XXXI of FIG. 18. [Figure 32] FIG. 32 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board taken along line XXXII-XXXII in FIG. 31. [Figure 33] FIG. [Figure 34] FIG. [Figure 35] FIG. 19 is a partially enlarged front view of the game board in range XXXV of FIG. 18. [Figure 36] FIG. [Figure 37] FIG. [Figure 38] FIG. [Figure 39] FIG. [Figure 40] FIG. [Figure 41] FIG. [Figure 42] FIG. [Figure 43] FIG. [Figure 44] FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view of the operating unit taken along line XLIV-XLIV in FIG. 36. [Figure 45] FIG. 45 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the operating unit in the range XLV of FIG. 44. [Figure 46] FIG. 37 is a cross-sectional view of the operating unit taken along line XLIV-XLIV in FIG. 36. [Figure 47] FIG. [Figure 48] FIG. [Figure 49] 47A is an exploded front perspective view of the outer member, the lifting plate member, and the resistance generating device in the range XLIXa of FIG. 47, and FIG. 47B is a front perspective view of the outer member in the range XLIXb of FIG. [Figure 50] 47A is an exploded front perspective view of the lifting plate member, inner member, displacement member, and rotational attitude assisting member in range La of FIG. 47, and FIG. 47B is an exploded front perspective view of the displacement member and rotational attitude assisting member in range Lb of FIG. 47. [Figure 51] This is an exploded front oblique view of the light-emitting action production unit. [Figure 52] This is an exploded rear perspective view of the light-emitting action production unit. [Figure 53] This is an exploded front oblique view of the light-emitting action production unit. [Figure 54] (a) is a front view of the right-side intermediate connecting member, (b) is a side view of the intermediate connecting member as viewed in the direction of arrow LIVb in Figure 54(a), (c) is a side view of the intermediate connecting member as viewed in the direction of arrow LIVc in Figure 54(a), and (d) is a cross-sectional view of the intermediate connecting member along line LIVd-LIVd in Figure 54(a). [Figure 55] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the game board and operating unit taken along line LV-LV in FIG. 36. [Figure 56] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the game board and operating unit taken along line LV-LV in FIG. 36. [Figure 57]37 is a cross-sectional view of the game board and operating unit taken along line LV-LV in FIG. 36. [Figure 58] 4(a) to 4(c) are schematic side views of the first elongated hole, the second elongated hole, and the curved elongated hole, which schematically show the first elongated hole, the second elongated hole, and the curved elongated hole. FIG. [Figure 59] FIG. [Figure 60] FIG. [Figure 61] FIG. [Figure 62] FIG. [Figure 63] 10(a) to 10(c) are schematic front views of the fastening portion of the displacement member, and the elongated hole and support hole of the connected hole. [Figure 64] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the operating unit taken along line LXIV-LXIV in FIG. 36. [Figure 65] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the operating unit taken along line LXIV-LXIV in FIG. 36. [Figure 66] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the operating unit taken along line LXIV-LXIV in FIG. 36. [Figure 67] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the game board and operating unit taken along line LXVII-LXVII in FIG. 36. [Figure 68] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the game board and operating unit taken along line LXVII-LXVII in FIG. 36. [Figure 69] 37 is a cross-sectional view of the game board and operating unit taken along line LXVII-LXVII in FIG. 36. [Figure 70] FIG. 10(a) is a front view of a sorting unit in a third embodiment, and FIG. 10(b) is a rear view of the sorting unit. [Figure 71] FIG. 10(a) is a front view of a sorting unit in a fourth embodiment, and FIG. 10(b) is a rear view of the sorting unit. [Figure 72] FIG. 11 is a partially enlarged front view of a game board in a fifth embodiment. [Figure 73] FIG. 73 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board taken along line LXXIII-LXXIII in FIG. 72. [Figure 74]FIG. 37 is a partial cross-sectional view of a pachinko machine according to a sixth embodiment taken along a line corresponding to the line LV-LV in FIG. 36. [Figure 75] 37 is a partial cross-sectional view of the pachinko machine taken along a line corresponding to the line LV-LV in FIG. 36. [Figure 76] 13(a) to 13(c) are schematic side views of the guide portion and the L-shaped slot in the seventh embodiment. [Figure 77] 13(a) to 13(c) are schematic side views of the second elongated hole, the curved elongated hole, the third elongated hole, the upper part of the first elongated hole, and the lower part of the first elongated hole in the eighth embodiment. [Figure 78] 38(a) and (b) are partial cross-sectional views of the displacement member and the light-emitting action production unit in the ninth embodiment taken along a line corresponding to line LXXVIIIa-LXXVIIIa in FIG. 37. [Figure 79] 13(a) and 13(b) are front views of a rotating member and a position detecting means in a tenth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. First, with reference to Fig. 1 to Fig. 16, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a pachinko gaming machine (hereinafter simply referred to as a "pachinko machine") 10 will be described as a first embodiment. Fig. 1 is a front view of the pachinko machine 10 in the first embodiment, Fig. 2 is a front view of a game board 13 of the pachinko machine 10, and Fig. 3 is a rear view of the pachinko machine 10.

[0013] In the following explanation, the front side of the paper will be referred to as the front (front) side and the back side of the paper will be referred to as the rear (rear) side with respect to the pachinko machine 10 in the state shown in Fig. 1. Also, with respect to the pachinko machine 10 in the state shown in Fig. 1, the upper side will be referred to as the upper (upper) side, the lower side will be referred to as the lower (lower) side, the right side will be referred to as the right (right) side, and the left side will be referred to as the left (left) side. Furthermore, arrows UD, LR, and FB in the figure (see Fig. 2, for example) indicate the up-down direction, left-right direction, and front-back direction of the pachinko machine 10, respectively.

[0014] As shown in Figure 1, pachinko machine 10 comprises outer frame 11, an outer shell formed by wooden frames assembled into a substantially rectangular shape, and inner frame 12, which is formed to have substantially the same external shape as outer frame 11 and is supported so as to be able to open and close relative to outer frame 11. Metal hinges 18 are attached to outer frame 11 at two locations, top and bottom, on the left side when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), in order to support inner frame 12, and inner frame 12 is supported so as to be able to open and close towards the front, with the side where hinges 18 are provided serving as the axis for opening and closing.

[0015] A game board 13 (see FIG. 2) having numerous nails and winning holes 63, 64, etc., is detachably attached to the back side of the inner frame 12. A pinball game is played by balls (game balls) flowing down the front of the game board 13. Attached to the inner frame 12 are a ball launching unit 112a (see FIG. 4) that launches balls into the front area of ​​the game board 13, a launching rail (not shown) that guides the balls launched from the ball launching unit 112a to the front area of ​​the game board 13, and the like.

[0016] On the front side of the inner frame 12, there is a front frame 14 that covers the upper front side, and a lower tray unit 15 that covers the lower side. To support the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15, metal hinges 19 are attached at two locations, top and bottom, on the left side when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), and the front frame 14 and the lower tray unit 15 are supported so that they can be opened and closed toward the front, with the side where the hinges 19 are installed serving as the opening and closing axis. The locks on the inner frame 12 and the front frame 14 can be unlocked by inserting a dedicated key into the keyhole 21 of the cylinder lock 20 and performing a specified operation.

[0017] The front frame 14 is fitted with decorative resin parts, electrical parts, etc., and has a window 14c formed as a roughly oval opening in the approximate center. A glass unit 16 having two glass plates is disposed on the back side of the front frame 14, and the front of the game board 13 can be seen from the front side of the pachinko machine 10 through the glass unit 16.

[0018] In the front frame 14, an upper tray 17 for storing balls is formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top that protrudes toward the front, and prize balls, loan balls, etc. are discharged onto this upper tray 17. The bottom of the upper tray 17 is formed to slope downward to the right when viewed from the front (see Figure 1), and this slope guides balls dropped into the upper tray 17 to the ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4). In addition, a frame button 22 is provided on the top surface of the upper tray 17. This frame button 22 is operated by the player, for example, to change the stage of the effect displayed on the third pattern display device 81 (see Figure 2) or to change the content of the super reach effect.

[0019] The front frame 14 is provided with various light-emitting devices such as lamps around its periphery (e.g., corners). These light-emitting devices change their light-emitting modes by lighting or blinking in response to changes in the game state, such as when a jackpot is hit or a predetermined reach is reached, thereby enhancing the presentation effects during play. The periphery of the window 14c is provided with illumination units 29-33 incorporating light-emitting devices such as LEDs. In the pachinko machine 10, these illumination units 29-33 function as presentation lamps, such as jackpot lamps. When a jackpot is hit or a reach presentation is being performed, the built-in LEDs cause each illumination unit 29-33 to light up or blink, thereby indicating that a jackpot is being achieved or that the player is in a reach phase just before a jackpot. Furthermore, the upper left corner of the front frame 14, as viewed from the front (see Figure 1), is provided with an indicator lamp 34 incorporating light-emitting devices such as LEDs, which can indicate when prize balls are being paid out and when an error has occurred.

[0020] Additionally, a small window 35 is formed by attaching transparent resin to the underside of the right-side illumination unit 32 from the backside so that the backside of the front frame 14 can be seen, and certificate stamps and the like affixed to the attachment space K1 (see Figure 2) on the front of the game board 13 can be seen from the front of the pachinko machine 10. Additionally, in the pachinko machine 10, a plated member 36 made of chrome-plated ABS resin is attached to the area around the illumination units 29 to 33 to create a more dazzling appearance.

[0021] A ball dispensing operation unit 40 is disposed below the window 14c. The ball dispensing operation unit 40 is provided with a power display unit 41, a ball dispensing button 42, and a return button 43. When the ball dispensing operation unit 40 is operated with bills, cards, etc. inserted into a card unit (ball dispensing unit) (not shown) located on the side of the pachinko machine 10, balls are dispensed in accordance with the operation. Specifically, the power display unit 41 is an area where the remaining balance information of the card, etc. is displayed, and an internal LED lights up to display the remaining balance numerically as the remaining balance information. The ball dispensing button 42 is operated to obtain dispensed balls based on information recorded on a card, etc. (recording medium), and dispensed balls are supplied to the upper tray 17 as long as there is a remaining balance on the card, etc. The return button 43 is operated to request the return of a card, etc. inserted into the card unit. In addition, in pachinko machines where balls are directly dispensed from a ball dispensing device to the upper tray 17 without going through a card unit, i.e., in so-called cash machines, the ball dispensing operation unit 40 is not necessary, but in this case, a decorative sticker or the like may be added to the installation part of the ball dispensing operation unit 40 to make the parts configuration common. It is possible to standardize pachinko machines that use card units and cash machines.

[0022] The lower tray unit 15, located below the upper tray 17, has a lower tray 50 on its left side, which is formed in a roughly box-like shape with an open top, for storing balls that cannot be stored in the upper tray 17. On the right side of the lower tray 50, an operating handle 51 is provided which is operated by the player to hit the ball into the front of the game board 13.

[0023] The operating handle 51 contains a touch sensor 51a for permitting the operation of the ball launching unit 112a, a launch stop switch 51b that stops the launch of balls while the switch is pressed, and a variable resistor (not shown) that detects the amount of rotation (rotation position) of the operating handle 51 by changes in electrical resistance. When the operating handle 51 is rotated clockwise by a player, the touch sensor 51a is turned on and the resistance value of the variable resistor changes corresponding to the amount of rotation, launching the ball with a strength (launch strength) corresponding to the resistance value of the variable resistor, thereby hitting the ball toward the front of the game board 13 at a distance corresponding to the player's operation. When the operating handle 51 is not being operated by the player, the touch sensor 51a and the launch stop switch 51b are off.

[0024] A ball removal lever 52 is provided on the lower front portion of the lower tray 50 to be operated when discharging balls stored in the lower tray 50 downward. This ball removal lever 52 is always biased to the right, and by sliding it to the left against this bias, a bottom opening formed on the bottom surface of the lower tray 50 opens, and the balls fall naturally from the bottom opening and are discharged. This ball removal lever 52 is usually operated with a box (commonly called a "senryo box") placed below the lower tray 50 to receive the balls discharged from the lower tray 50. As mentioned above, the operating handle 51 is disposed on the right side of the lower tray 50, and an ashtray (not shown) is attached to the left side of the lower tray 50.

[0025] As shown in Figure 2, the game board 13 is constructed by assembling a number of nails for guiding balls (shown below the center frame 86, not shown in the upper half of the game area) and a windmill (not shown) on a base plate 60 that has been machined into an approximately square shape when viewed from the front, as well as rails 61, 62, a general prize opening 63, a first prize opening 64, a second prize opening 140, a variable prize opening device 65, a through gate 67, a variable display device unit 80, etc., and the peripheral portion of the board is attached to the back side of the inner frame 12 (see Figure 1).

[0026] The base plate 60 is made of a light-transmitting resin material, and allows a player to see from the front side thereof the various structures arranged on the back side of the base plate 60. The general winning opening 63, the first winning opening 64, the second winning opening 140, and the variable winning device 65 are arranged in through holes formed in the base plate 60 by router processing, and are fixed from the front side of the game board 13 with tapping screws or the like.

[0027] The base plate 60 may be formed from a wooden plate member. In this case, it is possible to shield various structures disposed on the rear side of the base plate 60 from the front side of the center frame 86 so that they cannot be seen by the player.

[0028] The central front portion of the game board 13 can be seen from the front side of the inner frame 12 through a window portion 14c (see FIG. 1) of the front frame 14. The configuration of the game board 13 will be described below mainly with reference to FIG.

[0029] An outer rail 62 formed by bending a strip-shaped metal plate into a generally arcuate shape is set up on the front of the gaming board 13, and an inner rail 61, also formed from a strip-shaped metal plate like the outer rail 62, is set up inside the outer rail 62. The outer periphery of the front of the gaming board 13 is surrounded by the inner rail 61 and outer rail 62, and the front and back are surrounded by the gaming board 13 and the glass unit 16 (see FIG. 1), so that a gaming area where games are played based on the behavior of the ball is formed in front of the gaming board 13. The gaming area is an area (an area where winning slots and the like are arranged and where shot balls flow down) defined in front of the gaming board 13 by the two rails 61, 62 and the resin outer edge member 73 connecting the rails.

[0030] The two rails 61, 62 are provided to guide the ball launched from the ball launching unit 112a (see Figure 4) to the top of the game board 13. A ball return prevention member 68 is attached to the tip (upper left in Figure 2) of the inner rail 61, preventing a ball that has been guided to the top of the game board 13 from returning into the ball guide passage. A return rubber 69 is attached to the tip (upper right in Figure 2) of the outer rail 62 at a position corresponding to the maximum flight point of the ball, and a ball launched with more than a predetermined force hits the return rubber 69 and bounces back toward the center while its force is reduced.

[0031] First symbol display devices 37A and 37B, each equipped with a plurality of LEDs and a 7-segment display as light-emitting means, are disposed in the lower left portion of the game area as viewed from the front (lower left portion of FIG. 2). The first symbol display devices 37A and 37B display information according to the controls performed by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and primarily display the game status of the pachinko machine 10. In this embodiment, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B are configured to be selectively used depending on whether the ball has entered the first winning slot 64 or the second winning slot 140. Specifically, when the ball has entered the first winning slot 64, the first symbol display device 37A is activated, and when the ball has entered the second winning slot 140, the first symbol display device 37B is activated.

[0032] Furthermore, the first symbol display devices 37A, 37B use LEDs to indicate whether the pachinko machine 10 is in a probability variable, time-saving, or normal mode, whether it is fluctuating, whether the stopped symbol corresponds to a probability variable jackpot, a normal jackpot, or a missing symbol, and the number of reserved balls, and also display the number of rounds during a jackpot and errors using a 7-segment display device. The multiple LEDs are configured to emit different colors (e.g., red, green, blue), and the various game states of the pachinko machine 10 can be indicated using a small number of LEDs by combining different colors.

[0033] In this pachinko machine 10, a lottery is held when a prize is won in the first prize slot 64 or the second prize slot 140. In the lottery, the pachinko machine 10 determines whether or not a jackpot has been won (jackpot lottery), and if a jackpot has been determined, it also determines the type of jackpot. The types of jackpots that can be determined here include a 15R probability jackpot, a 4R probability jackpot, and a 4R normal jackpot. The first symbol display devices 37A, 37B not only show whether or not the result of the lottery is a jackpot as the stopped symbol after the variation has ended, but also display a symbol corresponding to the type of jackpot if a jackpot has been won.

[0034] Here, a "15R probability variable jackpot" refers to a probability variable jackpot that transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 15, and a "4R probability variable jackpot" refers to a probability variable jackpot that transitions to a high probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 4. Also, a "4R normal jackpot" refers to a jackpot that transitions to a low probability state after a jackpot with a maximum number of rounds of 4, and is in a time-saving state for a predetermined number of variations (for example, 100 variations).

[0035] Furthermore, the "high probability state" refers to a state in which the probability of a subsequent jackpot increases as an added value after a jackpot, i.e., during a so-called probability fluctuation (probability variable) period; in other words, a gaming state in which a transition to a special gaming state is likely. In this embodiment, the high probability state (probability variable) includes a gaming state in which the jackpot probability increases for a predetermined number of fluctuations (100 fluctuations in this embodiment), the probability of a hit with the second symbol (described later) increases, and the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 140. The "low probability state" refers to a state when the probability variable is not in effect, in which the jackpot probability is normal, i.e., a state in which the jackpot probability is lower than during a probability variable period. Furthermore, the time-saving state (time-saving state) within the "low probability state" refers to a gaming state in which the jackpot probability is normal, and the jackpot probability remains the same, but only the probability of a hit with the second symbol increases, making it more likely for a ball to enter the second winning slot 140. On the other hand, the pachinko machine 10 is in a normal state when it is not in a special mode or a time-saving mode (when neither the probability of a jackpot nor the probability of hitting the second symbol has increased).

[0036] In this embodiment, when it is determined that a gaming ball has passed through the through-hole of the probability change detection sensor SE11 of the distribution device 300 (described later) in the first round of a jackpot game, the game state after the jackpot game ends will be in a high probability state for 100 fluctuations. Note that if it is not determined that a gaming ball has passed through the through-hole of the probability change detection sensor SE11, the game state after the jackpot game ends will be in a time-shortened state for 100 fluctuations.

[0037] During the probability variation or time reduction, not only does the probability of winning the second symbol increase, but the time for which the electric device 140a (electric device) associated with the second winning slot 140 is opened is also changed and set to a longer time than during normal play. When the electric device 140a is in an open state (open state), it becomes easier for the ball to win the second winning slot 140 than when the electric device 140a is in a closed state (closed state). Therefore, during the probability variation or time reduction, it becomes easier for the ball to win the second winning slot 140, and the number of times the jackpot lottery is held can be increased.

[0038] During a probability variation or a time-saving period, instead of changing the opening time of the electric device 140a associated with the second winning slot 140, or in addition to changing the opening time, a change may be made to increase the number of times the electric device 140a opens per hit compared to normal. Also, during a probability variation or a time-saving period, the probability of winning the second symbol may not be changed, but at least one of the time during which the electric device 140a associated with the second winning slot 140 is opened and the number of times the electric device 140a opens per hit may be changed. Also, during a probability variation or a time-saving period, the time during which the electric device 140a associated with the second winning slot 140 is opened or the number of times the electric device 140a opens per hit may not be changed, but only the probability of winning the second symbol may be changed to be increased compared to normal.

[0039] The game area is provided with a plurality of general winning slots 63, through which 5 to 15 balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball enters the slot. A variable display device unit 80 is also provided in the center of the game area. The variable display device unit 80 includes a third symbol display device 81, which is a liquid crystal display (hereinafter simply referred to as "display device") that displays a variable third symbol in synchronization with the variable display of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, triggered by a winning (initial winning) slot 64 or a winning slot 140, and a second symbol display device (not shown) that is an LED that displays a variable second symbol in response to a ball passing through the through gate 67. A center frame 86 is also provided to surround the outer periphery of the third symbol display device 81 of the variable display device unit 80 when viewed from the front.

[0040] In this embodiment, the third pattern display device 81 is fastened to a rear case fixed to the rear of the game board 13, and the center frame 86 is arranged to frame the window portion (central opening 60b) of the base plate 60. In other words, when viewed from the front, the center frame 86 appears to be arranged to surround the outer periphery of the third pattern display device 81, but in reality, the third pattern display device 81 and the center frame 86 are arranged separately in the front and rear.

[0041] The third symbol display device 81 is configured with a large liquid crystal display, for example, 9 inches in size, and the display content is controlled by the display control device 114 (see FIG. 4), thereby displaying, for example, three symbol rows: top, middle, and bottom. Each symbol row is composed of multiple symbols (third symbols), and these third symbols are scrolled horizontally for each symbol row, so that the third symbols are variably displayed on the display screen of the third symbol display device 81. While the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B display the game status in accordance with the control of the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), the third symbol display device 81 of this embodiment displays decorative information in accordance with the display of the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B. Note that the third symbol display device 81 may be configured using, for example, reels instead of a display device.

[0042] The second symbol display device performs a variable display in which a "circle" symbol and an "x" symbol are alternately lit for a predetermined time as a display symbol (second symbol (not shown)) each time the ball passes through the through gate 67. In the pachinko machine 10, when it is detected that the ball has passed through the through gate 67, a winning lottery is held. If the result of the winning lottery is a winning lottery, the second symbol display device displays a static "circle" symbol after the second symbol is displayed in a variable manner. If the result of the winning lottery is a losing lottery, the second symbol display device displays a static "x" symbol after the third symbol is displayed in a variable manner.

[0043] The pachinko machine 10 is configured so that when the changing display on the second pattern display device stops at a predetermined pattern (in this embodiment, a ``circle'' pattern), the electric device 140a attached to the second winning port 140 is activated (opened) for a predetermined period of time.

[0044] The time required for the second symbol to change is set to be shorter during a probability variation or time-saving mode than during a normal game state. As a result, the second symbol changes and changes over a shorter period of time during a probability variation or time-saving mode, allowing for more winning lotteries than during normal game states. This increases the chances of winning in the winning lottery, giving players more opportunities to open the electric device 140a of the second winning slot 140. Therefore, during a probability variation or time-saving mode, it is possible to create a state in which it is easier for the ball to enter the second winning slot 140.

[0045] Note that, if the state is such that the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 140 during a probability variation or time-saving period by other methods, such as increasing the probability of winning or increasing the opening time or number of times that the electric device 140a opens per win, the time taken for the variable display of the second symbol may be kept constant regardless of the gaming state. On the other hand, if the time taken for the variable display of the second symbol is set shorter during a probability variation or time-saving period than during normal play, the probability of winning may be kept constant regardless of the gaming state, and the opening time or number of times that the electric device 140a opens per win may be kept constant regardless of the gaming state.

[0046] The through gates 67 are attached to the game board 13 in the left and right areas of the variable display unit 80, and are configured to allow a portion of the ball shot to the game board 13 to pass through. When the ball passes through the through gate 67, a lottery for a second symbol is held. After the lottery for a second symbol is held, a variable display is performed on the second symbol display device, and if the result of the lottery for a second symbol is a win, a "○" symbol is displayed as the stopping symbol of the variable display, and if the result of the lottery for a second symbol is a loss, an "X" symbol is displayed as the stopping symbol of the variable display.

[0047] The number of times that a ball passes through the through gate 67 can be reserved up to a maximum of four times in total, and the number of reserved balls is displayed by the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B and is also displayed by lighting the second symbol reservation lamp (not shown). Four second symbol reservation lamps are provided, the number being the maximum number of reserved balls, and are arranged symmetrically below the third symbol display device 81.

[0048] In addition, the variable display of the second symbol may be performed by switching on and off multiple lamps in the second symbol display device, as in this embodiment, or may be performed using a portion of the first symbol display device 37A, 37B and the third symbol display device 81. Similarly, the second symbol reserve lamp may be lit by a portion of the third symbol display device 81. Furthermore, the maximum number of reserved balls for balls passing through the through gate 67 is not limited to four, but may be set to three or less, or five or more times (e.g., eight times). Furthermore, the number of installed through gates 67 is not limited to two, but may be, for example, one. Furthermore, the installation position of the through gate 67 is not limited to the left or right of the variable display device unit 80, but may be, for example, below the variable display device unit 80. Furthermore, since the number of reserved balls is indicated by the first symbol display device 37A, 37B, the second symbol reserve lamp may not be illuminated.

[0049] A first winning hole 64, into which a ball can win, is disposed below the variable display unit 80. When a ball wins in this first winning hole 64, a first winning hole switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and when the first winning hole switch is turned on, a lottery for a jackpot is held in the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and a display according to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37A.

[0050] On the other hand, a second winning opening 140 into which a ball can enter is disposed below the first winning opening 64 as viewed from the front. When a ball enters this second winning opening 140, a second winning opening switch (not shown) provided on the back side of the game board 13 is turned on, and when the second winning opening switch is turned on, a lottery for a jackpot is conducted by the main control device 110 (see FIG. 4), and a display according to the lottery result is shown on the first symbol display device 37B.

[0051] Furthermore, each of the first winning slot 64 and the second winning slot 140 is also one of the winning slots from which five balls are paid out as prize balls when a ball enters the slot. In this embodiment, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 is the same as the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning slot 140, but the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning slot 140 may be different; for example, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 may be three, and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball enters the second winning slot 140 may be five.

[0052] An electric device 140a is attached to the second winning opening 140. This electric device 140a is configured to be able to open and close, and normally the electric device 140a is in a closed state (reduced state), making it difficult for the ball to win the second winning opening 140. On the other hand, when the second pattern display device displays a "○" pattern as a result of the variable display of the second pattern, which is triggered by the passage of the ball through the through gate 67, the electric device 140a is in an open state (expanded state), making it easier for the ball to win the second winning opening 140.

[0053] As described above, during the probability variation and time-saving mode, the probability of winning the second symbol is higher than during normal play, and the time required for the second symbol to change is shorter, so the "○" symbol is more likely to appear in the change display of the second symbol, and the number of times that the electric device 140a is in the open state (expanded state) increases. Furthermore, during the probability variation and time-saving mode, the time that the electric device 140a is open is longer than during normal play. Therefore, during the probability variation and time-saving mode, it is possible to create an environment in which the ball is more likely to enter the second winning slot 140 than during normal play.

[0054] Here, the probability of winning a jackpot when a ball enters the first winning slot 64 and when a ball enters the second winning slot 140 is the same in both low and high probability states. However, the probability of a 15R probability jackpot being selected as the type of jackpot when a jackpot occurs is set higher when a ball enters the second winning slot 140 than when a ball enters the first winning slot 64. On the other hand, the first winning slot 64 does not have an electric device like the second winning slot 140, and is in a state where a ball can always win a prize.

[0055] Therefore, under normal circumstances, the electric device associated with the second winning slot 140 is often in a closed state, making it difficult to win at the second winning slot 140. Therefore, it is more advantageous for the player to aim for the first winning slot 64, which has no electric device, by firing the ball so that it passes to the left of the variable display unit 80 (the so-called "left shot"), thereby gaining more opportunities to win the jackpot by winning at the first winning slot 64 and aiming to win the jackpot.

[0056] On the other hand, during the special mode or the time-saving mode, passing the ball through the through gate 67 tends to open the electric device 140a attached to the second winning slot 140, making it easier to win at the second winning slot 140. Therefore, it is more advantageous for the player to shoot the ball toward the second winning slot 140 so that it passes to the right of the variable display device 80 (the so-called "right hit"), pass through the through gate 67 to open the electric device, and aim for the ball to win at the second winning slot 140, resulting in a 15R special mode jackpot.

[0057] In the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment, the game board 13 is configured symmetrically, so it is possible to aim for the first winning slot 64 by "hitting to the right" and for the second winning slot 140 by "hitting to the left." Therefore, the pachinko machine 10 of this embodiment does not require the player to change the way the ball is shot between "hitting to the left" and "hitting to the right" depending on the game state of the pachinko machine 10 (whether it is in a probability variation mode, a time-saving mode, or a normal mode). This eliminates the hassle of changing the way the ball is shot.

[0058] A variable winning device 65 (see FIG. 2) is disposed below the first winning opening 64, and a specific winning opening 65a is disposed in its approximate center. In the pachinko machine 10, when a jackpot lottery held due to a winning entry into the first winning opening 64 or the second winning opening 140 results in a jackpot, after a predetermined time (variable time) has elapsed, the first symbol display device 37A or the first symbol display device 37B is illuminated to display a jackpot stop symbol, and the stop symbol corresponding to the jackpot is displayed on the third symbol display device 81, indicating the occurrence of a jackpot. The game state then transitions to a special game state (jackpot) in which balls are more likely to win. In this special game state, the specific winning opening 65a, which is normally closed, is opened for a predetermined time (for example, until 30 seconds have elapsed or until 10 balls have won).

[0059] This specific winning opening 65a is closed after a predetermined time has elapsed, and after that closure, the specific winning opening 65a is opened again for a predetermined time. The opening and closing operation of this specific winning opening 65a can be repeated up to, for example, 15 times (15 rounds). The state in which this opening and closing operation is being performed is one form of a special game state that is advantageous to the player, and the player is paid out a larger number of prize balls than usual as an added gaming value (game value).

[0060] The special game state is not limited to the above-described form. A large opening that opens and closes separately from the specific winning opening 65a may be provided in the game area, and when an LED corresponding to a jackpot is lit in the first symbol display device 37A, 37B, the specific winning opening 65a is opened for a predetermined time. While the specific winning opening 65a is open, a ball entering the specific winning opening 65a triggers the large opening provided separately from the specific winning opening 65a to open for a predetermined time and a predetermined number of times, thereby forming a special game state. The number of specific winning openings 65a is not limited to one, and one or more (e.g., three) may be provided. The location of the opening is not limited to the lower right or lower left of the first winning opening 64, but may also be, for example, to the left of the variable display unit 80.

[0061] An attachment space K1 is provided in the right corner of the lower side of the game board 13 for attaching stamps, identification labels, etc., and the stamps, etc. attached to the attachment space K1 can be seen through a small window 35 in the front frame 14 (see Figure 1).

[0062] The game board 13 is provided with an outlet 71. Balls that flow down the game area and do not win in any of the winning holes 63, 64, 65a, 140 are guided through the outlet 71 to a ball discharge path (not shown).

[0063] The game board 13 has many nails planted on it to appropriately distribute and adjust the direction in which the balls fall, and various components (gimmicks) such as windmills are also arranged on it (not shown in Figure 2).

[0064] As shown in Fig. 3, the rear side of the pachinko machine 10 is mainly equipped with control board units 90, 91 and a back pack unit 94. The control board unit 90 is a unit equipped with a main board (main control device 110), a voice lamp control board (voice lamp control device 113), and a display control board (display control device 114). The control board unit 91 is a unit equipped with a payout control board (payout control device 111), a launch control board (launch control device 112), a power supply board (power supply device 115), and a card unit connection board 116.

[0065] The back pack unit 94 is a unit consisting of the back pack 92 that forms the protective cover and the payout unit 93. In addition, each control board is equipped with an MPU as a one-chip microcomputer that controls each function, ports for communicating with various devices, a random number generator used in various lotteries, a clock pulse generating circuit used for time counting and synchronization, etc. as needed.

[0066] The main control device 110, the voice lamp control device 113 and the display control device 114, the payout control device 111 and the launch control device 112, the power supply device 115, and the card unit connection board 116 are each housed in board boxes 100 to 104. The board boxes 100 to 104 are equipped with a box base and a box cover that covers the opening of the box base, and the box base and the box cover are connected to each other to house the respective control devices and boards.

[0067] Furthermore, the board box 100 (main control device 110) and the board box 102 (dispensing control device 111 and launch control device 112) have their box bases and box covers connected (connected by a crimping structure) by a sealing unit (not shown) so that they cannot be opened. A sealing seal (not shown) is attached to the connecting portion between the box base and the box cover, spanning the box base and the box cover. This sealing seal is made of a brittle material, and if an attempt is made to peel off the sealing seal to open the board box 100, 102 or to forcibly open the board box 100, 102, it will be cut into the box base side and the box cover side. Therefore, by checking the sealing unit or sealing seal, it is possible to know whether the board box 100, 102 has been opened.

[0068] The payout unit 93 comprises a tank 130 located at the top of the back pack unit 94 and opening upward, a tank rail 131 connected to the bottom of the tank 130 and gently sloping downstream, a case rail 132 connected vertically to the downstream side of the tank rail 131, and a payout device 133 provided at the most downstream part of the case rail 132 and dispensing balls using a predetermined electrical configuration of a payout motor 216 (see Figure 4). The tank 130 is successively replenished with balls supplied from the island equipment of the gaming hall, and the payout device 133 appropriately dispenses the required number of balls. A vibrator 134 is attached to the tank rail 131 to impart vibrations to the tank rail 131.

[0069] In addition, the payout control device 111 is provided with a state restoration switch 120, the firing control device 112 is provided with a variable resistor operation knob 121, and the power supply device 115 is provided with a RAM deletion switch 122. The state restoration switch 120 is operated to resolve ball jamming (return to normal state) when a payout error occurs, such as ball jamming in the payout motor 216 (see Figure 4). The operation knob 121 is operated to adjust the firing force of the firing solenoid. The RAM deletion switch 122 is operated when the power is turned on to return the pachinko machine 10 to its initial state.

[0070] Next, the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 4. Fig. 4 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the pachinko machine 10.

[0071] The main control device 110 is equipped with an MPU 201, which is a one-chip microcomputer that is an arithmetic device. The MPU 201 contains a ROM 202 that stores various control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 201, a RAM 203 that is a memory for temporarily storing various data when the control programs stored in the ROM 202 are executed, and various other circuits such as an interrupt circuit, a timer circuit, and a data transmission / reception circuit. The main control device 110 uses the MPU 201 to execute the main processes of the pachinko machine 10, such as drawing a jackpot, setting the display on the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B and the third symbol display device 81, and drawing the display result on the second symbol display device.

[0072] In addition, in order to instruct sub-controllers such as the dispensing control unit 111 and the voice lamp control unit 113 to operate, various commands are sent from the main control unit 110 to the sub-controllers via a data transmission / reception circuit, but such commands are sent only in one direction from the main control unit 110 to the sub-controllers.

[0073] The RAM 203 has various areas, counters, flags, a stack area for storing the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 201 and return addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 201, and a work area (working region) for storing values ​​of various flags, counters, I / O, etc. The RAM 203 is configured so that it can retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and all data stored in the RAM 203 is backed up.

[0074] When the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, the stack pointer and the values ​​of each register at the time of the power outage (including the time of the power outage; the same applies below) are stored in RAM 203. On the other hand, when the power is turned on (including the time of the power being turned on after the power outage is resolved; the same applies below), the state of the pachinko machine 10 is restored to the state before the power outage based on the information stored in RAM 203. Writing to RAM 203 is executed by main processing (not shown) when the power supply is turned off, and the restoration of each value written to RAM 203 is executed in start-up processing (not shown) when the power supply is turned on. Note that, when the power supply is cut off due to a power outage or the like, a power outage signal SG1 is input to the NMI terminal (non-maskable interrupt terminal) of MPU 201 from the power outage monitoring circuit 252, and when the power outage signal SG1 is input to MPU 201, NMI interrupt processing (not shown) is immediately executed as a power outage processing.

[0075] An input / output port 205 is connected to the MPU 201 of the main control device 110 via a bus line 204 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 205 is connected to the payout control device 111, the sound lamp control device 113, the first symbol display devices 37A and 37B, the second symbol display device, the second symbol hold lamp, and solenoids 209 consisting of a large opening solenoid for driving the opening and closing of the specific winning port 65a to the front side with the lower side of the opening / closing plate 65b (see Figure 2) of the specific winning port 65a as an axis, and a solenoid for driving the electric role device, and the like, and the MPU 201 transmits various commands and control signals to these via the input / output port 205.

[0076] In addition, the input / output port 205 is connected to various switches 208 consisting of a group of switches (not shown) and a group of sensors including a slide position detection sensor S and a rotation position detection sensor R, as well as a RAM erasure switch circuit 253 (described below) provided in the power supply device 115, and the MPU 201 performs various processes based on signals output from the various switches 208 and a RAM erasure signal SG2 output from the RAM erasure switch circuit 253.

[0077] The payout control device 111 controls the payout of prize balls and loan balls by driving a payout motor 216. The MPU 211, which is a calculation device, has a ROM 212 that stores control programs executed by the MPU 211, fixed value data, etc., and a RAM 213 that is used as a work memory, etc.

[0078] The RAM 213 of the payout control device 111, like the RAM 203 of the main control device 110, has a stack area in which the contents of the internal registers of the MPU 211 and return addresses of the control programs executed by the MPU 211 are stored, and a work area (working region) in which values ​​of various flags, counters, I / O, etc. are stored. The RAM 213 is configured to be able to retain (back up) data by receiving a backup voltage from the power supply device 115 even after the power to the pachinko machine 10 is cut off, and all data stored in the RAM 213 is backed up. Like the MPU 201 of the main control device 110, the NMI terminal of the MPU 211 is also configured to receive a power outage signal SG1 from the power outage monitoring circuit 252 when the power is cut off due to a power outage or the like. When the power outage signal SG1 is input to the MPU 211, an NMI interrupt process (not shown) is immediately executed as a power outage process.

[0079] An input / output port 215 is connected to the MPU 211 of the payout control device 111 via a bus line 214 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 215 is connected to the main control device 110, payout motor 216, launch control device 112, etc. Also, although not shown, a prize ball detection switch for detecting paid-out prize balls is connected to the payout control device 111. Note that this prize ball detection switch is connected to the payout control device 111 but is not connected to the main control device 110.

[0080] When the main control device 110 issues an instruction to launch a ball, the launch control device 112 controls the ball launch unit 112a so that the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51. The ball launch unit 112a is equipped with a launch solenoid and electromagnet (not shown), and the launch solenoid and electromagnet are permitted to operate when predetermined conditions are met. Specifically, the touch sensor 51a detects that the player is touching the operating handle 51, and when the launch stop switch 51b for stopping the ball launch is off (not operated), the launch solenoid is excited in accordance with the amount of rotation (rotation position) of the operating handle 51, and the ball is launched with a strength corresponding to the amount of rotation of the operating handle 51.

[0081] The audio lamp control device 113 controls the output of audio from the audio output device (such as a speaker not shown) 226, the output of lighting and extinguishing from the lamp display device (such as the illumination units 29 to 33 and the display lamp 34) 227, and the setting of the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 performed by the display control device 114, such as variable performance (variable display) and advance notice performance. The MPU 221, which is a calculation device, has a ROM 222 that stores control programs and fixed value data executed by the MPU 221, and a RAM 223 used as a work memory, etc.

[0082] An input / output port 225 is connected to the MPU 221 of the audio and lamp control device 113 via a bus line 224 consisting of an address bus and a data bus. The input / output port 225 is connected to the main control device 110, the display control device 114, the audio output device 226, the lamp display device 227, other devices 228, the frame button 22, etc. The other devices 228 include drive motors 648, 820, a solenoid 651, etc.

[0083] The voice lamp control device 113 determines the display mode of the third symbol display device 81 based on various commands (variation pattern command, stop type command, etc.) received from the main control device 110, and notifies the display control device 114 of the determined display mode by commands (display variation pattern command, display stop type command, etc.). The voice lamp control device 113 also monitors input from the frame button 22, and when the player operates the frame button 22, instructs the display control device 114 to change the stage displayed on the third symbol display device 81 or change the performance content during a super reach. When the stage is changed, the voice lamp control device 113 transmits a back image change command including information about the changed stage to the display control device 114 so that the third symbol display device 81 displays a back image corresponding to the changed stage. Here, the back image refers to an image displayed behind the third symbol, which is the main image displayed on the third symbol display device 81. The display control device 114 displays various images on the third symbol display device 81 in accordance with the commands transmitted from the voice lamp control device 113.

[0084] Furthermore, the voice lamp control device 113 receives a command (display command) representing the display content of the third pattern display device 81 from the display control device 114. Based on the display command received from the display control device 114, the voice lamp control device 113 outputs a voice corresponding to the display content from the voice output device 226 in accordance with the display content of the third pattern display device 81, and also controls the turning on and off of the lamp display device 227 in accordance with the display content.

[0085] The display control device 114 is connected to the voice lamp control device 113 and the third pattern display device 81, and controls the display of the third pattern display device 81, such as the variable performance of the third pattern, based on commands received from the voice lamp control device 113. The display control device 114 also transmits display commands to the voice lamp control device 113 as appropriate, notifying the display content of the third pattern display device 81. The voice lamp control device 113 can match the display of the third pattern display device 81 with the voice output from the voice output device 226 by outputting voice from the voice output device 226 in accordance with the display content indicated by the display command.

[0086] The power supply device 115 includes a power supply unit 251 for supplying power to each component of the pachinko machine 10, a power outage monitoring circuit 252 for monitoring power interruptions due to power outages and the like, and a RAM erasure switch circuit 253 provided with a RAM erasure switch 122 (see FIG. 3). The power supply unit 251 is a device that supplies the necessary operating voltages to each of the control devices 110-114, etc., via a power supply path (not shown). Briefly, the power supply unit 251 takes in 24-volt AC voltage supplied from an external source, generates 12-volt voltage for driving various switches such as the various switches 208, solenoids such as the solenoid 209, motors, etc., a 5-volt voltage for logic, a backup voltage for RAM backup, etc., and supplies the necessary voltages to each of the control devices 110-114, etc.

[0087] The power outage monitoring circuit 252 is a circuit for outputting a power outage signal SG1 to each NMI terminal of the MPU 201 of the main control unit 110 and the MPU 211 of the dispensing control device 111 when power is cut off due to a power outage or other reason. The power outage monitoring circuit 252 monitors the 24-volt DC stabilized voltage, which is the maximum voltage output from the power supply unit 251, and if this voltage falls below 22 volts, it determines that a power outage (power outage, power interruption) has occurred and outputs the power outage signal SG1 to the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control device 111. By outputting the power outage signal SG1, the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control device 111 recognize the occurrence of a power outage and execute NMI interrupt processing. Note that the power supply unit 251 is configured to maintain the output of the 5-volt voltage, which is the drive voltage of the control system, at a normal value for a sufficient time to execute NMI interrupt processing, even after the 24-volt DC stabilized voltage falls below 22 volts. Therefore, the main control unit 110 and the dispensing control unit 111 can execute and complete the NMI interrupt processing (not shown) normally.

[0088] The RAM clearing switch circuit 253 is a circuit for outputting a RAM clearing signal SG2 to the main control device 110 to clear the backup data when the RAM clearing switch 122 (see FIG. 3) is pressed. When the main control device 110 inputs the RAM clearing signal SG2 when the power of the pachinko machine 10 is turned on, it clears the backup data and sends a payout initialization command to the payout control device 111 to clear the backup data in the payout control device 111.

[0089] 5 and 6, the winning hole unit 930 and the ball throwing unit 970 disposed on the base plate of the game board 13 in the first embodiment will be described. In the description of Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, Fig. 2 will be referred to as appropriate.

[0090] 5 is an exploded perspective front view of the game board 13. Note that in FIG. 5, units other than the winning slot unit 930 and the ball throwing unit 970 disposed on the base plate 60 (for example, the center frame 86 (see FIG. 2)) are not shown.

[0091] As shown in Figure 5, a through hole 60a that penetrates the thickness of the base plate 60 is formed by router processing on the lower side (lower side in Figure 5) of the central opening in the direction of gravity where the center frame 86 (see Figure 2) is attached.

[0092] The through-hole 60a is formed slightly smaller than the outer shape of the front unit 940, which will be described later, when viewed from the front, and the drive unit 960 and the specific winning port unit 950, which are arranged in the front unit 940, are inserted inside.

[0093] On the base plate 60, a winning opening unit 930 is arranged from the playing area (front) side, and a ball throwing unit 970 is arranged from the opposite side (back) of the playing area, and each is fastened and fixed with tapping screws, etc. The detailed configurations of the winning opening unit 930 and the ball throwing unit 970 will be described later.

[0094] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the game board 13 taken along line VI-VI in Figure 2. Figure 6 illustrates the arrangement of the winning opening unit 930 and the ball throwing unit 970 in an assembled state.

[0095] As shown in Figure 6, the connection between the passages of the front unit 940 and the ball throwing unit 970 is such that they abut in the front-to-back direction (left-to-right direction in Figure 6), and the convex portion formed on the ball throwing unit 970 is inserted into the protrusion formed on the front unit 940.

[0096] More specifically, between first ball throwing section 942g and inlet 982d, second protrusion 982d1 formed on inlet 982d is positioned inside first notch 942g1 formed in first ball throwing section 942g. Furthermore, between second ball throwing section 942c and side wall 981b, protrusion 981b1 formed on side wall 981b is positioned inside second notch 942c1 formed in second ball throwing section 942c. This facilitates alignment of front unit 940 and ball throwing unit 970 when assembling them to base plate 60.

[0097] Next, the overall configuration of the ball throwing unit 970 will be described with reference to Figures 7 and 8. Figure 7(a) is a front view of the ball throwing unit 970, and Figure 7(b) is a side view of the ball throwing unit 970. Figure 8(a) is an exploded perspective front view of the ball throwing unit 970, and Figure 8(b) is an exploded perspective rear view of the ball throwing unit 970.

[0098] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, the ball throwing unit 970 is formed by comprising a distribution unit 980 arranged on the player side (playing area side) and having a space inside through which game balls can be inserted, and a passage unit 990 arranged on the opposite side of the distribution unit 980 from the playing area.

[0099] The sorting unit 980 has an opening (inlet 982d and side wall 981b) that is continuous with the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 140 of the above-mentioned winning opening unit 930, and can receive inside the opening (inlet 982d and side wall 981b) game balls that are sent to the opposite side of the game area via the first winning opening 64 and the second winning opening 140. The sorting unit 980 will be described in detail later.

[0100] The passage unit 990 is disposed on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) of the sorting unit 980. The passage unit 990 has a plurality of openings (first insertion hole 991a to second insertion hole 991d) on the surface facing the sorting unit 980, and game balls sent inside the sorting unit 980 can be received through these openings. The passage unit 990 will be described in detail later.

[0101] Next, the configuration of the sorting unit 980 will be described in detail with reference to Figures 9 to 12. Figure 9(a) is a front view of the sorting unit 980, and Figure 9(b) is a side view of the sorting unit 980. Figure 10 is an exploded perspective front view of the sorting unit 980, and Figure 11 is an exploded perspective rear view of the sorting unit 980. Figure 12(a) is a cross-sectional view of the sorting unit 980 taken along line XIIa-XIIa in Figure 9(a), and Figure 12(b) is a cross-sectional view of the sorting unit 980 taken along line XIIb-XIIb in Figure 12(a).

[0102] As shown in Figures 9 to 12, the distribution unit 980 is mainly formed by a rear base 985, a front base 981 arranged on the player side of the rear base 985, a distribution section 983 arranged in a rotatable state between the front base 981 and the rear base, and a cover member 987 arranged on the rear side of the rear base 985 in a position corresponding to the distribution section 983.

[0103] The rear base 985 is formed from a colored translucent resin material (blue in this embodiment), and is mainly formed with a base portion 985a formed in a plate-like body, a plurality of openings (openings 985b to 985g) penetrating the thickness direction of the base portion 985a, a recess 985h recessed on the other side of the plurality of openings in the direction of gravity (upward in the direction of gravity), and a storage portion 986b and a protruding portion 986e protruding from the opposite surface of the recess 985h.

[0104] The base portion 985a is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is provided with a plurality of fastening holes 986c and 986d that penetrate in a circular shape at its outer edge, and an inclined surface 986a that is inclined toward one side in the direction of gravity on the side opposite the front base 981. The fastening holes 986c are holes into which screws that are inserted through the front base 981 (described later) are threaded. This allows the front base 981 and the rear base 985 to be fastened together. Furthermore, the fastening holes 986d are holes into which screws that are inserted through the passage unit 990 (described later) are threaded. This allows the rear base 985 (sorting unit 980) and the passage unit 990 to be fastened together.

[0105] The inclined surface 986a is formed at a position overlapping with a portion of the other side of the openings 985b to 985f (described later) in the direction of gravity. The inclined surface 986a is also formed at a position facing the inclined portion 982b of the front base 981 when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. This allows the gaming balls flowing downward in the direction of gravity to be guided toward the openings 985b to 985f. As a result, the gaming balls can be more easily guided into the openings 985b to 985f.

[0106] The recess 985h is recessed toward the side opposite the front base 981 (the front side of the paper in FIG. 9(b)), and is formed at approximately the center of the base portion 985a in the short direction (the left-right direction in FIG. 9(b)). The recess 985h is formed with a size large enough to accommodate a part of the distribution portion 983 (described later) on the inside, and is provided with a bearing portion 985j that protrudes in an annular shape on the bottom surface. The bearing portion 985j is a hole into which one end of a shaft member 988a that pivotally supports the distribution portion 983 is inserted, and is formed with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 988a.

[0107] The openings 985b and 985c are formed at both ends of the base portion 985a in the short direction, and the dimensions of the inner edges are set to be larger than the diameter of the gaming ball. The openings 985b and 985c are formed so that the inner surfaces on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) are inclined downward as they go toward the side opposite the front base 981. This allows the gaming balls flowing in from the front base 981 side to roll toward the side opposite the front base 981 side.

[0108] The opening 985d is formed at approximately the center in the short-side direction (left-right direction in FIG. 9(b)) of the base portion 985a, and its position in the direction of gravity (up-down direction in FIG. 9(b)) is set at approximately the same position as the openings 985b and 985c. Also, like the openings 985b and 985c, the opening 985d is formed so that the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) slopes downward as it heads toward the side opposite the front base 981. This allows the game balls flowing in from the front base 981 side to roll toward the side opposite the front base 981 side.

[0109] The opening 985e is formed between the openings 985b and 985d, and the opening 985f is formed between the openings 985c and 985d. The openings 985e and 985f are formed mainly by inlet passages 985e1 and 985f1 in the space that open to the front base 981 side, outlet passages 985e3 and 985f3 in the space that open to the side opposite the front base 981 side, and intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2 that extend in the direction of gravity and communicate the inlet passages 985e1 and 985f1 and the outlet passages 985e3 and 985f3.

[0110] The inflow passages 985e1, 985f1 are connected to a first passage TR1 and a second passage TR2 formed between the opposing front base 981 and rear base 985, which will be described later, and are formed to a size that allows game balls to pass through. This allows game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage to flow into the inflow passages 985e1, 985f1.

[0111] The intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 are formed to extend in the direction of gravity, and the other side in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity) is connected to the inflow passages 985e1, 985f1 and is formed to a size that allows game balls to pass through. This allows game balls passing through the inflow passages 985e1, 985f1 to flow into the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2.

[0112] Further, the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2 are formed with a recessed portion 985f4 recessed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the throwing direction of the gaming ball (the direction of gravity). The recessed portion 985f4 is a notch for disposing the detection device SE3 described later inside, and is set to have substantially the same outer shape as the detection device SE3 when viewed from behind. This allows the detection device SE3 to be inserted and disposed from the rear side of the base portion 985a (the side opposite to the front base 981).

[0113] The detection device SE3 is a device that detects the passage of a gaming ball, and has a detection hole SE1a formed therethrough in the thickness direction, the detection hole SE1a having an inner diameter slightly larger than that of the gaming ball. The detection hole SE1a is formed biased to one side or the other of the longitudinal direction of the detection device SE3, which is arranged in a horizontally elongated rectangular state when viewed from the rear, and a detection board SE1b that controls the detection device SE3 is arranged on the other side or the other of the longitudinal direction where the detection hole SE1a is not formed.

[0114] In this embodiment, when the detection device SE3 detects the passage of a gaming ball, five prize balls are paid out and a lottery for the first symbol is executed. In response to this lottery, the third symbol display device 81 executes a variable display of the third symbol.

[0115] Furthermore, the detection device SE3 is arranged such that the axial direction of the detection hole SE1a is parallel to the extension direction of the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2, and the internal space of the detection hole SE1a and the space of the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2 are approximately aligned. This allows the gaming ball to pass through the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3 when it flows down from the other side of the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2 in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity) to one side of the intermediate passages 985e2 and 985f2 in the direction of gravity (lower side in the direction of gravity). This allows the gaming ball passing through the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 to be detected.

[0116] In addition, since the axial direction of the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3 is formed parallel to the direction of gravity, it is possible to easily utilize the weight of the game ball when sending the game ball to the detection hole SE1a. As a result, it is possible to prevent the game ball from getting caught on the connecting portion between the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 and the detection hole SE1a.

[0117] The recessed portions 985e4, 985f4 are formed so as to be continuous with the spaces of the inlet passages 985e1, 985f1 and the outlet passages 985e3, 985f3. That is, the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 are formed using the detection device SE3. This prevents the length of the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 in the direction of gravity from increasing. As a result, the rear base 985 is prevented from increasing in size in the direction of gravity.

[0118] The discharge passages 985e3, 985f3 are connected to one side of the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 in the gravity direction (the lower side in the gravity direction) and are formed to a size that allows game balls to pass through. Furthermore, the discharge passages 985e3, 985f3 are connected to a third insertion hole 991c and a fourth insertion hole 991d of the passage unit 990, which will be described later, when the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. This allows game balls that pass through the intermediate passages 985e2, 985f2 to flow into the discharge passages 985e3, 985f3 and can be sent to the passage unit 990 by passing through that space.

[0119] The opening 985g is formed on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) of the opening 985d. Similarly to the opening 985d, the inner surface of the opening 985g on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) is formed so as to slope downward as it heads toward the side opposite the front base 981. This allows the game balls flowing in from the front base 981 side to roll toward the side opposite the front base 981.

[0120] The inflow passages 985e1, 985f1 are connected to a first passage TR1 and a second passage TR2 formed between the opposing front base 981 and rear base 985, which will be described later, and are formed to a size that allows game balls to pass through. This allows game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 to flow into the inflow passages 985e1, 985f1.

[0121] The accommodation portion 986b is formed from a pair of semicircular rings. The accommodation portion 986b is a portion that accommodates the magnetic body 988b (described later) inside, and its inner diameter is set to be approximately the same as the outer diameter of the magnetic body 988b, which is formed into a cylindrical body. The protruding dimension of the accommodation portion 986b is set to be larger than the axial dimension of the magnetic body 988b. This allows the magnetic body 988b to be accommodated inside the accommodation portion 986b. Furthermore, because the accommodation portion 986b is formed from a pair of semicircular rings, even if the outer diameter of the magnetic body 988b is formed slightly larger due to a manufacturing error, the magnetic body 988b can be disposed by elastically deforming the pair of semicircular rings.

[0122] The protruding portion 986e is cylindrical and protrudes from a position opposite the bearing portion 985j and the base portion 985a. The protruding portion 986e also has a fastening hole recessed in a circular shape on its axis. The fastening hole is a hole into which the tip of a screw that will pass through a cover member 987 (described later) is threaded. By threading the screw while the cover member 987 is in contact, the cover member 987 can be fastened and fixed to the rear surface base 985.

[0123] The magnetic body 988b is made of a magnet, and by being disposed in the housing portion 986b, it is possible to generate a magnetic field on the front base 981 side via the base portion 985a. This causes the magnetic body 988c disposed in the sorting portion 983 (described later) to repel, making it easier to displace the sorting portion 983.

[0124] The front base 981 is made of a colored translucent resin material (blue in this embodiment). The front base 981 is formed in a generally rectangular shape larger than the rear base 985 when viewed from the front, and is formed mainly with a base plate 981a and a bulging portion 982 that bulges out from the base plate 981a toward the player (the side opposite the rear base 986).

[0125] The base plate 981a is formed as a plate member having a generally rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is mainly formed with a plurality of insertion holes 981g penetrating in the thickness direction of its outer peripheral edge, a first guide wall 981f and a second guide wall 981d protruding toward the rear base 985, a second insertion hole 981e penetrating near the first guide wall 981f and the second guide wall 981d, and a through hole 981c penetrating in the thickness direction on one side of the bulge portion 982 in the direction of gravity (downward in the direction of gravity).

[0126] Insertion hole 981g is a hole through which a screw (not shown) that fastens assembled ball throwing unit 970 to base plate 60 (see FIG. 5) is inserted, and is set to have an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the tip of the screw.

[0127] The first guide wall 981f is formed in a semicircular ring shape, and is formed as a pair in the short side direction with a bulging portion 982 (described later) sandwiched therebetween. The first guide wall 981f is formed with the open portion of the semicircle facing toward approximately the center of the base plate 981a in the short side direction.

[0128] The second guide wall 981d is formed in an annular shape and is formed at two locations in the short direction of the base plate 981a. The second guide wall 981d is formed below a bulging portion 982 (described later) in the direction of gravity, and a through-hole 981c is formed between the two locations.

[0129] The first guide wall 981f and the second guide wall 981d have inner edge shapes that are substantially the same as the outer shape around the fastening hole 986c of the above-described rear base 985. This allows the wall portions around the fastening hole 986c to be inserted inside the first guide wall 981f and the second guide wall 981d when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined, thereby allowing the first guide wall 981f and the second guide wall 981d to be positioned.

[0130] The second insertion hole 981e is formed at the center of the semicircle of the first guide wall 981f and the center of the second guide wall 981d. The second insertion hole 981e is formed coaxially with the fastening hole 986c when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are assembled, and the front base 981 and the rear base 985 can be fastened together by inserting a screw from the front base 981 side and threading it into the fastening hole 986d.

[0131] The through-hole 981c is formed in the shape of a square with one side greater than the diameter of a gaming ball. The through-hole 981c is also formed with a side wall portion 981b erected along its edge on the opposite side (the front side of the paper in FIG. 9(a)) from the rear base 985 side. The through-hole 981c is a portion that communicates with the second winning opening 140 of the above-mentioned winning opening unit 930, and is formed in a position that overlaps with the rolling direction of the gaming ball that has flowed into the second winning opening 140 when the winning opening unit 930 and the ball throwing unit 970 are attached to the base plate 60.

[0132] The side wall portion 981b is formed with dimensions such that its upright tip surface abuts against the second ball throwing portion 942c of the winning opening unit 930 when the winning opening unit 930 and the ball throwing unit 970 are attached to the base plate 60. In addition, the side wall portion 981b has a rolling surface 981c1 on the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) that is positioned closer to the one side in the direction of gravity than the end surface 943a1 of the rolling portion 943a, and is formed to slope downward toward the rear base 985 side (see FIG. 6).

[0133] Furthermore, the side wall portion 981b has a protrusion 981b1 protruding from the upright tip surface. The protrusion 981b1 is formed at a position radially spaced apart from the rolling surface 981c1 in the direction of gravity. This makes it less likely for the gaming ball to become caught between the rolling portion 943a and the through hole 981c when the gaming ball is sent from the end surface 943a1 of the rolling portion 943a to the rolling surface 981c1 of the through hole 981c. A detailed explanation of the case where the gaming ball is sent from the end surface 943a1 of the rolling portion 943a to the rolling surface 981c1 of the through hole 981c will be given later.

[0134] The bulging portion 982 is formed in a dome shape bulging from the base plate 981a, and is set to a size that allows a gaming ball to pass inside thereof, and is provided with a ball throwing passage TR0 through which a gaming ball flowing in from an inlet 982d passes, and a first passage TR1 and a second passage TR2 branching off from the ball throwing passage TR0. The bulging portion 982 is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and is mainly provided with an inlet 982d formed by cutting out an upper end portion in the direction of gravity, an erected wall 982a that is bent and erected toward the rear base 985 side at a substantially central position when viewed from the front, and recesses 982e to 982j recessed at multiple locations on the other side in the direction of gravity.

[0135] The inlet 982d is formed by cutting out a generally U-shape when viewed from the front. The inlet 982d is formed at a position where an inner edge portion thereof overlaps with the rolling direction of a game ball that has flowed into the first winning opening 64 of the winning opening unit 930 when the winning opening unit 930 and the ball sending unit 970 are attached to the base plate 60.

[0136] The inlet 982d is also provided with a second protrusion 982d1 at the edge on the other side in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity) that protrudes in the direction opposite to the rear base 985. The second protrusion 982d1 is formed in the shape of the inner edge of the first recessed portion 942g1 of the winning opening unit 930 described above, and when the winning opening unit 930 and the ball throwing unit 970 are disposed on the base plate 60, the second protrusion 982d1 abuts against the inner edge of the first recessed portion 942g1.

[0137] Furthermore, the distance L14 (see FIG. 9(a)) from the second protrusion 982d1 to the end face of the inlet 982d on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) is set to be larger than the distance L35 (see FIG. 87(b)) from the inner edge of the first recessed portion 942g1 to the inner edge of the first ball throwing portion 942g on one side in the direction of gravity. This makes it less likely that a game ball thrown to the first ball throwing portion 942g through the first winning opening 64 will be caught between the inlet 982d (bulge 982) and the first ball throwing portion 942g when it flows into the inlet 982d.

[0138] The standing wall 982a is formed in a rectangular shape in a front view at a predetermined interval from the outer edge shape of the bulging portion 982. The standing wall 982a is formed on the lower side of the inlet 982d in the direction of gravity, and is formed with an abutment portion 982a1 formed in a triangular shape in the standing direction on the upper side in the direction of gravity.

[0139] The vertical wall 982a is spaced from the inner edge of the outer periphery of the bulging portion 982 by a horizontal distance L16 (see Figure 12(b)) that is set to be larger than the diameter of the game ball, and a first passage TR1 and a second passage TR2 are formed between the opposing sides as spaces through which the game ball can pass.

[0140] The first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 are formed downstream of a distribution section 983, which will be described later, and gaming balls passing through the distribution section 983 are sent to either one of them. The distribution section 983 is set so that gaming balls flowing into the inlet 982d can be sent alternately to the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2. This makes it possible to prevent the sending of gaming balls flowing into the first winning port 64 from becoming monotonous. As a result, it is possible to prevent the player's interest from being lost.

[0141] A bearing portion 982c is formed on the other side in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity) of the standing wall 982a, protruding in an annular shape from the inner surface of the bulging portion 982 toward the rear base 985. The bearing portion 982c is a portion that supports the other end side of a shaft member 988a that pivotally supports a distribution portion 983 (described later), and its inner diameter is set to be approximately the same as the outer diameter of the shaft member 988a. Therefore, by inserting the shaft member 988a into the bearing portion 982c, the other end side of the shaft member 988a can be supported.

[0142] Furthermore, as described above, one end of the shaft member 988a is inserted into the bearing portion 985j of the rear base 985. Therefore, when combining the front base 981 and the rear base 985, one end of the shaft member 988a is inserted into the bearing portion 985j and the other end of the shaft member 988a is inserted into the bearing portion 982c, thereby making it possible to support the shaft member 988a between the front base 981 and the rear base 985.

[0143] The contact portion 982a1 is formed on the rotation trajectory of the sorting portion 983, which will be described later, and the contact of the action portion 983a of the sorting portion 983 restricts the amount of rotational displacement of the sorting portion 983. The contact state between the contact portion 982a1 and the sorting portion 983 will be described in detail later.

[0144] The recesses 982e and 982f are recessed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 from the inner surface on one side in the gravity direction (the lower side in the gravity direction) of the bulging portion 982. Furthermore, inside the recesses 982e and 982f, a first branch passage BK1 or a second branch passage BK2 is formed as a space communicating with the first passage TR1 or the second passage TR2.

[0145] The first branch passage BK1 is connected to the opening 985b of the rear base 985 when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Therefore, the first branch passage BK1 is formed to be able to receive game balls flowing down the first passage TR1, and is also able to allow the received game balls to flow into the opening 985b of the rear base 985.

[0146] The second branch passage BK2 is connected to the opening 985c of the rear base 985 when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Therefore, the second branch passage BK2 is formed to be able to receive game balls flowing down the second passage TR2, and is also able to allow the received game balls to flow into the opening 985c of the rear base 985.

[0147] The recesses 982h and 982j are recessed in the extension direction of the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 from the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) of the bulging portion 982. That is, the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 are extended toward the one side in the direction of gravity by the amount of the recesses 982h and 982j.

[0148] The first passage TR1 is connected to the opening 985e of the rear base 985 when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined together. Therefore, the first passage TR1 receives game balls that have flowed into the inlet 982d, and allows the game balls that have flowed in to flow into the opening 985e of the rear base 985.

[0149] The second passage TR2 is connected to the opening 985f of the rear base 985 when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Therefore, the second passage TR2 receives the game balls that have flowed into the inlet 982d, and allows the game balls that have flowed in to flow into the opening 985f of the rear base 985.

[0150] The recess 982g is formed between the recess 982h and the recess 982j, and its recessed direction is set parallel to the extension direction of the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2. Furthermore, inside the recess 982g, a third branch passage BK3 is formed as a space communicating with the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2. Therefore, since the third branch passage BK3 communicating with the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 is formed between the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2, the sorting unit 980 can be made smaller.

[0151] The third branch passage BK3 is connected to the opening 985d of the rear base 985 when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. Therefore, the third branch passage BK3 is formed to be able to receive game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 or the second passage TR2, and is also able to allow the received game balls to flow into the opening 985d of the rear base 985.

[0152] The inclined portion 982b is formed on one side in the direction of gravity of the bulging portion 982 (the lower side in the direction of gravity), and is extended at an angle toward the rear base 985 toward that side in the direction of gravity. Furthermore, the inclined portion 982b is formed at a position facing the opening 985b and the opening 985f when the front base 981 and the rear base 985 are combined. This allows game balls flowing down the first passage TR1, the second passage TR2, the first branch passage BK1, the second branch passage BK2, and the third branch passage BK3 to come into contact with the inclined portion 982b, thereby guiding the flowing game balls toward the openings 985b to 985f and making it easier for them to flow into the openings 985b to 985f.

[0153] The guide portions 982h1, 982j1 are connected to the recesses 982h and 982j and the inclined portion 982b, and the erected tip surfaces are inclined downward toward the rear base 985 side (the front side of the paper in FIG. 9(b)). This allows the game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 to come into contact with the erected tip surfaces of the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 and be guided toward the openings 985e and 985f, making it easier for the game balls to flow into the openings 985e and 985f.

[0154] Furthermore, the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 are formed to be connected to the inclined portion 982b. This allows game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 to come into contact with the inclined portion 982b and be guided toward the rear base 985 while colliding with the guide portions 982h1, 982j1, thereby facilitating the flow of the game balls into the openings 985e and 985f. Furthermore, the inclination of the inclined portion 982b allows the erection distance of the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 to be reduced, thereby increasing the rigidity of the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 and improving their durability.

[0155] As described above, the sorting unit 980 (ball throwing unit 970) is visible to the player through the front unit 940 (winning port unit 930) disposed on the player's side. Therefore, gaming balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2 are difficult to see from the player's side because of the front unit 940. Furthermore, when the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 are erected on the front side of the openings 985e and 985f, there is a problem in that the thickness of the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 makes it difficult for the player to see the gaming balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2.

[0156] In contrast, in the present embodiment, the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 are formed to be connected to the inclined portion 982b, so that the erection dimension of the inclined portion 982b can be reduced. Therefore, it is possible to make it easier to see the game balls sent to the openings 985e and 985f (the game balls flowing down the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2) even when viewed through the front unit 940. That is, in the present embodiment, the inclined portion 982b is inclined so as to be positioned closer to the rear base 985 as it moves in the direction in which the game ball flows down, so that it is possible to ensure rigidity and guide the game ball while reducing the thickness of the guide portions 982h1, 982j1 in the front-to-rear direction, and therefore it is possible to ensure visibility of the game ball.

[0157] The distributing portion 983 has a thickness slightly smaller than the dimension between the opposing front base 981 and rear base 985, and is formed in a generally T-shape when viewed from the front. The distributing portion 983 is mainly formed by an acting portion 983a on one side of the T-shape, an intermediate plate 983b protruding from approximately the center of the extending direction of the acting portion 983a, a through-hole 983c passing through the connecting portion of the acting portion 983a and the intermediate plate 983b, a contact portion 983d bulging out in a circular shape around the axis of the through-hole 983c, and a wall portion 983e formed by connecting the acting portion 983a and the intermediate plate 983b on the rear base 985 side.

[0158] The through-hole 983c is a hole into which the shaft member 988a supported between the opposing front base 981 and rear base 985 is inserted, and is formed to be slightly larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 988a. As a result, when assembling the front base 981 and rear base 985, by inserting the shaft member 988a into the through-hole 983c of the sorting unit 983, the sorting unit 983 is disposed between the opposing front base 981 and rear base 985 in a rotatable state.

[0159] The intermediate plate 983b is formed to extend radially outward from the through-hole 983c, and when the displacement of the distribution section 983 is restricted by rotation to one side or the other, the distance L17 (see FIG. 12(b)) from its tip to the inside of the intermediate plate 983b is set to a dimension smaller than the diameter of the gaming ball. This restricts the throwing of the gaming ball to one or the other of the first passage TR1 or the second passage TR2. Furthermore, when the distribution section 983 is rotated around the through-hole 983c, the intermediate plate 983b can be switched from a state in which the throwing of the gaming ball is restricted to one side of the first passage TR1 to a state in which the throwing of the gaming ball is restricted to the other side of the second passage TR2.

[0160] The action portion 983a is formed to extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to the extension direction of the intermediate plate 983b in a front view. Furthermore, the connection position of the action portion 983a with the abutment portion 983d is set to one side in the direction of gravity (downward in the direction of gravity) of the connection position of the action portion 983a with the abutment portion 983d of the intermediate plate 983b. This causes a game ball sent to the distribution portion 983 through the inlet 982d to be in a state in which a load is applied to the action portion 983a. As a result, the distribution portion 983 is rotationally displaced about the through-hole 983c.

[0161] The wall portion 983e is connected to the action portion 983a and the intermediate plate 983b and is formed in a substantially semicircular plate shape when viewed in the axial direction of the through-hole 983c. The wall portion 983e is formed to protrude outward from the action portion 983a and the intermediate plate 983b in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the through-hole 983c, and its thickness is set to be smaller than the recessed dimension of the recess 985h in the rear base 985 described above. Therefore, when the distribution portion 983 is disposed between the opposing rear base 985 and the front base 981, the wall portion 983e can be disposed inside the recess 985h. This prevents game balls sent from the inlet 982d into the distribution unit 980 from getting caught inside the recess 985h, thereby preventing the flow of the game balls from being obstructed.

[0162] The wall portion 983e also includes a housing portion 983e1 on the rear surface side of the intermediate plate 983b, at the radially outer end from the through-hole 983c, recessed toward the intermediate plate 983b. The housing portion 983e1 is a portion that houses a cylindrical magnetic body 988c therein, and is recessed in a circular shape with an inner diameter substantially the same as the outer diameter of the magnetic body 988c. The housing portion 983e1 is recessed from the rear base 985 side toward the front base 981 side, and the magnetic body 988c is housed inside from the rear base 985 side.

[0163] The magnetic body 988c is formed from a magnet and is disposed in a state where it repels the magnetic body 988b disposed on the rear base 985. As a result, the magnetic force from the magnetic body 988b disposed on the rear base 985 acts on the magnetic body 988c of the sorting unit 983, causing the magnetic body 988c to rotate about the through-hole 983c as an axis, so that the extending direction of the acting portion 983a can be tilted to one side or the other.

[0164] Furthermore, because magnetic body 988c and magnetic body 988b are arranged in a state where they are repelled by each other and because housing portion 983e1 is recessed toward the front side, magnetic body 988c inserted into housing portion 983e1 can be prevented from slipping out of housing portion 983e1. That is, because no part is required to lock magnetic body 988c inserted into housing portion 983e1, the structure of sorting portion 983 can be simplified and magnetic body 988c can be easily disposed in sorting portion 983.

[0165] The magnetic force of the magnetic bodies 988b and 988c is set to a magnetic force smaller than the load of the game ball. This prevents the game ball sent inside the sorting unit 980 from being magnetically attracted to the magnetic bodies 988b and 988c and from stagnating inside the sorting unit 980.

[0166] The cover member 987 is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from above, and is disposed on the opposite side of the recess 985h of the rear base 985 from the front base 981. The cover member 987 is also formed with two recesses, a first recess 987a and a second recess 987b, which are recessed side by side in the direction of gravity and have a circular shape when viewed from the front.

[0167] The first recess 987a is a portion that accommodates the above-described accommodation portion 986b of the rear base 985 inside, and is set to have an inner diameter that is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the accommodation portion 986b. Therefore, by accommodating the tip of the accommodation portion 986b in the first recess 987a with the magnetic body 988b accommodated inside the accommodation portion 986b as described above, it is possible to prevent the magnetic body 988b accommodated inside the accommodation portion 986b from slipping out of the accommodation portion 986b.

[0168] The second recess 987b has a through hole 987b1 in its recessed bottom surface for fastening to the rear surface base 985. The inner shape of the recessed portion of the second recess 987b is formed to have approximately the same inner diameter as the outer diameter of the protruding portion 986e of the rear surface base 985. This allows the cover member 987 to be positioned by accommodating the second recess 987b in the protruding portion 986e of the rear surface base 985, and also allows screws to be fastened into fastening holes in the protruding portion 986e through the through hole 987b1 in the positioned state.

[0169] Next, with reference to Figure 13, the operation of the distribution section 983 when a gaming ball flows into the distribution unit 980 from the inlet 982d will be described. Figures 13(a) and 13(b) are partially enlarged cross-sectional views of the distribution unit 980 in the range XIIIa of Figure 12(b). Note that, hereinafter, only the case where the action section 983a of the distribution section 983 is displaced from a state in which it restricts the throwing of the gaming ball to one side of the first passage TR1 to a state in which it restricts the throwing of the gaming ball to the other side of the second passage TR2 will be described, and a description of the case where it restricts the throwing of the gaming ball to one side of the first passage TR1 from a state in which it restricts the throwing of the gaming ball to the other side of the second passage TR2 will be omitted.

[0170] 13(a) and 13(b), before a game ball is sent to the distribution section 983 (before the game ball abuts on the action section 983a), as described above, the magnetic body 988c arranged in the distribution section 983 repels the magnetic body 988b (see FIG. 10), so that the intermediate plate 983b radially outward from the through hole 983c is tilted toward the second passage TR2 side. Note that the action section 983a on the second passage TR2 side abuts on the abutment section 982a1 of the front base 981, thereby restricting the amount of rotation (see FIG. 13(a)).

[0171] When the gaming ball is sent to the distribution unit 983 in this state, the gaming ball is sent between the intermediate plate 983b and the action unit 983a on the first passage TR1 side. As described above, the connecting position of the action unit 983a with the contact unit 983d is set to one side in the direction of gravity (lower in the direction of gravity) than the connecting position of the action unit 983a with the contact unit 983d of the intermediate plate 983b, so that the weight of the gaming ball can be applied to the action unit 983a on the first passage TR1 side.

[0172] 13(b), the distributing portion 983 is rotated about the through hole 983c as an axis, and the intermediate plate 983b radially outward from the through hole 983c is tilted toward the first passage TR1 side. Note that the amount of rotation is restricted by the action portion 983a on the first passage TR1 side abutting against the abutment portion 982a1 of the front base 981. In addition, in this case, the repulsive direction of the magnetic body 988c is switched from a state in which the intermediate plate 983b radially outward from the through hole 983c acts toward the second passage TR2 side to a state in which the magnetic body 988c acts toward the first passage TR1 side.

[0173] Therefore, the distribution unit 983 can be rotated about the through-hole 983c by utilizing the load of the gaming balls and the repulsive force of the magnetic body 988c. Furthermore, since the direction of the repulsive force of the magnetic body 988c is switched, the rotated state of the distribution unit 983 can be maintained. Therefore, the distribution unit 983 can change the tilt direction of the intermediate plate 983b each time a gaming ball is sent, and send the gaming balls one by one to the first passage TR1 and the second passage TR2.

[0174] Next, the configuration of the passage unit 990 will be described with reference to Figures 14 to 16. Figure 14(a) is a front view of the passage unit 990, and Figure 14(b) is a side view of the passage unit 990. Figure 15 is an exploded perspective front view of the passage unit 990, and Figure 16 is an exploded perspective rear view of the passage unit 990.

[0175] As shown in Figures 14 to 16, the passage unit 990 is formed mainly by including a first passage member 991 having a plurality of openings that open on the distribution unit 980 side, a second passage member 992 that is arranged in the first passage member 991 and sends game balls that pass through the first passage member 991, a third passage member 993 that is arranged in the second passage member 992 and sends game balls that have passed through the second passage member 992, and a detection device SE4 that is arranged between the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993.

[0176] The first passage member 991 is formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular shape in a front view, and is formed with a predetermined width on the side of the second passage member 992. The first passage member 991 is mainly formed with a first insertion hole 991a penetrating on the other side in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity) on the sorting unit 980 side, a second insertion hole 991b penetrating on one side in the direction of gravity of the first insertion hole 991a (lower side in the direction of gravity), a third insertion hole 991c and a fourth insertion hole 991d penetrating on both sides horizontally of the second insertion hole 991b, and a plurality of through holes 991f penetrating in a circular shape around the outer periphery in a front view.

[0177] The first insertion hole 991a is formed in a square shape with one side longer than the diameter of a gaming ball when viewed from the front. Furthermore, the first insertion hole 991a is formed at a position where the internal space is connected to the opening 985d of the distribution unit 980 when the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. This allows gaming balls that flow down the inside of the distribution unit 980 and pass through the opening 985d to be received in the first insertion hole 991a.

[0178] Moreover, the first insertion hole 991a is formed so that the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) is inclined downward toward the second passage member 992. This allows the game ball sent to the first insertion hole 991a to roll toward the second passage member 992.

[0179] Furthermore, an annular protrusion 991g having a circular ring shape and provided with a fastening hole 991g1 for threadably engaging with a screw for inserting the second passage member 992 is formed and connected to the outer periphery of the first insertion hole 991a. This allows the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 to be fastened and fixed together.

[0180] The second insertion hole 991b is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and the width dimension in the short direction is set to be larger than the diameter of the gaming ball. Furthermore, the second insertion hole 991b is formed at a position where the internal space is connected to the opening 985g of the distribution unit 980 when the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. This allows gaming balls that flow down the inside of the distribution unit 980 and pass through the opening 985g to be received in the second insertion hole 991b.

[0181] Moreover, the second insertion hole 991b is formed so that the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) is inclined downward toward the second passage member 992. This allows the game ball sent to the second insertion hole 991b to roll toward the second passage member 992.

[0182] The third insertion hole 991c is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and the width dimension in the short direction is set to be larger than the diameter of the gaming ball. Furthermore, the third insertion hole 991c is formed at a position where the internal space of the opening 985e of the distribution unit 980 is continuous when the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. This allows gaming balls that flow down the inside of the distribution unit 980 (first passage TR1) and pass through the opening 985e to be received in the third insertion hole 991c.

[0183] The third insertion hole 991c also has recessed portions 991c1 recessed on both horizontal sides on the other side in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity). The recessed portions 991c1 are portions that house the detection board SE1b of the detection device SE3 arranged in the sorting unit 980, and are formed with dimensions that are substantially the same as the outer shape of the detection device SE3. This makes it possible to protect the detection board SE1b side of the detection device SE3 by the recessed portions 991c1, and to prevent unauthorized operation of the detection device SE3 from outside when the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined.

[0184] Furthermore, when sorting unit 980 and passage unit 990 are combined, detection board SE1b of detection device SE3 disposed in sorting unit 980 can be received inside recessed portion 991c1 of passage unit 990, thereby enabling positioning of sorting unit 980 and passage unit 990. This prevents a portion of detection device SE3 from protruding outward, allowing the overall size of ball throwing unit 970 to be reduced.

[0185] The third insertion hole 991c has a protruding portion 991c2 protruding from the second insertion hole 991b side on the inner edge on the second passage member 992 side, and the inner surface on one side in the gravity direction (the lower side in the gravity direction) is formed to be inclined downward in a direction away from the horizontally adjacent second insertion hole 991b. This allows the game ball that has flowed into the third insertion hole 991c to collide with the protruding portion 991c2 and to roll in a direction away from the second insertion hole 991b (leftward in FIG. 14(a)).

[0186] The fourth insertion hole 991d is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape in a front view, and the width dimension in the short direction is set to be larger than the diameter of a gaming ball. Furthermore, the fourth insertion hole 991d is formed at a position where the internal space of the opening 985f of the distribution unit 980 is continuous when the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. This allows gaming balls that flow down the inside of the distribution unit 980 (second passage TR2) and pass through the opening 985f to be received in the fourth insertion hole 991d.

[0187] The fourth insertion hole 991d also has recessed portions 991d1 recessed on both horizontal sides on the other side in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity). The recessed portions 991d1 are portions that house the detection board SE1b of the detection device SE3 disposed in the sorting unit 980, and are formed with dimensions that are substantially the same as the outer shape of the detection device SE3. This makes it possible to protect the detection board SE1b side of the detection device SE3 by the recessed portions 991d1, and to prevent unauthorized operation of the detection device SE3 from outside when the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined.

[0188] Furthermore, the fourth insertion hole 991d has a protruding portion 991d2 protruding from the second insertion hole 991b side on the inner edge on the second passage member 992 side, and the inner surface on one side in the gravity direction (the lower side in the gravity direction) is formed to be inclined downward in a direction away from the horizontally adjacent second insertion hole 991b. This allows the game ball that has flowed into the fourth insertion hole 991d to collide with the protruding portion 991d2 and to roll in a direction away from the second insertion hole 991b (to the right in FIG. 14(a)).

[0189] The second passage member 992 is formed as a roughly T-shaped plate that is upside down when viewed from the front, and is mainly formed with a fifth insertion hole 992b that penetrates to the other side in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity), a sixth insertion hole 992c that penetrates to one side in the direction of gravity of the fifth insertion hole 992b (lower side in the direction of gravity), and an erect wall 992a that is erected on the inner peripheral edge of the fifth insertion hole 992b.

[0190] The fifth insertion hole 992b is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape in a front view, and the width dimension in the short direction is set to be larger than the diameter of a gaming ball. Furthermore, the fifth insertion hole 992b is formed at a position where the internal space of the first insertion hole 991a of the first passage member 991 is continuous with that of the first insertion hole 991a of the first passage member 991 when the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 are combined. This allows a gaming ball passing through the first insertion hole 991a of the first passage member 991 to be received in the fifth insertion hole 992b.

[0191] The erected wall 992a is erected from the entire edge of the fifth insertion hole 992b toward the third passage member 993. The erected wall 992a is formed such that the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) is inclined downward toward the third passage member 993. This allows the game ball sent to the fifth insertion hole 992b to roll toward the third passage member 993 (the right side in FIG. 14(b)).

[0192] The outer peripheral surface of the standing wall 992a is formed with an engaging portion 992d that protrudes horizontally and a protruding wall 992e that protrudes horizontally from the end portion on the first passage member 991 side. The engaging portion 992d protrudes horizontally and is formed in an L-shape with its tip bent toward the third passage member 993 side. Wiring for a detection device SE4 (described later) and a detection device SE3 disposed in the sorting unit 980 is inserted between the engaging portion 992d and the standing wall 992a. This allows the wiring for the detection device SE3 and the detection device SE4 to be locked, thereby preventing the detection device SE3 and the detection device SE4 from coming off the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990.

[0193] The protruding walls 992e are formed to protrude semicircularly in front view on both sides of the standing wall 992a in the horizontal direction, and include through holes 992e1 that penetrate the axes of the semicircles. Furthermore, the protruding walls 992e are formed at positions facing the annular protrusion 991g of the first passage member 991 when the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 are combined, and the through holes 992e1 are positioned coaxially with the fastening holes 991g1. This allows the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 to be fastened and fixed by inserting screws into the through holes 992e1 from the second passage member 992 side and threading the screws into the fastening holes 991g1.

[0194] The sixth insertion hole 992c is formed in a square shape with one side longer than the diameter of a gaming ball when viewed from the front. Furthermore, the sixth insertion hole 992c is formed at a position where its internal space communicates with the internal space of the second insertion hole 991b of the first passage member 991 when the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 are combined. This allows a gaming ball passing through the second insertion hole 991b of the first passage member 991 to be received in the sixth insertion hole 992c.

[0195] Additionally, a guide wall 992c1 is formed around the sixth insertion hole 992c, standing toward the third passage member 993. The guide wall 992c1 is formed by a first wall portion 992c2 standing on one side of the sixth insertion hole 992c in the gravity direction (the lower side in the gravity direction), and a second wall portion 992c3 continuing from an end of the first wall portion 992c2 in the extension direction and extending in the gravity direction.

[0196] The first wall portion 992c2 and the second wall portion 992c3 are wall surfaces that serve to position the detection device SE4, and the dimension between the opposing upright wall 993e formed in the third passage member 993 and the engaging portion 993d is set to be approximately the same as the dimension between the opposing detection device SE4.

[0197] The detection device SE4 is disposed at a position where the internal space of the detection hole SE1a is connected to the internal space of the sixth insertion hole 992c. As a result, a game ball passing through the sixth insertion hole 992c passes through the detection hole SE1a and is detected by the detection device SE4, and is sent to the third passage member 993 side.

[0198] The second passage member 992 also has a circular protrusion 992f that protrudes toward the third passage member 993 at a position spaced apart from the sixth insertion hole 992c in the horizontal direction (left-right direction in FIG. 14(a)). The circular protrusion 992f has a circular fastening hole 992f1 on its axis. The fastening hole 992f1 is a hole into which a screw inserted through the third passage member 993 is threadedly engaged, thereby enabling the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 to be fastened and fixed together.

[0199] The first insertion hole 991a is formed in a square shape with one side longer than the diameter of a gaming ball when viewed from the front. Furthermore, the first insertion hole 991a is formed at a position where the internal space is connected to the opening 985d of the distribution unit 980 when the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. This allows gaming balls that flow down the inside of the distribution unit 980 and pass through the opening 985d to be received in the first insertion hole 991a.

[0200] Moreover, the first insertion hole 991a is formed so that the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) is inclined downward toward the second passage member 992. This allows the game ball sent to the first insertion hole 991a to roll toward the second passage member 992.

[0201] Furthermore, an annular protrusion 991g having a circular ring shape and provided with a fastening hole 991g1 for threadably engaging with a screw for inserting the second passage member 992 is formed and connected to the outer periphery of the first insertion hole 991a. This allows the first passage member 991 and the second passage member 992 to be fastened and fixed together.

[0202] The second insertion hole 991b is formed in a vertically elongated rectangular shape when viewed from the front, and the width dimension in the short direction is set to be larger than the diameter of the gaming ball. Furthermore, the second insertion hole 991b is formed at a position where the internal space is connected to the opening 985g of the distribution unit 980 when the distribution unit 980 and the passage unit 990 are combined. This allows gaming balls that flow down the inside of the distribution unit 980 and pass through the opening 985g to be received in the second insertion hole 991b.

[0203] Moreover, the second insertion hole 991b is formed so that the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in the direction of gravity) is inclined downward toward the second passage member 992. This allows the game ball sent to the second insertion hole 991b to roll toward the second passage member 992.

[0204] The third passage member 993 is formed in a horizontally elongated rectangular plate shape in a front view. The third passage member 993 is mainly formed with a seventh insertion hole 993a formed to penetrate the third passage member 993 at approximately the middle position in the longitudinal direction, a guide wall 993b erected from the edge of the seventh insertion hole 993a, an erect wall 993e erected from the edge on the other side in the direction of gravity towards the second passage member 992, an engagement portion 993d protruding in the longitudinal direction, and a recessed portion 993c recessed in the side surface on the second passage member 992 side.

[0205] The seventh insertion hole 993a is formed in a square shape with one side longer than the diameter of the gaming ball when viewed from the front. Furthermore, the seventh insertion hole 993a is formed at a position communicating with the internal space of the detection device SE4 disposed in the second passage member 992 when the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 are combined. This allows the gaming ball that has passed through the seventh insertion hole 993a of the second passage member 992 and the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE4 to be received in the seventh insertion hole 993a.

[0206] The guide walls 993b are erected from the edges of the seventh insertion hole 993a in three directions excluding the other side in the direction of gravity (upper side in the direction of gravity) toward the opposite side to the second passage member 992. The guide wall 993b is formed such that the inner surface on one side in the direction of gravity (lower side in the direction of gravity) is inclined upward toward the second passage member 992 (and inclined downward toward the opposite side to the second passage member 992). This allows the game ball sent to the seventh insertion hole 993a to roll toward the opposite side to the second passage member 992 (the right side in FIG. 14(b)).

[0207] 14(b), the third passage member 993 is disposed on one side in the direction of gravity (the lower side in FIG. 14(b)) of the standing wall 992a of the second passage member 992. As described above, the other side in the direction of gravity (the upper side in FIG. 14(b)) of the third passage member 993 is open, so the third passage member 993 can be disposed closer to the standing wall 992a. As a result, the opening 985d and the opening 985g of the above-mentioned sorting unit 980 can be brought closer to each other, and the outer dimensions of the sorting unit 980 and the passage unit 990 in the direction of gravity can be reduced in size.

[0208] When the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 are combined, the distance dimension between the erected wall 993e and the first wall portion 992c2 of the second passage member 992 is set to be substantially the same as the distance dimension on the short side in the direction perpendicular to the axis of the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE4. This allows the detection device SE4 to be positioned in the gravity direction.

[0209] In addition, a first wall portion 992c2 that positions the lower side of the detection device SE4 in the gravity direction is formed on the upstream side (second passage member 992 side) where the game ball is sent. This makes it easier for the game ball passing through the sixth insertion hole 992c to be inserted into the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE4.

[0210] That is, since the detection hole SE1a is formed to be slightly larger than the diameter of the gaming ball in order to prevent cheating by the player, a slight misalignment in the height of the rolling surface of the gaming ball would prevent the gaming ball from being inserted therein, but in this embodiment, a first wall portion 992c2 that positions the lower side of the detection device SE4 in the direction of gravity is formed on the upstream side (second passage member 992 side) where the gaming ball is sent, so that the height misalignment between the sixth insertion hole 992c, the detection hole SE1a, and the rolling surface can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to easily insert a gaming ball that is inserted through the sixth insertion hole 992c into the detection hole SE1a.

[0211] The engaging portion 993d is formed to protrude in the longitudinal direction of the third passage member 993, and includes a bent portion 993d1 at its protruding tip that bends toward the second passage member 992. When the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 are combined, the distance dimension between the bent portion 993d1 and the second wall portion 992c3 of the second passage member 992 is set to be approximately the same as the distance dimension on the longitudinal side in a direction perpendicular to the axis of the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE4. This allows the detection device SE4 to be positioned in the horizontal direction.

[0212] The recess 993c is formed at a position facing the annular protrusion 992f of the second passage member 992 when the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 are combined, and is formed with an inner edge shape that is larger than the outer diameter of the annular protrusion 992f. The recess 993c also has a through hole 993c1 formed in its recessed bottom surface and coaxially with the fastening hole 992f1 of the annular protrusion 992f. This allows the second passage member 992 and the third passage member 993 to be fastened and fixed together by inserting the annular protrusion 992f of the second passage member 992 into the recess 993c and inserting a screw through the through hole 993c1 from the third passage member 993 side and screwing it into the fastening hole 992f1.

[0213] According to the ball throwing unit 970 configured as described above, the ball throwing unit 970 is formed from a unit different from the first winning port 64 and the second winning port 140, and is arranged on the back side (opposite the game area) of the front unit 940 which has the first winning port 64 and the second winning port 140.Therefore, by replacing the ball throwing unit 970 (distribution unit 980) and arranging a different unit, a different game form can be achieved without affecting the flow of game balls flowing down the game area.

[0214] Next, a second embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 17 to 69. In the first embodiment, the first passage TR1 and second passage TR2 of the sorting unit 980 are formed as passages that guide the balls rearward without allowing them to return forward, but the sorting unit 300 of the second embodiment is configured to allow the balls to return forward. Note that the same parts as those in the above-mentioned embodiments are given the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted.

[0215] First, the configuration of the game board 13 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 17 to 35, and then the configuration of the operation unit 500 will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

[0216] 17 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board 13 and the operation unit 500 in the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 17, an internal opening is formed in the center frame 86 disposed inside the game board 13, and the player can see the operation unit 500 through this internal opening of the center frame 86.

[0217] In addition, in this embodiment, the base plate 60 of the game board 13 is formed from a light-transmitting resin material, so that the operating unit 500 can be viewed not only through the internal opening of the center frame 86, but also through the base plate 60 located outside the center frame 86.

[0218] Fig. 18 is a front view of the game board 13, Fig. 19 is a rear view of the game board 13, Fig. 20 is a front perspective view of the game board 13, and Fig. 21 is a rear perspective view of the game board 13. Fig. 18 also shows the windmill FS1 and nail KG1, which are not shown in Fig. 2.

[0219] In this embodiment, as described below, an upper connecting member 270 is provided which replaces the function of the nail of sorting the ball's flow path, and the nail KG1 is not arranged in the area where the upper connecting member 270 is arranged.

[0220] This makes it possible to prevent the non-transparency of the nail KG1 from acting as a drawback. In other words, by removing the nail KG1 from the upper position of the center frame 86 where the upper connecting member 270 is disposed (a position above the center frame 86 and below the outer rail 62), it is possible to prevent light passing through the upper position of the center frame 86 from being reflected in various directions or blocked by the nail KG1, thereby improving the visibility of the light effect at the upper position of the center frame 86. The mode of light effect at the upper position of the center frame 86 will be described later.

[0221] Figure 19 shows that the shape of the central opening 60b of the base plate 60 is formed as a recessed shape at the center position between the left and right, and also shows a sensor cover 254 that is used to hold the electrical wiring DH1 connected to the illumination board 251 placed in the recessed portion.

[0222] As shown in Figure 19, at a position below the center frame 86, a collecting gutter 480 that forms a path for balls that enter the general winning opening 63 to flow down is fastened to the back side of the base plate 60, and a wide decorative member 490 that is arranged above the collecting gutter 480 and is shaped to span the rear side of the first winning opening 64.

[0223] The collecting gutter 480 is made of a colorless and transparent resin material. This prevents the collecting gutter 480 from blocking light incident from the rear side. Also, when viewed from the front, the visibility of the balls that enter the general winning opening 63 and flow down the collecting gutter 480 can be improved.

[0224] The wide decorative member 490 is made of a colored and transparent (blue in this embodiment) resin material, which allows the wide decorative member 490 to stand out to a player viewing the game area from the front.

[0225] Wide decorative member 490 has fastening screw insertion holes 491 at the left and right ends. Fastening screws that are threaded into collecting gutter 480 are inserted into these insertion holes 491, and wide decorative member 490 is fastened and fixed to collecting gutter 480 by these fastening screws. This makes it possible to draw attention to wide decorative member 490 and to the balls flowing down collecting gutter 480.

[0226] The wide decorative member 490 is provided with a pair of left and right inclined forming portions 492 formed at the same inclination angle as the plate-shaped portion (ceiling plate portion 455) that rolls the ball above the general winning opening 63, behind the plate-shaped portion, and a central forming portion 493 that extends in the left and right directions on the left and right inner sides of the inclined forming portions 492.

[0227] The inclined forming portion 492 is arranged so that the upper surface of the member, when viewed from the front, is aligned with the plate-like portion (ceiling plate portion 455) that rolls the balls above the general winning opening 63. Therefore, even if the plate-like portion that rolls the balls is made of a colorless and transparent resin material, when viewed from the front, it is possible to make it appear as if the balls are rolling down the inclined forming portion 492, making it easier to grasp the path that the balls take.

[0228] The central forming portion 493 constitutes the ceiling portion of the flow path (the inclined extension portion 315 described later) of the ball that has entered the first winning opening 64. This prevents the ball from falling off the flow path, and even if the flow path of the ball that has entered the first winning opening 64 is made of a colorless, transparent resin material, the central forming portion 493 made of a colored, transparent resin material makes it easy to grasp the flow path of the ball when viewed from the front.

[0229] 20 shows resin components such as the upper connecting member 270, which has a portion that protrudes into the play area and is made of a light-transmitting resin material, and the winning port component 400, located above and below the center frame 86. These resin components have the effect of maintaining a stable ball flow pattern, as will be described in detail later. Note that the nail KG1 and the windmill FS1 are not shown in FIG. 20.

[0230] To give an overview first, a common advantage of resin components such as the upper connecting member 270 and the winning slot component 400 is that they are easy to repair if they are cracked or chipped. This advantage is not achieved when using commonly used metal nails.

[0231] In the case of nails that are set into the base plate 60, there is a possibility that the nail may bend or break if it is hit by a ball, or if an operator accidentally overloads the nail, etc. If the nail is bent, it may be possible to restore it to its original shape by bending it in the opposite direction by the same amount, but if it is broken, it is difficult to restore it to its original shape.

[0232] First of all, nails are generally driven into the base plate 60 by an automatic machine, and are not driven individually but rather into the entire game board at once. Therefore, even if only one nail is missing, it is difficult to re-drive the missing nail when other nails are already installed, and it may become necessary to replace the entire base plate 60.

[0233] In this case, since rails 61, 62, outer edge member 73, etc. are attached to base plate 60, these attached components must be reassembled to the replacement base plate 60 or all of these components must be replaced, which can easily increase repair costs.

[0234] On the other hand, if a part of a resin member such as the upper connecting member 270 or the winning slot component 400 is cracked or chipped, the repair can be completed by replacing it with a new member, and there is no need to replace the base plate 60. Furthermore, since the resin member is independent of the rails 61, 62 and the outer edge member 73, etc., no costs related to the rails 61, 62 and the outer edge member 73, etc., are incurred when replacing the resin member, so repair costs can be reduced.

[0235] In Figure 21, the illuminated board 251 and board holding plate 252 placed on the top of the center frame 86 are shown to be positioned so that the board holding plate 252 fits within the thickness dimension of the base plate 60, and the illuminated board 251 placed in front of the board holding plate 252 is positioned so that it fits within the inner position of the thickness dimension of the base plate 60, but details will be given later.

[0236] 21, the base plate 60 has a plurality of fitting portions 60c formed in a cylindrical shape that protrudes from the rear surface of the plate toward the rear side, with the outer portion tapering toward the rear side. The fitting portions 60c have female threads formed on the inner diameter side, and function as portions into which fastening screws are screwed when fastening and fixing the operating unit 500 to the base plate 60.

[0237] Figure 22 is an exploded front perspective view of the gaming board 13, and Figure 23 is an exploded rear perspective view of the gaming board 13. As shown in Figures 22 and 23, the gaming board 13 includes a base plate 60, a central structural unit 240 that is disposed inside the base plate 60 and has a center frame 86, an upper connecting member 270 that connects the upper part of the central structural unit 240 to the base plate 60 and restricts the downward flow direction of balls flowing down the playing area, and a thin plate member 290 that is disposed between the upper connecting member 270 and the central structural unit 240.

[0238] The central structural unit 240 will be described in detail later, but as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 22, the central structural unit 240 is formed with a fixing portion 244 that is used to position and fix the thin plate member 290.

[0239] Fig. 24 is an exploded front perspective view of the central structural unit 240, and Fig. 25 is an exploded rear perspective view of the central structural unit 240. The central structural unit 240 is a unit that is assembled into a ring shape when placed in the central opening 60b of the base plate 60, and has a center frame 86 that guides the balls as they flow down.

[0240] The central structural unit 240 comprises an upper structural member 241 that constitutes the upper part of the center frame 86, and a lower structural member 261 that constitutes the lower part of the center frame 86. The upper structural member 241 and the lower structural member 261 each constitute the upper and lower halves of a ring shape made of a light-transmitting resin material, thereby constituting the center frame 86 that surrounds the third pattern display device when viewed from the front in the assembled state (see Figure 18).

[0241] In this way, by forming the center frame 86 into an annular shape by combining multiple components rather than forming it into an annular shape from a single component, it is possible to reduce the size of the resin mold required to mold the resin member, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the resin mold.

[0242] For example, if the design of the base plate 60 is changed so that the shape of the upper edge of the central opening 60b of the base plate 60 is formed in an approximately arc shape, rather than being concave upward in the center of the left and right sides to correspond to the shape of the thin plate portion 242 as in this embodiment, the center frame 86 can be assembled to the base plate 60 by changing the design accordingly for only the upper half (upper component 241), and therefore the component designed to correspond to this embodiment can be reused for the lower half (lower component 261).

[0243] This eliminates the need to manufacture a new large mold that encompasses the entire center frame 86 for minor changes such as design changes to the base plate 60 or changing the shape of the center frame 86 to change the appearance, thereby reducing mold costs.

[0244] The upper component 241 comprises a thin plate portion 242 that is arranged flush with the front surface of the base plate 60 when assembled (see Figure 18), a band-like frame portion 245 that extends in a band shape on the front side of the thin plate portion 242 and is formed with dimensions that prevent balls from passing between it and the glass unit 16 (see Figure 1) during play and is formed to be able to guide the balls as they flow down, and decorative portions 247 that are arranged below and on the left and right inside of the band-like frame portion 245 and form an approximately arc shape.

[0245] The thin plate portion 242 has extension portions 243 that extend to the back side at the left, right, and upper edges for reinforcement, and a fixing portion 244 that is used to position and fix the upper connecting member 270 (see Figures 22 and 23).

[0246] The extension portion 243 is designed so that its front-to-rear width is approximately the same as the plate thickness of the base plate 60. In other words, the front-to-rear thickness of the thin plate portion 242, which has a shorter front-to-rear width than the extension portion 243, is designed to be thinner than the plate thickness of the base plate 60. This makes it easier to ensure space on the back side of the thin plate portion 242.

[0247] The fixing portion 244 has a recessed portion 244a recessed for positioning with the upper connecting member 270 (see Figures 22 and 23), a protruding portion 244b positioned adjacent to the recessed portion 244a and protruding toward the front side, and a fastening portion 244c into which a fastening screw inserted into the upper connecting member 271 from the front side is screwed, which are positioned symmetrically on the left and right.

[0248] The thin plate portion 242 is disposed flush with the base plate 60, and the protruding portion 244b can be formed at any position on the front side. This improves the design freedom for positioning with the upper connecting member 270 (see FIGS. 22 and 23). The assembly of the upper connecting member 270 using the fixing portion 244 will be described later.

[0249] The decorative portion 247 is formed with a plurality of three-dimensional patterns and figures, and is formed to have lower light transmittance than the thin plate portion 242. This allows the decorative portion 247 to be used as a portion that divides the field of view while still retaining some light transmittance.

[0250] Up to this point, we have mainly described the configuration on the front side of the upper component 241. Next, we will describe the configuration disposed on the back side of the upper component 241. The upper component 241 includes an illumination board 251 fastened to a fastening portion formed on the back side of the thin plate portion 242, a board holding plate 252 fastened together with the fastening screw that fastens and fixes the illumination board 251, a dish-shaped member 253 that is sandwiched between the illumination board 251 and the thin plate portion 242 and is formed in a dish shape that widens toward the front side, and a sensor cover 254 that is fastened to one of the left and right sides (the right side in this embodiment) of the upper component 241 at a position that is the back side of the decorative portion 247.

[0251] The board holding plate 252 is not symmetrical, and the lower right portion is omitted compared to the left portion. This makes it easier to connect the electrical wiring DH1 (see FIG. 19) that runs from the sensor cover 254 side. That is, the connection terminal 251a of the illumination board 251 is located on the back surface of the board at the lower right side of the board, and the shape of the board holding plate 252 is designed to make it easy to connect the electrical wiring DH1 to this position.

[0252] Furthermore, the substrate holding plate 252 has a recessed portion 252a formed in an upwardly convex curved shape at the center position on the left and right sides. The recessed portion 252a is a portion formed for the purpose of improving the degree of freedom in arranging the operating unit 500, and details will be described later.

[0253] The sensor cover 254 is a fixing member for fixing a capacitance sensor (for example, a sensor that can detect when a player holds his / her hand over the front side of the glass unit 16) disposed therein. In this embodiment, the sensor cover 254 not only fixes the capacitance sensor but also serves as a relay part for the electric wiring DH1 connected to the illumination board 251.

[0254] That is, by fixing the electrical wiring DH1 to the hook-shaped portion formed on the illumination board 251 with a cable tie or the like, the electrical wiring DH1 can be held at the rear position of the decorative portion 247. This allows the electrical wiring DH1 to be hidden so that it is difficult for the player to see. In this way, by using the sensor cover 254 to maintain the position of the electrical wiring DH1, it is possible to reduce the number of assembly steps and material costs compared to when a dedicated part is prepared to maintain the position of the electrical wiring DH1.

[0255] The lower component 261 comprises a thin plate portion 262 fastened to the front plate of the base plate 60 in the assembled state (see Figure 18), a band-shaped extension portion 263 extending in a band shape from the thin plate portion 262 to the back side, a back covering portion 264 fastened to a fastening portion formed at the extended end of the band-shaped extension portion 263 and covering the back side of the band-shaped extension portion 263 so as to block it, a pair of left and right front flow path components 265 fastened to the front side of the left and right lower end portions of the thin plate portion 262 and constituting a flow path for flowing the balls to the back side between the thin plate portion 262 and the thin plate portion 262, and a pair of left and right post flow path components 266 fastened to the back side of the left and right lower end portions of the thin plate portion 262 and combining with half components protruding inward on the left and right from the thin plate portion 262 of the front flow path components 265 to constitute a flow path for guiding the balls to the upper surface of the band-shaped extension portion 263.

[0256] The strip-shaped extension portion 263 has an upper surface that slopes downward toward the left-right center portion and functions to return rolling balls to the front side of the base plate 60. The left-right center portion of the strip-shaped extension portion 263 is provided with a central rear inclined portion 263a that slopes downward toward the rear side so as to facilitate flow of balls that have slowed down in the left-right direction toward the rear side, a pair of left and right front inclined portions 263b that are arranged slightly below the central rear inclined portion 263a on both left and right sides of the central rear inclined portion 263a and slope downward toward the front side so as to facilitate flow of balls that have slowed down in the left-right direction toward the front side, and a ball discharge hole 263c that is formed through the central rear inclined portion 263a so as to enable discharge of balls that have been guided toward the front side by the rear covering portion 264 to the front side of the base plate 60.

[0257] In relation to the band-shaped extension 263, the back covering portion 264 basically blocks the back end of the band-shaped extension 263 to prevent balls from falling out, but only behind the central rear inclined portion 263a, a gap is formed between the back covering portion 264 and the band-shaped extension 263 that allows balls to flow downward. Balls that pass through this gap and are guided to the front side are discharged from the ball discharge hole 263c.

[0258] The ball discharge hole 263c is located in the center position in the left-right direction, and the first winning opening 64 is disposed below it (see FIG. 18), so that a ball discharged from the ball discharge hole 263c has a high probability of entering the first winning opening 64 (a higher probability than a ball approaching the first winning opening 64 while being bounced off the nail KG1). Therefore, when a ball is guided to the band-shaped extension portion 263, attention to the ball can be improved.

[0259] The pre-flow path forming portion 265 forms a guide path that guides the spheres flowing down the front side of the thin plate portion 262 to the rear side, and the post-flow path forming portion 266 forms the rear end face of the guide path, thereby guiding the spheres to the upper surface of the strip-shaped extension portion 263. In other words, the pre-flow path forming portion 265 and the post-flow path forming portion 266 form a tunnel-shaped portion that discharges the spheres that have flowed in from the front side of the base plate 60 to the upper surface of the strip-shaped extension portion 263.

[0260] 22 and 23, the upper connecting member 270 is a member formed from a light-transmitting resin material, and includes a thin plate-like portion 271, protruding portions 272 to 277 that protrude from the plate-like portion 271 as if being pushed out from the rear side to the front side, a thin portion 278 formed to be partially thin on the rear side of the plate-like portion 271, and a protruding portion 279 formed on the thin portion 278 so as to protrude toward the rear side.

[0261] The plate-shaped portion 271 is formed in a symmetrical arch shape that is long in the left-right direction when viewed from the front, and the shape of the lower edge portion is shaped to match the shape of the upper edge portion of the center frame 86. The plate-shaped portion 271 also has a curved upper edge portion, and more specifically, the shape is such that a tangent at a specific point on the upper edge of the plate-shaped portion 271 is parallel to a tangent at a corresponding point on the outer rail 62 that is arranged close to the specific point.

[0262] The outer rail 62 and the plate-shaped portion 271 are spaced apart by a distance approximately equal to the diameter of a ball (game ball) (see FIG. 18). This makes it easier to avoid a situation in which the ball rolling along the outer rail 62 collides with the plate-shaped portion 271 and loses momentum.

[0263] That is, the ball introduced into the play area is configured to separate from the outer rail 62 before colliding with the plate-shaped portion 271. In other words, as long as the ball is in contact with the outer rail 62, it will not collide with the plate-shaped portion 271, and therefore it is possible to prevent a ball launched with maximum launch strength (for example, a ball that rolls in contact with the outer rail 62 until it collides with the return rubber 69) from colliding with the plate-shaped portion 271 and losing momentum.

[0264] This makes it possible to avoid unnecessary attenuation of the ball, and also to prevent the plate-shaped portion 271 from cracking or chipping due to a ball with maximum emission intensity colliding with the plate-shaped portion 271.

[0265] The distance between the outer rail 62 and the plate-like portion 271 is not limited to a distance approximately equal to the diameter of the sphere, and various embodiments are exemplified. For example, taking into consideration the shape of the sphere, the distance may be varied in the front-to-rear direction (the distance becomes wider as the distance from the base plate 60 increases) so as to avoid collision between the sphere and the plate-like portion 271. In this case, since the distance between the plate-like portion 271 and the outer rail 62 on the side closer to the base plate 60 can be narrowed, when decoration is applied to the plate-like portion 271, the area over which the decoration can be formed can be increased.

[0266] The protruding portions 272 to 277 are portions that protrude from the back side of the plate-shaped portion 271 toward the front side from positions that are symmetrical with respect to the left-right center of the plate-shaped portion 271, and have a left-right symmetrical shape with respect to the left-right center of the plate-shaped portion 271, and each of them substitutes for the function of a nail.

[0267] The following description will refer to the first overhanging portion 272, the second overhanging portion 273, the third overhanging portion 274, the fourth overhanging portion 275, the fifth overhanging portion 276, and the sixth overhanging portion 277 from the left-right center side.

[0268] The first overhanging portion 272 and the second overhanging portion 273 are disposed in front of the central component unit 240 via the thin plate member 290. The third overhanging portion 274 is disposed so as to straddle the central component unit 240 and the base plate 60. The fourth overhanging portion 275, the fifth overhanging portion 276, and the sixth overhanging portion 277 are disposed in front of the base plate 60.

[0269] In this way, the protruding portions 272 to 277 differ in which member they are arranged on in front of, which may result in differences in their functions and design concepts, but this will be described in detail later.

[0270] The thin portion 278 is a portion formed to be thin in order to position the thin plate member 290, by shifting the rear surface of the plate toward the front side by the thickness dimension of the thin plate member 290 or a dimension slightly exceeding the thickness dimension. In this embodiment, the thin plate member 290 is held by the fixing portion 244 (see FIG. 22 ), rather than by applying a pressing force from the thin portion 278 to the thin plate member 290 to hold the thin plate member 290.

[0271] Note that the offset dimension of the plate rear surface toward the front surface in the thin portion 278 is not limited to being equal to or greater than the thickness dimension of the thin plate member 290, and various modes are exemplified. For example, the offset dimension of the plate rear surface toward the front surface may be designed to be less than the thickness dimension of the thin plate member 290. In this case, by forming the thin plate member 290 to be expandable (compressible) in the thickness direction, it is possible to easily fix the position of the thin plate member 290 while avoiding application of excessive pressure to the thin plate member 290.

[0272] Also, for example, the deviation of the rear surface of the thin portion 278 toward the front side may be reduced only in the portion corresponding to the edge of the thin plate member 290. In this case, the range in which pressure is applied to the thin plate member 290 can be limited to the edge of the thin plate member 290.

[0273] The protruding portion 279 is a portion that is inserted into a positioning hole 291 drilled in the thin plate member 290, and is a protruding portion for positioning the thin plate member 290. Because a recess (depression) corresponding to the shape of the protruding portion 272, 273 is formed on the back side of the position of the thin portion 278 where the first protruding portion 272 or the second protruding portion 273 is disposed, the protruding portion 279 cannot be protruded from this position. In other words, the protruding portion 279 is protruded from a position of the thin portion 278 that avoids the position of the first protruding portion 272 or the second protruding portion 273.

[0274] The thin plate member 290 is a member formed in a thin plate (sheet) shape from a light-transmitting resin material, and is provided with a plurality of positioning holes 291 drilled for positioning during assembly, and a plurality of insertion holes 292 drilled as holes for inserting fastening screws that fasten the upper connecting member 270 to the central structural unit 240.

[0275] The positioning holes 291 include holes 291a drilled on the left and right outer sides and through which the protruding portions 244b of the central component unit 240 are inserted, and holes 291b drilled on the left and right inner sides and through which the protruding portions 279 of the upper connecting member 270 are inserted. In other words, the thin plate member 290 is used for positioning both the central component unit 240 and the upper connecting member 270.

[0276] In this embodiment, the left and right outer sides refer to the left and right edge sides of the game board 13 or the operating unit 500 when viewed from the front, and the left and right inner sides refer to the left and right central sides of the game board 13 or the operating unit 500 when viewed from the front.

[0277] 22 and 23, the protruding portion 244b is formed at a position opposite to the recessed portion on the back side of the second protruding portion 273. Therefore, in a front view, the protruding portion 244b is hidden by the second protruding portion 273. This reduces the visibility of the protruding portion 244b, while allowing the protruding portion 244b to function as a positioning (positional stabilizing) element for the thin plate member 290.

[0278] 22 and 23, by forming the portion of the upper connecting member 270 as a protrusion 279 rather than a hole, it is possible to form a positioning portion without any problems even in a narrow range such as the boundary position of the overhanging portions 272 and 273. In other words, when forming a through hole or recess in a narrow range, the thickness of the member may become excessively thin, resulting in insufficient strength, but this situation can be avoided.

[0279] In other words, it is possible to easily avoid limitations on the arrangement of the overhanging portions 272, 273 and reduction in strength due to the positioning portions of the thin plate member 290. That is, when positioning holes are formed at the boundary positions of the overhanging portions 272, 273, it is necessary to make the width of the boundary positions of the overhanging portions 272, 273 equal to or greater than the width of the holes (or equal to or greater than the diameter if the holes are circular), and there is a possibility that the strength of the overhanging portions 272, 273 will be reduced by the amount of material removed by the holes; however, according to this embodiment, these problems can be easily solved.

[0280] On the other hand, as mentioned above, the back surfaces of the protrusions 272 and 273 are recessed, so that it is not possible to form the protrusion 279. However, this position can be accommodated by protruding the protrusion 244b from the central structural unit 240, as shown in FIG. 22, so that the positioning parts (protrusions 244b and 279) of the thin plate member 290 can be positioned without being restricted by the positioning of the protrusions 272 and 273.

[0281] Thus, according to this embodiment, by forming the protrusions 244b, 279 for positioning the thin plate member 290 on both the central structural unit 240 and the upper connecting member 270, it is possible to avoid restricting the arrangement of the positioning parts of the thin plate member 290 while maintaining a high degree of design freedom and strength of the upper connecting member 270, and therefore it is possible to stabilize the position of the thin plate member 290.

[0282] Furthermore, by designing the protrusion 279 inserted into the thin plate member 290 to be able to be inserted into the recessed portion 244a of the central component unit 240, it is possible to position the thin plate member 290 relative to the central component unit 240 and the upper connecting member 270, and at the same time, to position the upper connecting member 270 relative to the central component unit 240.

[0283] The thin plate member 290 is a member that can be seen by the player via the upper connecting member 270. Although not shown in the drawings, in this embodiment, colorful patterns, figures, letters, or characters are drawn on the front surface of the thin plate member 290, and the color and brightness that can be seen through the thin plate member 290 change in various ways depending on the difference in the light emission mode (difference in color and brightness) of the light irradiated from the LEDs arranged on the illumination board 251 of the central configuration unit 240.

[0284] Unlike when patterns, figures, letters or characters are drawn directly on the base plate 60, according to this embodiment, the patterns, figures, letters or characters drawn on the thin plate member 290 can be removed from the game board 13 by removing the thin plate member 290, so that the appearance of the game board 13 can be easily changed.

[0285] For example, when the shape of the game board 13 is the same but the playability is changed (so-called different specifications), the patterns, figures, letters or characters, or colors drawn on the game board 13 may be different to make it easier for players to understand the playability.

[0286] When patterns, figures, letters or characters are directly drawn on the base plate 60, it becomes necessary to replace the entire base plate 60, which essentially means that the entire game board 13 is likely to be replaced, and the cost of changing the gameplay is likely to increase.

[0287] On the other hand, according to this embodiment, it is sufficient to replace the thin plate member 290 with another thin plate member 290 having a different pattern, figure, letter, character, color, etc., so there is no need to replace the entire game board 13. Therefore, it is possible to easily suppress the cost for changing the gameplay.

[0288] Figure 26 is an enlarged front view of the game board 13 in range XXVI of Figure 18, Figure 27 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board 13 along line XXVII-XXVII of Figure 26, and Figure 28 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board 13 along line XXVIII-XXVIII of Figure 26.

[0289] As shown in Figure 26, while the protrusions 272 to 277 are each formed in an individual shape, they all have the common purpose of slowing down the momentum of a ball introduced into the playing area when it collides with the ball and causing the ball to flow down to the left and right sides of the center frame 86.

[0290] The protruding portions 272 to 277 are formed as substitutes for nails that have conventionally been planted in a similar arrangement. That is, each of the protruding portions 272 to 277 is designed to have a shape that surrounds the multiple nails to be planted in a front view.

[0291] As can be seen in common with the first protruding portion 272, the second protruding portion 273, and the third protruding portion 274, the upper surface is formed wider than the other surfaces. This allows the ball to be configured to fly in the same direction along the slope of the upper surface regardless of where it lands on the upper surface. This makes it easier to make the ball fly down a similar path even if the adjustment of the launching force is slightly off, thereby reducing stress during play for players who want the ball to fly down a similar path.

[0292] Because the third protrusion 274 and the fourth protrusion 275 are arranged next to each other, even a slight deviation in the ball's launch force adjustment will change which side the ball will land on, but the slopes of their upper surfaces are significantly different. That is, the upper surface of the third protrusion 274 is a gently sloping downward surface that slopes inward on both sides, while the upper surface of the fourth protrusion 275 is a steeply sloping downward surface that slopes inward on both sides.

[0293] Therefore, a ball that reaches the upper surface of the fourth protruding portion 275 and flows down will bounce upward significantly when it collides with the center frame 86, and will likely lose momentum. As a result, the ball will likely flow down toward the outlet 71 or the general winning opening 63 without reaching the first winning opening 64 on the downstream side of the game area.

[0294] On the other hand, balls that reach the upper surface of the third protrusion 274 and flow down collide with the center frame 86 in the left-right direction, and the load in the rebound direction can also be used as momentum for the ball to flow down, making it easier for the ball to reach the first winning opening 64 downstream of the playing area.

[0295] That is, the shapes of the protruding portions 272 to 276 are designed so that the manner in which the ball flows downstream of the playing area changes depending on which of the protruding portions 272 to 276 the ball reaches. This allows players to actively adjust the force with which the ball is launched.

[0296] As shown in Figures 27 and 28, the base plate 60 and the extension portion 243 of the central component unit 240 are designed to be arranged with gaps CL1 and CL2 approximately the thickness of the thin plate portion 242 of the central component unit 240 between the top and bottom.

[0297] In other words, the design concept is not to position the central component unit 240 in the central opening 60b of the base plate 60, but to leave a gap between the central opening 60b of the base plate 60 and the central component unit 240, and to simultaneously align the central component unit 240 with respect to the base plate 60 when fastening (connecting) it with the upper connecting member 270.

[0298] 27 and 28, a thin plate member 290 and a central structural unit 240 are disposed on the back surface of the first overhanging portion 272, while a base plate 60 is disposed on the back surface of the third overhanging portion 274. In this way, the members disposed on the back surfaces of the overhanging portions 272 to 277 are not all the same, and may be different.

[0299] 27, since the thin plate portion 242 of the central structural unit 240 is formed with a thin wall, for example, when a load is applied to the first overhanging portion 272 causing the first overhanging portion 272 to flex and deform, the thin plate portion 242 of the central structural unit 240 can also flex and deform, and can therefore absorb the load applied to the first overhanging portion 272. This reduces the possibility that the first overhanging portion 272 will crack or chip.

[0300] Therefore, for example, even if the momentum of a ball is very great when it collides with the first protrusion 272, the momentum of the ball can be sufficiently reduced by the bending deformation of the first protrusion 272 and the bending deformation of the thin plate portion 242 that occurs as a result of that bending deformation, so that the flow of the ball after colliding with the first protrusion 272 can be calmed.

[0301] As described above, the thin plate portion 242 is more likely to bend due to the adoption of a configuration in which gaps CL1 and CL2 are provided between the thin plate portion 242 and the base plate 60, rather than a configuration in which the thin plate portion 242 and the base plate 60 are fitted together. That is, in this embodiment, by providing gaps CL1 and CL2 between the thin plate portion 242 and the base plate 60, the central structural unit 240 is allowed to bend and deform, thereby dissipating the load applied to the first protruding portion 272.

[0302] A similar effect can be expected for the second protruding portion 273. Note that the loads applied to the first protruding portion 272 may include loads due to collisions of game balls, loads applied by staff at a gaming machine store when clearing ball jams in the gaming area, and loads applied by workers performing maintenance work.

[0303] 28, the base plate 60 is formed thick enough to prevent bending, so that, for example, when a load is applied to the third overhanging portion 274, it is not possible to expect the base plate 60 to bend and deform to release the load, but because the height position of the third overhanging portion 274 is lower than the overhanging portions 272 and 273, the momentum of the colliding ball is relatively small. Therefore, even in a configuration in which the third overhanging portion 274 is disposed in front of the base plate 60, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the third overhanging portion 274 cracking or chipping.

[0304] Furthermore, in consideration of the fact that excessive reduction in the momentum of a ball that collides with the third protrusion 274 at a point where the momentum of the colliding ball is relatively small may cause the ball to stop flowing down, this embodiment adopts a configuration in which the third protrusion 274 is positioned in front of the base plate 60.

[0305] Furthermore, since the deflection of the third protrusion 274 is suppressed and the state is stable, the guidance of the ball can be stabilized in a position close to the left and right side areas and lower area of ​​the center frame 86, which are the play areas where nails are planted and which are distributed to the left and right sides of the center frame 86, and therefore the correspondence between the ball's launch strength and the ball's flow-down pattern can be stabilized.

[0306] In order to reliably prevent the third overhanging portion 274 from cracking or chipping, it is preferable to design the impact angle with the ball, the shape of the third overhanging portion 274, etc. so as to reduce the load applied to the third overhanging portion 274 (so that the load can be easily released). It is preferable to adopt a similar design concept for the fourth to sixth overhanging portions 275 to 277.

[0307] The following describes the advantages of using the protruding parts 272 to 277 as substitutes for the nails KG1 embedded in the base plate 60. In particular, it is possible to improve the presentation effect. That is, in the case of the protruding parts 272 to 277 formed from a light-transmitting resin material, there are fewer parts that are hidden from the player's view compared to the metal nails KG1.

[0308] For example, even in a configuration in which the illumination board 251 and the thin plate member 290 are placed on the back side of the protrusions 272, 273 as in this embodiment (see Figure 27), the protrusions 272, 273 transmit light, making it easier for players to see the light emitted from light-emitting means such as LEDs arranged on the illumination board 251 and the patterns, figures, letters or characters drawn on the thin plate member 290.

[0309] The illumination board 251 includes a central light-emitting means 251b consisting of four LEDs located in the center of the lower part, a surrounding light-emitting means 251c consisting of seven LEDs arranged to surround the left, right, and upper sides of the central light-emitting means 251b, and a distant light-emitting means 251d consisting of two LEDs arranged near each of the left and right ends, and the arrangement in this embodiment is shown by hidden lines in Figure 26. The light-emitting means 251b, 251c, and 251d do not necessarily irradiate light in the same direction, and each light is intended to illuminate a different object.

[0310] The central light-emitting means 251b emits light in a forward direction (with the optical axis in the front-to-rear direction), and illuminates a symbol mark (shown in white in FIG. 26) in the center of the left and right of the decorative part 247 of the central component unit 240. In order to softly illuminate the entire symbol mark, the central light-emitting means 251b is designed to have a large width angle of the irradiation direction based on the optical axis of the light emitted from the central light-emitting means 251b.

[0311] The surrounding light emitting means 251c is arranged so that the light irradiation direction is forward (the optical axis is in the front-to-rear direction) and introduces light into parts that have width in the front-to-rear direction, such as the strip-shaped frame portion 245 and the edges of the protruding portions 272 and 273. In order to prevent the light seen by the player from becoming weak after passing through a part that is long in the front-to-rear direction, the width angle of the irradiation direction based on the optical axis of the light irradiated from the surrounding light emitting means 251c is designed to be small so that the light energy is concentrated on the optical axis.

[0312] This makes it possible to directly highlight the path of light (the path of light passing through the belt-shaped frame portion 245 and the protruding portions 272, 273) by changing the brightness and color of the light, and to create an effect that differentiates how the path of light is highlighted. For example, by creating a difference in brightness between the left and right sides, it is possible to create a light-emitting effect that implicitly suggests the direction in which the ball is launched.

[0313] For example, the LEDs of the surrounding light-emitting means 251c disposed behind the lower edge 272a of the first overhanging portion 272 are disposed so as to guide light from the lower edge 272a of the first overhanging portion 272 to the left and right outer edge portions 272b. This allows a player to easily shoot a ball using the light of the first overhanging portion 272 as a marker, thereby making it easier for the ball to reach the left and right outer edge portions 272b of the first overhanging portion 272. The optical axis of the light passes through a position where the front-to-back width of the first overhanging portion 272 is long, which makes it easier for the light to be totally reflected inside the first overhanging portion 272.

[0314] Furthermore, the internal shape of the first overhanging portion 272 is curved so that the rear portion protrudes inward, and therefore light that travels inside the first overhanging portion 272 is repeatedly reflected inside the first overhanging portion 272, making it easier to collect the light inside the first overhanging portion 272. This allows the first overhanging portion 272 to emit light that is brighter than its surroundings when viewed from the front.

[0315] As shown in Fig. 27, the illumination board 251 is disposed on the rear side of the thin plate portion 242 of the central structural unit 240. In this embodiment, the illumination board 251 is disposed on the rear side of the upper connecting member 270 in the range where the ball is guided on the front side, within the thickness dimension (within the front-rear dimension) of the thick portion of the base plate 60 (the thickness portion required to drive the nail KG1). In other words, the front-rear position of the illumination board 251 is set closer to the front side than the front-rear position of the back side of the thick portion of the base plate 60.

[0316] This is an impossible board arrangement in the range where the nail KG1, which is a component for guiding the ball, is driven into the base plate 60. In other words, since the base plate 60 must be formed thick enough in the range where the nail KG1 is driven, it is not possible to ensure space for arranging the illumination board 251 within the thickness dimension of the base plate 60 (on the front side of the front-to-back positions of the back side surface of the thick portion of the base plate 60).

[0317] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, a thin upper connecting member 270 is used instead of a nail KG1 as the part for guiding the ball, and the central opening 60b of the base plate 60 is placed on the back of it, and the thin plate portion 242 of the central structural unit 240 is placed instead of the base plate 60, thereby ensuring space for placing the illumination board 251 on the back side of the range where the ball is guided.

[0318] This allows for greater design freedom in the placement of the illumination board 251 compared to when the illumination board 251 has to be placed on the back side of the base plate 60, and also allows the illumination board 251 to be placed closer to the front.

[0319] By positioning the illumination board 251 closer to the front, it becomes easier to position the rotational performance device 800 (see Figure 17) of the operating unit 500 located on the back side of the game board 13 closer to the front, and since the central light-emitting means 251b and peripheral light-emitting means 251c arranged on the illumination board 251 and the light sources arranged on the rotational performance device 800 are arranged on the front side, the light visible to the player can be brighter.

[0320] The far-field light emitting means 251d is arranged so that the light irradiation direction (optical axis direction) intersects with the front-to-rear direction (the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 26), and irradiates light onto the protrusions 274 to 276 arranged on the left and right outer sides, the belt-shaped frame portion 245, the outer rail 62, etc.

[0321] As a result, even in a configuration such as this embodiment in which a thick portion of the base plate 60 is formed to ensure strength and the protrusions 274 to 276 are arranged in front of the thick portion, the protrusions 274 to 276 can be sufficiently illuminated by utilizing light irradiation from the far-field light-emitting means 251d.

[0322] In particular, in this embodiment, the illumination board 251 is positioned closer to the front end than the rear end of the thickness of the base plate 60 (arranged within the thickness dimension), making it easier for light emitted from the distant light emitting means 251d in a direction intersecting the front-to-back direction to reach the fifth protrusion 276 located away to the left and right outside.

[0323] The shapes of the protruding portions 274 to 276 that receive the light from the far light emitting means 251d are devised to make it easy to ensure the amount of light. That is, for example, in the third protruding portion 274, the side surface 274a (the inner left and right and upper side surfaces) on the far light emitting means 251d side is formed wide so as to receive the light from the far light emitting means 251d over the surface.

[0324] Moreover, on the opposite side (the left and right outer sides and the lower side) of the far light emitting means 251d, a corner 274b is formed at the joining position between the surfaces, and the cut formed in the protruding part 274 is formed in a shape that concentrates light at this corner 274b. This makes it possible to ensure light emission intensity even at the corner 274b that is far from the far light emitting means 251d.

[0325] In addition, light is irradiated onto the sixth protrusion 277 not by light from the illumination board 251, but by light that passes through the thin plate portions 242 located on the inner left and right sides of the sixth protrusion 277 when viewed from the front (the thin plate portions 242 on the outer left and right sides, not the center left and right).

[0326] In addition, the light-emitting effect of the sixth protrusion 277 is also produced by light irradiated from the rotating member 810 of the rotating effect device 800, which will be described later, but the configuration for directing the light irradiated from the rotating member 810 toward the front side and the setting of its intensity will be described later.

[0327] Returning to Figure 20, the explanation will be made below. As shown in Figure 20, the winning openings 63, 64, etc. disposed below the center frame 86 are formed as part of a winning opening component 400 made of a light-transmitting resin material.

[0328] Figure 29 is an exploded front perspective view of the game board 13, and Figure 30 is an exploded rear perspective view of the game board 13. Figures 29 and 30 show the winning hole component 400 in an exploded state.

[0329] The winning opening component 400 comprises a central component 410 fastened to the base plate 60 in the left-right center of the gaming board 13, a covering member 430 configured in a shape that covers the lower part of the central component 410 from the front side, a left component 450 located on the left side of the central component 410 and fastened to the base plate 60, and a right component 470 located on the right side of the central component 410 and fastened to the base plate 60. The right component 470 is formed in a shape that is roughly symmetrical to the left component 450.

[0330] The central component 410 comprises a flat main body plate portion 411 which is fastened and fixed in face-to-face contact with the base plate 60, a horizontally elongated opening 412 formed as an opening constituting the specific winning port 65a, a pair of left and right distribution portions 413 which protrude upward on the left and right sides of the horizontally elongated opening 412 so as to be able to distribute the balls' flow path, a pair of left and right curved protrusion portions 414 above the distribution portion 413 whose upper surface is formed like a curved plate and which protrude toward the front so as to be able to distribute the balls' flow path, and a pair of left and right outlets 415 which are drilled at positions away from the left and right ends of the horizontally elongated opening 412 to the outside, with a size sufficient to discharge the balls.

[0331] The main body plate portion 411 has sheet installation recesses 411a recessed on both the left and right sides from the back side to reduce the plate thickness. The sheet installation recesses 411a are recessed in a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the sheet member (thin plate member 380) used for performance, and are formed with a recess depth approximately equal to the thickness of the sheet member.

[0332] The gap between sorting section 413 and curved protruding section 414 is formed to be larger than the diameter of the balls. This allows the balls to flow down through the gap between sorting section 413 and curved protruding section 414, thereby increasing the randomness of the balls flowing down and increasing the attention to the balls.

[0333] The distribution section 413 has multiple ridges 413a protruding from the left and right inner side surfaces (on the second winning opening 140 side). The ridges 413a are shaped to slow down the speed of the balls by contacting them as they flow down, and the deceleration effect of the ridges 413a can reduce the impact force exerted by the balls on the opening / closing plate 65b of the specific winning opening 65a. This can prevent damage to the opening / closing plate 65b.

[0334] A tangent line HL1 (see FIG. 31) of the curved surface passing through the lower end of the curved surface of the curved protrusion 414 is designed to pass through the left and right inner side surfaces (the side surfaces on the first winning opening 64 side) of the sorting section 413. Therefore, it is easy for a ball that has rolled along the curved surface of the curved protrusion 414 to the lower end to reach the left and right inner side surfaces of the sorting section 413.

[0335] The covering member 430 is made of a light-transmitting resin material and comprises a main plate portion 431 formed in the shape of a thin plate, a pair of left and right band-shaped portions 432 extending from the left and right side ends of the main plate portion 431 toward the left and right inner portions toward the back side in the shape of bands, a pair of left and right vertical plate portions 433 connected to the left and right inner ends of the band-shaped portions 432 and extending toward the back side in the shape of long vertical plates, a pair of left and right inclined plate portions 434 extending toward the back side in the shape of long plates that slope upward from the upper ends of the vertical plate portions 433 toward the left and right inner portions, and an upright portion 435 formed upright from the main plate portion 431 toward the back side below the electric device 140a so as to regulate the rotation angle of the electric device 140a.

[0336] The strip-shaped portion 432, the vertical plate portion 433, the inclined plate portion 434, and the standing portion 435 are formed to have a length that allows their tip portions to abut against the main body plate portion 411 of the central component member 410 when the covering member 430 is fastened and fixed to the central component member 410. In other words, the strip-shaped portion 432, the vertical plate portion 433, the inclined plate portion 434, and the standing portion 435 change the flow path of the balls and also distribute the flow path of the balls.

[0337] The strip-shaped portion 432 is arranged along the left and right outer sides and the bottom side of the outlet 415, and balls that roll and flow down the strip-shaped portion 432 are guided to the outlet 415 and discharged from the play area.

[0338] The inclined plate portion 434 is positioned closer to the specific winning port 65a than the outlet 415, but since the inclination direction of the upper surface is a downward slope toward the outlet 415 side, the balls that roll onto the inclined plate portion 434 and flow down are also guided to the outlet 415 and discharged from the game area.

[0339] In the assembled state of the central component member 410 and the covering member 430 (see FIG. 17), the standing portions 435 are arranged on the left and right inside of the distribution portion 413 of the central component member 410, with a gap equal to or larger than the diameter of the sphere. This allows the spheres to flow down between the distribution portion 413 and the standing portions 435.

[0340] The left component 450 is formed from a colorless and transparent resin material and comprises a flat main body plate 451 which is fastened and fixed in contact with the base plate 60 while being in surface contact with the base plate 60, a protruding portion 453 which is formed over a wide area on the left side of the main body plate 451 and protrudes toward the front side, a ceiling plate 455 which is a plate-shaped portion whose left end is positioned between the protruding portion 453 and has a gap large enough for a ball to pass through, and which is formed with a shape that slopes downward as it goes towards the right, and a plurality of ball guide portions 457, 459 which are formed below the ceiling plate 455 and are shaped so that they can guide balls to the general winning opening 63.

[0341] The ceiling plate portion 455 is formed in a plate shape that is not divided in the middle so that only balls that pass through the gap between the protrusion portion 453 and the ceiling plate portion 455 can flow down the ball guide portions 457, 459.

[0342] On the rear side of the left component 450 and the rear side of the right component 470, sheet mounting recesses 451b, 471b are formed, recessed so as to thin the plate thickness from the rear side. The sheet mounting recesses 451b, 471b are recessed in a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the sheet member (not shown) used for performance, and are formed with a recess depth approximately equal to the thickness of the sheet member. Note that an example of the decoration of this sheet member will be substituted for the explanation of the thin plate member 380.

[0343] Figure 31 is an enlarged front view of the game board 13 in range XXXI in Figure 18. Balls that do not pass through the gap between the overhanging portion 453 and the ceiling plate portion 455 and that roll down the upper surface of the ceiling plate portion 455 are not guided to the guide portions 457, 459, but rather flow down so as to be guided towards the central component member 410. The flow path of the balls from the upstream side of the left component member 450 and the central component member 410 will be described.

[0344] As shown in Figure 31, multiple nails KG1 planted in the base plate 60 are arranged along a straight line that slopes downward as it moves inward in the left-right direction, with gaps less than the diameter of the ball, thereby forming a path (main path FL1) for the ball to flow down toward the center of the left and right directions, while gaps larger than the diameter of the ball are left in places, forming paths FL2 and FL3 for the ball to pass through the gaps and deviate from the main path and fall off.

[0345] The ceiling panel 455 is formed so that the ball can roll on its upper surface, but the speed at which the ball rolls on the ceiling panel 455 varies depending on the timing at which the ball drops downward from the main path FL1. More specifically, when the path of the ball changes from the main path FL1 to the drop path FL2, the flow speed of the ball switches from a state in which it faces mainly in the left-right direction to a state in which it faces mainly in the up-down direction.

[0346] Then, after reaching the ceiling panel 455, the speed switches back to facing left and right, so the earlier the ball reaches the ceiling panel 455 (the further upstream on the flow path), the greater the rolling speed (momentum) of the ball as it flows down the ceiling panel 455, making it more likely to reach the inside left and right of the play area (the side of the specific winning opening 65a).

[0347] Furthermore, since the left and right inner ends (lower ends) of the upper surface of the ceiling plate portion 455 are positioned higher than the upper ends of the adjacent curved protrusion portions 414, it is easy to prevent a ball that rolls over the ceiling plate portion 455 and passes too far to the left or right inner side from being blocked by the left or right outer side surfaces of the curved protrusion portions 414.

[0348] If the ball's rolling speed is increased as it flows down the ceiling panel portion 455 and it reaches the specific winning opening 65a at the same speed, there is a risk that the opening / closing plate 65b will be damaged due to the large impact force transmitted from the ball to the opening / closing plate 65b. However, in this embodiment, a protrusion portion 413a is arranged in the path the ball takes to flow down to the opening / closing plate 65b, which slows down the speed at which the ball flows down.

[0349] In addition, standing portions 435 are arranged opposite each other on the left and right inner sides of the protrusion 413a, preventing multiple balls from flowing down side by side. This prevents balls from getting stuck between the protrusion 413a and the standing portions 435 (a flow straightening effect), and also makes it easier to prevent balls from landing on the opening / closing plate 65b at the same time, making it easier to prevent damage to the opening / closing plate 65b (improved durability).

[0350] In this way, the speed at which the ball flows down is reduced and the path through which the ball flows down is restricted, which reduces the impact force generated when the ball collides with the opening / closing plate 65b, thereby preventing damage to the opening / closing plate 65b.

[0351] In this embodiment, the protrusions 413a are arranged symmetrically with respect to the standing portion 435, so if balls flow down simultaneously in a pair of flow paths formed by the pair of left and right protrusions 413a and the standing portion 435, it is possible that multiple balls will land on the opening and closing plate 65b at the same time.

[0352] Therefore, in the special game state, by hitting the balls to the left and right, it is possible to make it easier to make multiple balls enter the specific winning hole 65a at the same time. This makes it easier to avoid a situation where the progress of the special game state becomes too slow.

[0353] The upper surface of the ceiling plate portion 455 is formed as a wide inclined surface on both sides, so that the ceiling plate portion 455 can receive multiple balls at the same time, and the balls can be forcefully flowed inward on both sides (towards the specific winning opening 65a) while aligned.

[0354] The balls that are diverted to the left and right inner sides pass through the left and right inner sides (the sides where the protrusions 413a are formed) of the distribution section 413 in order, and reach the open opening / closing plate 65b in order. In this way, according to this embodiment, the paths of the balls that reach the opening / closing plate 65b are unified into paths that pass through the left and right inner sides of the distribution section 413, so it is possible to prevent balls from colliding with each other upstream of the opening / closing plate 65b and causing the balls to deviate from the specific winning opening 65a.

[0355] Furthermore, by designing the left and right ends of the specific winning opening 65a and the opening / closing plate 65b to be positioned on the left and right outside of the position where the balls flow down while abutting against the protrusions 413a of the sorting section 413 and reach the opening / closing plate 65b, even if the balls collide with each other on the opening / closing plate 65b and bounce left and right, the balls can still remain on the upper surface of the opening / closing plate 65b. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the balls from spilling from the opening / closing plate 65b.

[0356] Furthermore, even if multiple balls are densely packed together at the left and right ends of the opening / closing plate 65b, in this embodiment, a space is formed below the inclined plate section 434, allowing the balls to flow to the left and right outside of the opening / closing plate 65b, thereby preventing the path of the balls passing through the left and right inside of the sorting section 413 from becoming clogged.

[0357] In this embodiment, a gap larger than the diameter of the ball is provided between the ceiling plate portion 455 and the curved protruding portion 414, thereby allowing the ball to pass through this gap. For example, when a ball rolling down the ceiling plate portion 455 collides with another ball flowing down through the inner drop path FL3, the ball rolling down the ceiling plate portion 455 loses speed in the left-right direction, and is more likely to enter the gap between the ceiling plate portion 455 and the curved protruding portion 414.

[0358] The frequency with which balls flowing down the main path FL1 flow down the outer drop path FL2 or the inner drop path FL3 can vary depending on the condition of the nail KG1 (adhesion of dirt, production lot, etc.). Therefore, without countermeasures, the gaming efficiency and gaming profits will be affected by the condition of the nail KG1, and it will not be possible to provide games under equal conditions.

[0359] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, if balls that roll along the outer drop-out path FL2 and the ceiling panel portion 455 occur more frequently than balls that flow down the inner drop-out path FL3, fewer balls will reach the first winning port 64, which is disadvantageous in a gaming state (normal state, time-saving state, high probability state, etc.) in which a lottery is held to aim for a jackpot. However, in a jackpot gaming state in which the specific winning port 65a opens and closes, the possibility of balls getting into the gap between the ceiling panel portion 455 and the curved protruding portion 414 is reduced, and most balls that reach the ceiling panel portion 455 can be guided to the specific winning port 65a, thereby improving gaming efficiency (for example, the time required for a jackpot game can be shortened).

[0360] On the other hand, if balls that flow down the inner drop path FL3 occur more frequently than balls that pass through the outer drop path FL2 and roll on the ceiling panel portion 455, more balls will reach the first winning opening 64, which is advantageous in a game state (normal mode, time-saving mode, high-probability mode, etc.) in which a player aims for a jackpot by lottery. However, in a jackpot game state in which the specific winning opening 65a opens and closes, balls that flow down from the inner drop path FL3 will collide with the path of balls rolling down the ceiling panel portion 455, and balls will frequently fall into the gap between the ceiling panel portion 455 and the curved protruding portion 414 or pass through the gap between the sorting portion 413 and the curved protruding portion 414 and flow toward the outlet 415. As a result, more balls will deviate from the specific winning opening 65a, reducing the gaming efficiency of the jackpot game.

[0361] In this way, in this embodiment, when the magnitude relationship between the frequency of balls rolling down the ceiling panel portion 455 via the outer drop-out path FL2 and the frequency of balls flowing down the inner drop-out path FL3 changes, the gaming state changes between an advantageous state and an unfavorable state, and the game is designed so that the player does not become unilaterally advantageous or unilaterally disadvantageous.

[0362] In other words, while allowing the state of the nail KG1 to vary, the state of the nail KG1 is maintained such that in some states it is advantageous to the player and in other states it is disadvantageous to the player, thereby providing equal conditions for playing.

[0363] This section explains the flow path of the ball that flows down along the outer drop path FL2 and flows between the extension plate portion 455a that extends upward at the left end of the ceiling plate portion 455 and the side wall portion 453a that is curved downward and outward on the left and right inner sides of the protrusion portion 453 that is arranged opposite the extension plate portion 455a.

[0364] The rate at which balls are guided to this flow path varies depending on the state of the adjacent nails KG2 (the distance between the nails at the position where the ball flows down). The state of the nails KG2 may change due to collision with a ball, contact by a store clerk at the gaming machine store, etc.

[0365] Furthermore, the rate at which the ball reaches just before the nail KG2 varies depending on whether the ball rolls on the upper surface of the side wall portion 453. Whether the ball reaches the upper surface of the side wall portion 453 varies depending on the state of the windmill FS1 arranged above the side wall portion 453. Since the rotation axis of the windmill FS1 is also driven into the base plate 60 like the nail KG2, the state may change due to a ball hitting it or being touched by a staff member of the gaming machine store.

[0366] A first ball guide section 457 is disposed directly below the flow path between the extension plate section 455a and the side wall section 453a, and so normally, the balls that flow down are discharged from the gaming area through the first ball guide section 457. The first ball guide section 457 constitutes the general winning opening 63, and when a ball is guided to the first ball guide section 457, a prize ball is paid out to the player.

[0367] In this embodiment, when a ball flows straight down between extension plate portion 455a and side wall portion 453a, the ball has an 80% probability of entering first ball guide portion 457, a 10% probability of deviating to the left, and a 10% probability of deviating to the right. Note that these proportions can be designed to vary depending on the shape (slope, spacing, etc.) of extension plate portion 455a and side wall portion 453a and the arrangement of first ball guide portion 457.

[0368] In contrast, for example, if a ball that has reached first ball guide section 457 is still remaining in first ball guide section 457 and a subsequent ball arrives at first ball guide section 457, the subsequent ball will be more likely to deviate to the left or right of first ball guide section 457 and flow down. Also, for example, if multiple balls flow together toward first ball guide section 457, some of the multiple balls will be more likely to deviate to the left or right of first ball guide section 457 and flow down.

[0369] If a ball deviates from first ball guide section 457 to the outside right or left, there is no prize winning port downstream, and the ball is discharged from outlet 415. On the other hand, if a ball deviates from first ball guide section 457 to the inside right or left, it can roll along inclined guide section 458, which protrudes from first ball guide section 457 to the inside right or left, and reach second ball guide section 459. Second ball guide section 459 constitutes general prize winning port 63, and when a ball is guided into second ball guide section 459, a prize ball is paid out to the player.

[0370] The number of prize balls paid out when a ball is guided to the first ball guide section 457 and the number of prize balls paid out when a ball is guided to the second ball guide section 459 can be set arbitrarily, but in this embodiment, they are set so that a larger number of prize balls are paid out when the ball is guided downstream.

[0371] In other words, the number of prize balls paid out when a ball is guided to the second ball guide section 459 is set to be greater than the number of prize balls paid out when a ball is guided to the first ball guide section 457.

[0372] This allows the player to enjoy the desired gameplay, in which if a ball flows down to the left of the left end of the ceiling slope section 455, the ball will not enter the first ball guide section 457 but will instead deviate to the right (towards the second ball guide section 459), thereby increasing attention to the left-side component member 450.

[0373] For example, if the setting is such that one prize ball is paid out when a ball is guided to the first ball guide section 457, if the ball heading towards the first guide section 457 deviates to the outside left or right (left side of Figure 31), the number of balls the player has in hand will decrease, if the ball is guided to the first guide section 457 the number of balls will remain the same (one prize ball for each ball fired), and if the ball deviates to the inside left or right (right side of Figure 31), the ball will be guided to the second ball guide section 459 and prize balls (more than one, generally 2 to 15) will be paid out, thereby creating a gameplay in which the number of balls in hand may increase.

[0374] This makes it possible to clearly associate the flow of balls near the first guide section 457 with the amount of profit that the player can obtain, thereby increasing the attention paid to the flow of balls near the first guide section 457.

[0375] The inclined guide portion 458 extending to the right of the first guide portion 457 is made of a resin material, and therefore easily breaks when bent. Therefore, unlike the nail KG1, it is easy to grasp the change in its condition. If the broken state can be grasped, the pachinko machine 10 can be stopped until the part is replaced, thereby preventing players from suffering unexpected disadvantages.

[0376] In this embodiment, various shape modifications have been made to ensure that the ball rolling on inclined guide portion 458 is guided with a high probability into second ball guide portion 459. First, a bulge portion 456 is formed at the upper left position of second ball guide portion 459, bulging out toward the underside of ceiling plate portion 455.

[0377] A ball that has started to roll on the upper surface of inclined guide portion 458 and has not yet fully stopped bouncing up and down will come into contact with bulging portion 456 in the left-right direction, and the direction of the ball's speed is changed downward. This prevents the ball that has rolled on the upper surface of inclined guide portion 458 from deviating to the right side of second ball guide portion 459 due to its momentum.

[0378] Secondly, the inclined guide portion 458 extends toward the second ball guide portion 459 to a position where the left-right distance between it and the second ball guide portion 459 is shorter than the radius of the ball, and the up-down distance between it and the second ball guide portion 459 is shorter than the diameter of the ball (it is formed with a dimensional relationship that does not allow the ball to pass between the inclined guide portion 458 and the second ball guide portion 459), so the inclined guide portion 458 makes it easier to prevent the ball from deviating to the left side of the second ball guide portion 459.

[0379] The winning slot component 400 is a resin molded component, and is attached to the base plate 60 by fastening screws, so replacement in the event of a defect is easier than replacing (re-driving in) the nail KG1.

[0380] For example, if a nail KG1 breaks, there is a high possibility that the gaming machine will have to stop operating for a long period of time. However, since the nails KG1 are usually not driven in one by one, but multiple nails KG1 are driven in by an automatic machine, it is not easy to re-drive the nails KG1 just because some of the nails KG1 have broken.

[0381] Therefore, repairs often require the entire game board to be replaced, but if it is determined that the replacement costs cannot be covered, the machine may be put into storage without being put back into operation, even if there are no other malfunctions besides nail KG1. In other words, there was room for improvement in terms of maintainability and extending the operating life of the game machine.

[0382] In this embodiment, in order to minimize the occurrence of defects in the nail KG1, the ball falling in the vertical direction is received by the protruding portion 453 of the left component member 450, and the received ball is made to roll left and right on the upper surface of the protruding portion 453 to reduce the momentum in the vertical direction, and then the ball is made to abut against the nail KG1 downstream. This reduces the load applied from the ball to the nail KG1, and prevents the occurrence of defects in the nail KG1.

[0383] Furthermore, when attention is focused on the nails KG1 arranged on the left and right outer sides of the outer falling-out path FL2, the left and right outer sides are covered by the protruding portions 453, so balls will not collide with these nails KG1 from the left and right outer sides. Therefore, the period until the nail KG1 breaks can be made longer compared to when the nail KG1 is subjected to loads from random directions.

[0384] Balls that flow down the front side of the left component 450 pass through outlet 415 and are discharged to the back side of the base plate 60. At this time, the vertical plate portion 433 restricts the passage of balls to the inside on the left or right (the side closest to the opening / closing plate 65b), so it is possible to prevent balls from flowing toward the opening / closing plate 65b side without passing through outlet 415.

[0385] Therefore, the pivot axis of the opening / closing plate 65b can prevent balls from flowing in from the left component 450 side, so there is no need to always leave space between the opening / closing plate 65b and the inner rail 61 so that balls can pass through as a countermeasure against ball clogging, and the vertical distance between the inner rail 61 and the pivot axis (lower edge) of the opening / closing plate 65b can be set to less than the diameter of the ball.

[0386] Even with this configuration, if a ball on the opening / closing plate 65b spills to the left or right, it can be temporarily placed between the vertical plate portion 433 and the opening / closing plate 65b, and when the opening / closing plate 65b is closed, the opening / closing plate 65b that was blocking the ball's flow path will move away from the ball's flow path, causing the temporarily placed ball to flow down toward the outlet 71. This reduces the possibility of ball clogging.

[0387] Figure 32 is a partial cross-sectional view of the game board 13 taken along line XXXII-XXXII in Figure 31. The main body plate portion 451 of the left component member 450 has extension portions 451a extending in the form of a thin plate (a plate thinner than the thickness of the main body plate portion 451) from the left and right inner edge portions along the front surface of the base plate 60, and the main body plate portion 411 of the central component member 410 has covering extension portions 411b extending from the left and right outer edge portions along the front side surfaces.

[0388] In this embodiment, the extension portion 451a is sandwiched between the covering extension portion 411b and the base plate 60. This allows fastening screws for fixing to be removed from the left and right inner end portions of the left component member 450, which is the sandwiched side, and therefore makes it easier to avoid the problem of the fastening screws being conspicuous when decorating the left component member 450, thereby reducing the presentation effect. In addition, the number of fastening screws for fastening the components can be reduced, which reduces the assembly man-hours and material costs.

[0389] When the extension portion 451a is sandwiched between the base plate 60 and the covering extension portion 411b, the front end of the covering extension portion 411b is located behind the front end of the main body plate portion 451. This prevents a ball flowing down the front side of the main body plate portion 451 from colliding with the front end of the covering extension portion 411b and bouncing off to the left or right when the ball flows toward the front side of the main body plate portion 411.

[0390] Fig. 33 is an exploded front perspective view of sorting unit 300, and Fig. 34 is an exploded rear perspective view of sorting unit 300. As shown in Fig. 33 and Fig. 34, the sorting section 983 described above is rotatably disposed inside sorting unit 300, and is configured so that balls guided into sorting unit 300 through first winning opening 64 are sorted alternately to the left and right.

[0391] The sorting unit 300 is a member on the rear side of which the sorting section 983 is arranged in a rotatable state, and is composed of a first component member 310 which constitutes a flow path for sorting balls that have passed through the first winning opening 64 to the left and right and flowing down, a ceiling component member 330 which constitutes the ceiling of the path for balls that have passed through the first winning opening 64 to flow down backward, a first auxiliary member 340 which supports the shaft member 988a of the sorting section 983 at both ends together with the first component member 310 and abuts against the sorting section 983 to prevent the flowing balls from falling off to the rear side, and .... The device comprises a second component 350 that forms a discharge path for balls discharged rearward from the downstream side of the component 310, a pair of left and right second auxiliary members 370 to which the second component 350 is fastened and fixed, arranged so as to cover the rear and upper side of the discharge path formed by the second component 350 and fastened and fixed to the first component 310, and a pair of left and right thin plate members 380 that are arranged on the front side of the first component 310 and arranged between the first component 310 and the main plate portion 411 of the central component 410.

[0392] The first component 310 is formed from a colorless, translucent resin material and comprises a plate-shaped central plate portion 311 formed along a plane perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction, an extension plate portion 313 extending from the upper end of the central plate portion 311 to the front side, a pair of inclined extension portions 315 extending from the back side of the central plate portion 311 and extending in a band-like manner in a direction sloping downward toward the left and right outside, a pair of direction switching portions 317 connected to the left and right outer ends of the inclined extension portions 315 and switching the direction in which the balls flow down (in this embodiment, switching by 90 degrees from the left-to-right direction to the front-to-rear direction), and a pair of left and right opening forming portions 320 on the front side of the central plate portion 311 in which multiple openings large enough for balls to pass through are lined up on the left and right.

[0393] The central plate portion 311 includes a substantially cylindrical bearing portion 312, directly below the rear end portion of the extension plate portion 313, into which one end of a shaft member 988a that pivotally supports the distribution portion 983 is inserted. The bearing portion 312 is formed with an inner diameter larger than the outer diameter of the shaft member 988a.

[0394] The extension plate portion 313 has a protrusion portion 313a formed as a protrusion along the left and right central portion, whose upper end surface slopes downward as it goes toward the rear, forming a rolling path for the ball, and a pair of left and right wall-like portions 314 erected from the left and right edges to guide the ball toward the rear.

[0395] The balls flowing down the inclined extension portion 315 flow outward to the left and right while being prevented from falling off to the rear side by the front plate portion 371 of the second auxiliary member 370. The second auxiliary member 370 is also used as a member for preventing the detection device SE3 from coming off.

[0396] The direction switching section 317 comprises an inclined surface section 318 formed as a plate surface on which a ball can roll at a position one step lower than the inclined extension section 315 on the left and right outer sides of the left and right ends of the inclined extension section 315, and which slopes downward toward the front side, and an upright curved section 319 which stands up from the rear edge and the left and right outer edge sections of the inclined surface section 318 and is curved toward the front side in a shape that can guide the ball toward the front side.

[0397] The opening forming portion 320 comprises a sensor placement opening 321 through which the detection device SE3 is inserted from the rear side, a pair of left and right support extension portions 322 which extend toward the front along the left and right side surfaces of the sensor placement opening 321 and support the left and right ends of the detection sensor SE3, a winning opening 323 which is formed between the support extension portions 322 to allow balls to pass through, a pair of discharge openings 325 which are formed on the left and right opposite sides of the winning opening 323 based on the support extension portion 322 to allow balls to pass through, a bottom surface forming portion 327 which has a bottom portion curved toward the rear in a shape which can receive balls that have passed through the winning opening 323 and the discharge opening 325 and guide them to the rear side, and a pair of partition wall portions 328 which extend from the lower edge of the support extension portion 322 toward the bottom surface forming portion 327 so as to separate the upper surface side of the bottom surface forming portion 327.

[0398] When the detection device SE3 is inserted into the sensor placement opening 321, the detection hole SE1a is designed to be positioned inside the winning opening 323. The positioning protrusion 322a protruding from the front edge of the support extension 322 comes into contact with the front end of the detection device SE3, making it easy to position the front and rear of the detection device SE3.

[0399] Balls that pass through direction switching section 317 and reach opening section 320 pass through either winning opening 323 or discharge opening 325, roll along the top surface of bottom surface forming section 327, and are guided to the rear side. Each rolling path is separated by partition wall section 328, which reduces the possibility of balls crossing or colliding with each other on the top surface of bottom surface forming section 327. This rectifies the flow of balls, preventing ball clogging and stagnation.

[0400] Of the balls rolling on the top surface of bottom surface constituent part 327, those that pass through winning opening 323 are detected by detection device SE3. On the other hand, those that pass through discharge opening 325 are not detected by detection device SE3. In either case, after the balls that roll on the top surface of bottom surface constituent part 327 are detected by a detection device (not shown) that detects the discharge of balls, they are guided to a ball discharge path (not shown).

[0401] To reach the ball discharge passage (not shown), the ball rolls toward the inside on the left and right sides on the rolling surface 351 of the second component member 350, while being prevented from falling to the back side by the second auxiliary member 370, and is guided through the common drop flow path 352 arranged on each side.

[0402] The second auxiliary member 370 comprises a front plate portion 371 that covers the space open on the back side of the inclined extension portion 315 to prevent the balls from falling out, a rear plate portion 372 that blocks the upper and rear sides of the flow path of the balls that flow down along the rolling surface 351 and common fall flow path 352 of the second component member 350 to prevent the balls from falling out, an insertion hole 373 drilled in the front plate portion 371 so that a fastening screw that is screwed into the fastening portion 329 of the first component member 310 can be inserted therethrough, and an insertion hole 374 drilled in the rear plate portion 372 so that a fastening screw that is screwed into the fastening portion 353 of the second component member 350 can be inserted therethrough.

[0403] The materials for forming the second component member 350 and the second auxiliary member 370 can be set arbitrarily, but in this embodiment, the second component member 350 is formed from a colored, opaque resin material, and the second auxiliary member 370 is formed from a colorless, transparent resin material.

[0404] This reduces the visibility of the balls flowing through the common drop flow path 352 and reduces attention to the discharged balls, and since light can be taken in from the back side of the second auxiliary member 370, the taken in light can brightly illuminate the first component member 310 arranged in front, improving the visibility of the balls flowing down the first component member 310.

[0405] The thin plate member 380 is positioned by being accommodated in the seat placement recess 411a (see FIG. 30) of the main body plate portion 411. With the thin plate member 380 positioned in this manner, the game board 13 is assembled, and the thin plate member 380 is sandwiched between the main body plate portion 411 and the first component member 310 in the front-rear direction.

[0406] The following describes the forward / backward / left / right displacement (change in position) of a ball that has entered the first winning opening 64 as it flows down. First, the ball that has entered the first winning opening 64 is displaced backward along the extension plate portion 313. After that, the ball is distributed left and right by the rotational displacement of the distribution portion 983 described in the first embodiment, and displaces outward left and right along the inclined extension portion 315.

[0407] The direction of the ball's downward flow is then switched to the front side by direction switching section 317, and the ball is displaced forward. If a guide section with a curved surface for switching the ball's downward flow direction were placed in front of the flowing ball, the guide section would likely block the line of sight to the ball, potentially reducing visibility. However, in this embodiment, standing curved section 319 as a guide section is placed on the back side of the ball, so standing curved section 319 is unlikely to block the line of sight to the ball. This makes it easier to ensure the visibility of the ball.

[0408] Thereafter, the ball flowing straight down through the winning opening 323 is detected by the detection device SE3, and then displaces backward along the bottom surface forming portion 327. Furthermore, the ball displaces to the left or right above the winning opening 323, and when it reaches directly above the discharge opening 325, it passes through the discharge opening 325 and displaces backward along the bottom surface forming portion 327.

[0409] In this way, in this embodiment, the position of the ball that enters the first winning opening 64 is shifted to the rear when it first enters, then flows to the left and right, and then shifts to the front just before passing through the detection device SE3. This allows the positioning of the distribution section 983 to be shifted to the rear, and also allows space to be created below the extension plate section 313, compared to the configuration of the first embodiment.

[0410] This free space can be used as space for arranging a drive mechanism for operating the electric device 140a of the second winning opening 140. As a result, in this embodiment, the second winning opening 140 can be positioned closer to the first winning opening 64 than in the first embodiment.

[0411] Furthermore, by configuring the path along which the sorted balls flow down so that the path switches between the front and rear directions, the vertical width of the path as viewed from the front can be reduced compared to when the paths are consistently arranged vertically (for example, in the configuration described above for sorting unit 980). This allows for greater design freedom in the vertical placement of detection device SE3 relative to first winning opening 64.

[0412] Figure 35 is a partially enlarged front view of the game board 13 in range XXXV of Figure 18. In Figure 35, the central component 410 and the thin plate member 380 are illustrated semi-transparently, making the distribution unit 300 visible. For ease of explanation, Figure 35 also illustrates the outer shapes of the electric role device 140a in both the closed and open states. In addition, in explaining Figure 35, Figures 33 and 34 will be referred to as appropriate.

[0413] The thin plate member 380 is a member formed in a thin plate (sheet) shape from a light-transmitting resin material, and is a member that can be seen by the player through the central component member 410. Although not shown in the drawings, in this embodiment, colorful patterns, figures, letters, or characters are drawn on the front surface of the thin plate member 380, and the colors and brightness that can be seen through the thin plate member 380 change in various ways depending on the type of light that is irradiated (the differences in the colors and brightness).

[0414] Unlike when patterns, figures, letters or characters are drawn directly on the base plate 60, according to this embodiment, the patterns, figures, letters or characters drawn on the thin plate member 380 can be removed from the game board 13 by removing the thin plate member 380, so that the appearance of the game board 13 can be easily changed.

[0415] For example, when the shape of the game board 13 is the same but the playability is changed (so-called different specifications), the patterns, figures, letters or characters, or colors drawn on the game board 13 may be different to make it easier for players to understand the playability.

[0416] When patterns, figures, letters or characters are directly drawn on the base plate 60, it becomes necessary to replace the entire base plate 60, which essentially means that the entire game board 13 is likely to be replaced, and the cost of changing the gameplay is likely to increase.

[0417] On the other hand, according to this embodiment, it is sufficient to replace the thin plate member 380 with another thin plate member 380 having a different pattern, figure, letter, character, color, etc., so there is no need to replace the entire game board 13. Therefore, it is possible to easily suppress the cost for changing the gameplay.

[0418] The form of decoration applied to the thin plate member 380 is not limited in any way, and various forms are exemplified. For example, a colorless and transparent area may be formed above the detection device SE3 to improve the visibility of the ball rolling on the inclined surface portion 318, and other parts may be densely decorated with figures and patterns to improve decoration. Also, for example, numbers or other marks may be drawn at the locations corresponding to the winning opening 323 and the ejection opening 325 when viewed from the front, making it easier for the player to understand the profit they will receive depending on which mark the ball falls closest to.

[0419] The thin plate member 380 is designed to have a large shape that protrudes outward on the left and right sides beyond the through-hole 60 a, and is disposed so as to be sandwiched between the base plate 60 and the main body plate portion 411 of the central component member 410 .

[0420] In this embodiment, the rear end surface of the thin plate member 380 is arranged to abut against the front end of the first component member 310 (for example, the front end of the support extension portion 322). That is, since the detection device SE3 is arranged in close proximity to the thin plate member 380, the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3 can be moved closer to the player. This improves the visibility of the ball passing through the detection device SE3, making it easier to avoid the occurrence of a situation where a ball passing through the detection device SE3 is overlooked.

[0421] Furthermore, the detection device SE3 is positioned on the left and right outer sides of the electric device 140a when viewed from the front, and is not hidden by the electric device 140a. This improves the visibility of the ball passing through the detection device SE3 regardless of the state of the electric device 140a (open state, closed state), compared to when the path of the ball is hidden by the electric device 140a (see FIG. 5).

[0422] Furthermore, since the detection device SE3 is disposed behind the main body plate portion 411 of the central component 410, it does not affect the manner in which the balls flow down on the front side of the main body plate portion 411. In other words, the degree of freedom in designing the play area can be improved compared to when the detection device SE3 is disposed protruding forward of the main body plate portion 411 (forward of the front end face of the base plate 60).

[0423] For strength reasons, nails are not provided on main body plate 411, but in this embodiment, as a substitute for nails, distribution parts 413 and curved protrusions 414 are used to distribute the paths of the balls. This makes it possible to prevent the path of the balls flowing down the front side of main body plate 411 from becoming monotonous.

[0424] Both the balls that pass through the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3 and are detected by the detection device SE3 (balls that pass through the winning opening 323) and the balls that pass through the discharge opening 325 follow a path that displaces them toward the front by rolling on the inclined surface portion 318. Therefore, there may be a discrepancy between the number of balls that reach the inclined surface portion 318 and the number of balls detected by the detection device SE3.

[0425] Although the inclined surface portion 318 displaces the ball toward the player, improving the visibility of the ball, the configuration makes it difficult to distinguish whether the ball has passed through the winning opening 323 or the ejection opening 325, which could lead to player dissatisfaction as it is impossible to determine whether the ball has actually not passed through the detection device SE3 or whether the ball has passed through the detection device SE3 but there is a detection error.

[0426] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, a ball passing from the inclined surface portion 318 through the winning opening 323 is seen to flow downward when viewed from the front along the winning flow path FL31, whereas a ball passing from the inclined surface portion 318 through the discharge opening 325 is seen to flow along the non-winning flow path FL32, with the flow direction when viewed from the front being switched by 90 degrees from downward to left or right.

[0427] In other words, whether the ball has passed through the detection device SE3 can be determined by whether there is a left-right component in the direction of the ball's flow, which reduces the possibility of misidentifying the ball's passage point, making it easier to determine whether the ball has passed through the detection hole SE1a of the detection device SE3.

[0428] Both the game balls that flow down along the flow path FL31 when a prize is won and the game balls that flow down along the flow path FL32 when a prize is not won flow near the distribution section 413 and the curved protrusion section 414 when viewed from the front, and therefore their flow paths appear to overlap with the flow paths of the game balls flowing down toward the specific winning opening 65a.

[0429] Therefore, it is possible for the player to see the game balls flowing down via the inclined surface portion 318 as if they were flowing down towards the specific winning opening 65a. A player often visually checks the number of game balls that reached the top of the opening / closing plate 65b but did not enter the specific winning opening 65a (game balls that passed by when the opening / closing plate 65b was in the closed state) by checking the game balls rolling on the inner rail 61 towards the outlet 71. However, since the game balls flowing down via the inclined surface portion 318 flow down the winning-time flow path FL31 or the non-winning-time flow path FL32 and then flow backward along the bottom surface component portion 327 (see FIG. 34), the game balls do not appear in front of the outlet 71.

[0430] This allows the game balls that have entered the first winning port 64 during the execution of a big win game to be added to the number of game balls that appear to be flowing down toward the specific winning port 65a, so that regardless of the number of game balls that have entered the first winning port 64, it is possible to create the illusion that most of the game balls that are shot have entered the specific winning port 65a.

[0431] Furthermore, the game balls flowing down through the inclined surface portion 318 and the game balls actually flowing down toward the specific winning opening 65a do not collide with each other because their arrangement is separated into front and rear by the thin plate member 380. This makes it possible to create the illusion described above without impeding the flow of the game balls flowing down toward the specific winning opening 65a.

[0432] In this embodiment, the non-winning flow path FL32 is formed as a flow path that flows in the left-right direction, but this is not necessarily limited to this. For example, the non-winning flow path FL32 may be formed as a flow path in which balls flow toward the front by passing through openings in the main body plate portion 411 and the thin plate member 380 in the path along which the balls flow down the inclined surface portion 318 toward the detection device SE3.

[0433] That is, the ball flowing along the non-winning flow path FL32 may return to the front side of the main body plate portion 411 and flow down toward the outlet 71. In this case, if the opening / closing plate 65b is in the open state, the ball that has flowed along the non-winning flow path FL32 may be picked up by the opening / closing plate 65b and enter the specific winning port 65a.

[0434] In other words, a game can be created in which a ball that has entered the first winning opening 64 can return to the front side of the main body plate portion 411 and then enter a specific winning opening 65a, thereby improving attention to the ball that has entered the first winning opening 64 (especially during a jackpot game in which the opening and closing plate 65b opens and closes).

[0435] Next, we will explain the structure of the operation unit 500 (see FIG. 17) fastened and fixed to the back side of the game board 13. The operation unit 500 is fastened and fixed to the base plate 60 (see FIG. 2) of the game board 13 from the back side.

[0436] 36, 37, 38 and 39 are front views of the operating unit 500. Fig. 36 illustrates the retracted state of the internal operating unit 600 of the operating unit 500, Fig. 37 illustrates the intermediate state of the internal operating unit 600, Fig. 38 illustrates the extended state of the internal operating unit 600, and Fig. 39 illustrates one operating error limit state of the internal operating unit 600.

[0437] In this embodiment, the retracted state is a state in which the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 of the internal operation unit 600 is positioned at the upper end position of its vertical operation range, the intermediate state is a state in which the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 is positioned at the lower end position of its range of operation while maintaining its posture in the forward and backward tilting direction from the retracted state, and the extended state is a state in which the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 is positioned at the lower end position of its vertical operation range and the rotation axis RJ1 of the rotation performance device 800 is facing in the forward and backward direction.

[0438] The state change from the intermediate state to the extended state causes a change in posture (tilting) in the front-to-rear direction of the light emitting action production unit 700. This posture change is executed as a rotational movement around a predetermined rotation axis (central axis J1, described later).

[0439] In this embodiment, one operation error limit state is one of the states in which the tilt in the left-right direction allowed by design of the light-emitting operation unit 700 is at its limit. For convenience, FIG. 39 illustrates a state in which the right side of the light-emitting operation unit 700 is positioned in the same position as in the retracted state, and the left side is displaced downward. In this embodiment, the operation unit 500 is configured so that the light-emitting operation unit 700 can be operated in the up-down direction while maintaining the tilt angle in one operation error limit state, as will be described in detail later.

[0440] As shown in FIG. 36, when the internal operation unit 600 is in the retracted state, the rotation member 810 of the rotation performance device 800 is in a position in which the decorative plate 811 on which decorative figures and patterns are formed faces the front side.

[0441] The figures and patterns formed on the decorative plate 811 are formed in a manner related to the figures and patterns formed on the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510, as shown in Figure 37, and are visible as a single unit when the internal operating unit 600 is in an intermediate state (the straight lines extending radially and the wave patterns formed on the left and right outer sides, including the straight lines, are visible when formed on the rotating member 810).

[0442] In other words, the figures and patterns formed on the decorative plate 811 can be designed as part of a figure that is visually recognized as one with the bottom wall portion 511, so that the size of the rotating member 810 does not limit the figures and patterns formed on the rotating member 810.

[0443] Also, as shown in Figure 38, when the internal operation unit 600 is in the extended state, the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 tilts forward, and the figures and patterns formed on the main body member 710 of the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 can be seen when viewed from the front.

[0444] These figures and patterns are formed in a manner related to the figures and patterns formed on the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510, and are visible as a single unit when the internal operating unit 600 is in the extended state (of the radially extending straight lines and the wave patterns formed on the left and right sides, the straight lines are formed only on the bottom wall portion 511, and are visible when the wave patterns are formed on the main body member 710).

[0445] In other words, the figures and patterns formed on the main body member 710 can be designed as part of a figure that is visually recognized as one with the bottom wall portion 511, so that the size of the main body member 710 does not limit the figures and patterns formed on the main body member 710.

[0446] As the light-emitting action performance unit 700 moves up and down from the retracted state to the extended state, in relation to the fixed bottom wall portion 511, the figures and patterns formed on the bottom wall portion 511 and the figures and patterns formed on the rotating member 810 begin to shift from a state in which the figures and patterns are visible as a single unit in the retracted state.

[0447] This misalignment becomes more noticeable as the amount of vertical displacement increases. In contrast, in this embodiment, the light-emitting action production unit 700 tilts and displaces in the extended state, switching the surface that the player can see, and allowing the player to newly see figures and patterns that are seen integrally with the bottom wall portion 511. Therefore, it is possible to configure the figures and patterns formed on the bottom wall portion 511 and the figures and patterns formed on the light-emitting action production unit 700 (main body member 710, rotating member 810) that displaces in the vertical direction to be seen integrally in the retracted state and the extended state.

[0448] During the vertical displacement of the light-emitting action production unit 700 described here, the external shape of the light-emitting action production unit 700 when viewed from the front changes. This allows a single production unit to be perceived as if it were multiple different production units, improving the design freedom of the action production.

[0449] Figure 40 is an exploded front perspective view of the operating unit 500, and Figure 41 is an exploded rear perspective view of the operating unit 500. In Figures 40 and 41, the liquid crystal display device (third pattern display device 81) disposed in the opening 511a of the rear case 510 is omitted from the illustration, and the back side is shown visible through the opening 511a.

[0450] The operating unit 500 includes a rear case 510 formed in a box shape with the front side open from a bottom wall portion 511 and an outer wall portion 512 erected from the outer edge of the bottom wall portion 511. The rear case 510 is formed in a rectangular frame shape when viewed from the front by forming a rectangular opening 511a in the center of the bottom wall portion 511. The opening 511a is formed to a size corresponding to the outer shape (outer edge) of the display area of ​​the third pattern display device 81 (i.e., capable of dividing the display area of ​​the third pattern display device 81 when viewed from the front).

[0451] The rear case 510 is provided as a flat plate extending from the front end of the outer wall portion 512 along the rear surface of the game board 13 (for example, arranged parallel to it), and is provided with a support plate portion 513 that provides surface support for the game board 13 in the assembled state (see Figure 2).

[0452] The support plate portion 513 has a plurality of positioning protrusions 513a that protrude in a circular ring shape toward the front side and have a shape that can fit into a fitting recess (not shown) formed in the base plate 60 of the game board 13, and a plurality of insertion holes 513b that are drilled in the center of the positioning protrusions 513a so that fastening screws that are fastened to the base plate 60 can be inserted.

[0453] The rear case 510 is positioned relative to the base plate 60 by fitting the positioning protrusion 513a into the fitting portion 60c of the base plate 60 (see Figure 21), and the fastening screw is inserted into the insertion hole 513b and screwed into the female thread of the fitting portion 60c, thereby fixing the game board 13 and the operating unit 500 together, thereby improving the overall rigidity of the game board 13 and the operating unit 500.

[0454] The shape of the positioning protrusion 513a is not limited in any way, and various embodiments are exemplified. For example, it may be an annular protrusion with an outer shape slightly smaller than the outer shape of the fitting portion 60c of the base plate 60 (circular in this embodiment), or it may be a protrusion with a shape that increases the fitting gap (large-diameter annular shape) in consideration of workability during assembly. Furthermore, if the outer shape of the fitting portion 60c is formed into a rectangular shape, it is naturally assumed that the shape of the positioning protrusion 513a will also be rectangular correspondingly.

[0455] The operation unit 500 is disposed on the rear side of the game board 13, and has a light emitting means and an operation unit disposed therein. That is, the operation unit 500 includes a rear case 510, a decorative fixing member 520 that is inserted into the rear case 510 from the front side and fastened and fixed thereto, an internal operation unit 600 that is disposed on the upper inside of the rear case 510, and a light emitting performance unit 518 that is disposed on the lower inside of the rear case 510.

[0456] The light-emitting performance unit 518 is a unit that emits light from behind the distribution unit 300 and the winning port component 400 (see Figure 29) to the front, and functions to brightly illuminate the ball passage path formed by the distribution unit 300 and the winning port component 400.

[0457] Decorative fixing member 520 is made of a light-transmitting resin material and is composed of multiple thin plate-like members arranged symmetrically on both the left and right sides and each of which can be separated into upper and lower parts. It includes a first fixing member 530 arranged on the upper left side, a second fixing member 540 arranged on the lower left side, a third fixing member 550 arranged on the upper right side, a fourth fixing member 560 arranged on the lower right side, a left-side decorative illumination board 570 arranged on the back side of first fixing member 530 and second fixing member 540, and a right-side decorative illumination board 580 arranged on the back side of third fixing member 550 and fourth fixing member 560. The configuration and role of each part will be explained with reference to Figures 42 and 43.

[0458] Figure 42 is an exploded front perspective view of operating unit 500, and Figure 43 is an exploded rear perspective view of operating unit 500. Figures 42 and 43 show a state in which decorative fixing member 520 is disassembled from rear case 510 and placed in front, and internal operating unit 600 is disassembled from rear case 510 and placed between rear case 510 and decorative fixing member 520.

[0459] The first fixing member 530 comprises a thin plate-shaped insertion plate portion 531 extending in the front-to-rear direction, a front plate portion 534 extending to the right from the front side of the insertion plate portion 531, and an outer plate portion 537 extending to the left from the front side of the insertion plate portion 531.

[0460] The insertion plate portion 531 has a plurality of insertion protrusions 532 that protrude from the extended tip portion toward the rear side with a shape and arrangement that allows it to be inserted into the receiving hole 623 of the internal operating unit 600, and serves to prevent outward tilt displacement of the outer member 610 of the internal operating unit 600. The relative functions of the insertion plate portion 531 and the outer member 610 will be explained later.

[0461] The front plate portion 534 is a plate-like portion that is disposed in front of the left-side illumination board 570 and is formed from a shape corresponding to the outer shape of the left-side illumination board 570 (formed to cover the left-side illumination board 570), and a light diffusion treatment is formed on the back side to diffuse light from light-emitting means such as LEDs that are disposed on the front side of the left-side illumination board 570. Furthermore, the front plate portion 534 is provided with insertion holes 535 that are drilled so that fastening screws that are fastened to the outer member 610 of the internal operation unit 600 can be inserted therethrough.

[0462] The outer plate portion 537 is a portion that can abut against the front portion of the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 510, and is provided with an insertion hole 538 that is drilled so that a fastening screw that is screwed into the fastening portion 512a formed in the outer wall portion 512 can be inserted.

[0463] That is, the first fixing member 530 connects and fixes the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 510 and the outer member 610 of the internal operating unit 600 in the assembled state of the operating unit 500 (see FIG. 36).

[0464] The second fixing member 540 comprises a front plate portion 541, a plate-shaped portion arranged at the same front-to-back position as the front plate portion 534 of the first fixing member 530, arranged with a slight gap from the lower end of the front plate portion 534, a fastening extension portion 544 extending to the right from the lower right side of the front plate portion 541, and an outer plate portion 547 extending to the left from the left end portion of the front plate portion 541.

[0465] The front plate portion 541 is a plate-like portion that is placed in front of the left side illumination board 570 and is formed from a shape that corresponds to the outer shape of the left side illumination board 570 (formed to cover the left side illumination board 570), and has a light diffusion treatment formed on the back side to diffuse light from light-emitting means such as LEDs that are arranged on the front side of the left side illumination board 570.

[0466] Furthermore, the front plate portion 541 is provided with an insertion hole 542 through which a fastening screw can be inserted to fasten the outer member 610 of the internal operating unit 600, and an insertion hole 543 through which a fastening screw can be inserted to fasten the inner member 670 of the internal operating unit 600. In other words, the outer member 610 and the inner member 670 of the internal operating unit 600 can be connected and fixed by fastening them via the front plate portion 541.

[0467] The connecting extension portion 544 has an insertion hole 545 drilled therethrough to allow the insertion of a fastening screw that is screwed into the fastening portion 518a of the light emitting performance unit 518. The outer plate portion 547 is a portion that can abut against the front portion of the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 510, and has an insertion hole 548 drilled therethrough to allow the insertion of a fastening screw that is screwed into the fastening portion 512b formed on the outer wall portion 512.

[0468] That is, when the operating unit 500 is in an assembled state (see Figure 36), the second fixing member 540 connects and fixes the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 510, the outer member 610 and inner member 670 of the internal operating unit 600, and the light-emitting performance unit 518.

[0469] The third fixing member 550, the fourth fixing member 560 and the right side lighting board 580 are slightly different in shape from the first fixing member 530, the second fixing member 540 and the left side lighting board 570 due to the difference in the shape of the inner member 670 of the internal operating unit 600 which is located on the rear side and which is the object to be covered, but they are basically formed symmetrically to the first fixing member 530 and the second fixing member 540 and have the same configuration and the role of each configuration, so explanations of overlapping parts will be omitted and the symbols mentioned above in the explanation of the first fixing member 530 and the second fixing member 540 will be illustrated for convenience.

[0470] The following describes the order in which the internal operating unit 600 and the decorative fixing member 520 are assembled to the rear case 510. When assembling the internal operating unit 600 to the rear case 510, the internal operating unit 600 is first assembled to the rear case 510 (see Figure 40), and then the decorative fixing member 520 is assembled to the rear case 510.

[0471] In summary, the process of assembling the internal operation unit 600 to the rear case 510 is carried out in the following order: first, the left and right outer members 610 and the inner member 670 are fastened and fixed to the rear case 510; then the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 is inserted into the inside of the rear case 510 from the front side and positioned between the left and right outer members 610 and the inner member 670; the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 is positioned in the assembly position with the displacement member 680; and members (screws, collars, etc.) to prevent it from falling off are attached to the fastening part 682 from the front side.

[0472] In this embodiment, when assembling the light-emitting action production unit 700, it is not necessary to assemble the decorative fixing member 520 to the rear case 510, so the front side of the rear case 510 can be left wide open, and the movement of the worker's hands can be prevented from being blocked by the decorative fixing member 520. This improves work efficiency.

[0473] Furthermore, the work of inserting fastening screws into the insertion holes 535, 538, 542, 543, 545, and 548 of the decorative fixing member 520 to fasten it can be done from the front side of the rear case 510. Therefore, after the work of assembling the light-emitting action production unit 700 to the displacement member 680 is completed, the work of fastening and fixing the decorative fixing member 520 can be done immediately without changing the position of the rear case 510. This further improves work efficiency. Next, the details of the assembly work will be explained.

[0474] Figure 44 is a cross-sectional view of the operating unit 500 taken along line XLIV-XLIV in Figure 36, Figure 45 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the operating unit 500 in the range XLV in Figure 44, and Figure 46 is a cross-sectional view of the operating unit 500 taken along line XLIV-XLIV in Figure 36.

[0475] 44 and 45, the light-emitting operation production unit 700 is disassembled from the rear case 510, and the decorative fixing member 520 is not shown, indicating the state before the decorative fixing member 520 is assembled. On the other hand, FIG. 46 illustrates the state in which the light-emitting operation production unit 700 and the decorative fixing member 520 are assembled to the rear case 510 (see FIG. 36).

[0476] In this embodiment, the fastening positions are designed so that sufficient rigidity cannot be achieved by simply fixing the internal operating unit 600 to the rear case 510 (for example, the fastening positions are located only at one of the upper and lower ends), and the internal operating unit 600 is configured to be able to flex outward (change its posture) to the left and right relative to the rear case 510 (see imaginary lines in Figure 45).

[0477] This flexural deformation can be used to quickly assemble the light emitting action production unit 700. That is, the light emitting action production unit 700 is assembled by threading a fastening screw into the fastening portion 682 while the fastening portion 682 is inserted into the connected hole 764 of the light emitting action production unit 700, and as the internal operation unit 600 flexes and deforms outward to the left and right, the dimension of the path through which the light emitting action production unit 700 advances toward the fastening portion 682 can be widened to the left and right from the fixed width dimension W1 to the flexed width dimension W2, thereby improving the workability of the assembly work.

[0478] At this time, the internal operating unit 600 flexes and deforms outward to the left and right, causing the direction in which the fastening screw enters the fastening portion 682 to become inclined inward to the left and right as it approaches the back side (a slanting direction in which the front side widens outward to the left and right).

[0479] In this case, compared to when the fastening screw is inserted in the front-to-back direction, the screwdriver used to insert the fastening screw can be moved away from (avoided by) the decorative member 750 of the light-emitting action production unit 700 (in a direction inclined relative to the front-to-back direction) to insert the fastening screw into the rear case 510.

[0480] Therefore, the fastening work can be facilitated, and the degree of freedom in design of the decorative member 750 of the light emitting action production unit 700, the shape of which is designed with the aim of avoiding contact with the driver, can be improved. In other words, the work efficiency of the assembly work of the light emitting action production unit 700 can be improved, and the degree of freedom in design of the decorative member 750 can be improved.

[0481] In order to achieve this effect, in this embodiment, the left-right dimension of the long hole 764a of the connected hole 764 through which the fastening screw is inserted is designed to have a dimension (sufficient left-right length) that can accommodate misalignment of the fastening portion 682 due to bending deformation of the internal operating unit 600.

[0482] In addition, bending deformation of the internal operating unit 600 inward to the left and right is less likely to occur than bending deformation to the left and right outward, because the tubular member 695 abuts against the bottom wall portion 511 of the rear case 510, creating resistance.

[0483] In this embodiment, the decorative fixing member 520 is assembled to suppress outward bending deformation of the internal operating unit 600 to the left and right. This effect is achieved by the fact that there are more fastening positions between the internal operating unit 600, the decorative fixing member 520, and the rear case 510 (fastening positions located on the outer wall 512 of the rear case 510 or on the front side of the internal operating unit 600, and fastening positions located closer to the front side) than there are fastening positions between the internal operating unit 600 and the rear case 510 (fastening positions located on the bottom wall 511 of the rear case 510, and fastening positions located closer to the rear side), and by the ingenious shape of the decorative fixing member 520.

[0484] First, the decorative fixing member 520 has an outer plate portion 547 that is fastened to the outer wall portion 512 or the support plate portion 513, and the support plate portion 513, which is integrally formed with the outer wall portion 512, is fastened to the base plate 60 (see Figure 42). In other words, the deformation of the decorative fixing member 520 is restricted by the support plate portion 513 on the base plate 60. This makes it possible to utilize the rigidity of the base plate 60 to improve the rigidity of the decorative fixing member 520 and the internal operating unit 600, thereby suppressing bending deformation of the internal operating unit 600 outward to the left and right.

[0485] Secondly, the insert plate portions 531 of the decorative fixing member 520 are disposed in contact with the left and right outer sides of the internal operating unit 600. That is, the insert plate portions 531 can suppress bending deformation of the internal operating unit 600 to the left and right outer sides.

[0486] These first and second configurations make it possible to prevent the internal operating unit 600 from being bent and deformed outwardly to the left and right when the decorative fastening member 520 is attached.

[0487] In addition, decorative fixing member 520 is configured to be assembled to rear case 510 from the front side, and light emitting operation production unit 700 is configured to be assembled to rear case 510 from the front side, so that the assembly work can be performed in a continuous flow, such as assembling light emitting operation production unit 700 followed by assembling decorative fixing member 520, without changing the posture of rear case 510. Therefore, the efficiency of the assembly work can be improved.

[0488] On the other hand, if the light-emitting operation production unit 700 can be removed from the fastening portion 682 for maintenance or the like without removing the decorative fixing member 520, this will reduce the labor required for maintenance work and be more efficient.

[0489] Here, illuminated boards 570, 580 are arranged on the back side of the decorative fixing member 520 (see Figure 42), and if the illuminated boards 570, 580 are configured to extend inward to the left and right, the range of the light-emitting effects can be expanded and the effect can be improved.

[0490] In contrast, if the illuminated boards 570, 580 are positioned so that they protrude inward to the left and right as in this embodiment, when a maintenance worker moves the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 toward the front, the connecting plate portions 765 formed on the left and right ends of the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 may collide with the illuminated boards 570, 580, potentially damaging the illuminated boards 570, 580.

[0491] In contrast, in this embodiment, a protective extension portion 677b extends from the front edge of the extended wall portion 677 of the inner member 670 described later toward the left and right inward in a shape sufficient to cover the back of the illumination boards 570, 580 (see Figure 42).

[0492] The protective extension portion 677b has left and right inner end portions formed in a shape similar to the shape line S51 (see Figure 42) that corresponds to the shape of the left and right inner edge portions of the upper part of the illumination board 570, 580, and extends to a position corresponding to the shape line S51.

[0493] This allows the area supporting the illuminated boards 570, 580 from the back side to be increased, and the back of the upper part of the illuminated boards 570, 580 to be protected by the protective extension part 677b, so that contact between the illuminated boards 570, 580 and the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 can be avoided during maintenance work.

[0494] On the other hand, below the lower end of the shape line S51, the formation of the extension portion to the left and right inward is omitted regardless of the shape of the illumination boards 570 and 580. Therefore, when the light-emitting operation production unit 700 is removed at this position, there remains a possibility that the light-emitting operation production unit 700 and the illumination boards 570 and 580 may come into contact with each other.

[0495] In contrast to this, in this embodiment, the light emitting action production unit 700 is configured to change its posture as it is displaced downward (see Figures 37 and 38), and since the change in posture causes the orientation of the fastening part 682 to change from the front-to-back direction to the up-to-down direction, making it impossible to insert a screwdriver into the fastening screw, the work of removing the light emitting action production unit 700 is configured to be carried out before the posture of the light emitting action production unit 700 changes. Therefore, it is sufficient to form the protective extension part 677b in a position where it will be placed before the posture of the light emitting action production unit 700 changes, and this embodiment is designed in this way (see Figure 37).

[0496] In this way, rather than forming the protective extension portion 677b over the entire vertical range, it is possible to narrow the formation range of the protective extension portion 677b by forming it only over the minimum range necessary to avoid contact between the light-emitting action performance unit 700 and the illumination boards 570, 580.

[0497] In other words, in this embodiment, the position of the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 at which the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 can be removed is limited to a position between the retracted state and the intermediate state of the internal operation unit 600, thereby reducing the formation range of the protective extension portion 677b.

[0498] In this embodiment, it is of course possible to remove the light emitting operation presentation unit 700 after removing the decorative fixing member 520 from the rear case 510. In this case, as in the assembling operation, the internal operation unit 600 can be flexibly deformed outwardly to the left and right to widen the left and right width of the path for removing the light emitting operation presentation unit 700, thereby preventing the light emitting operation presentation unit 700 from coming into contact with the protective extension portion 677b.

[0499] Figure 47 is an exploded front perspective view of the operating unit 500, and Figure 48 is an exploded rear perspective view of the operating unit 500. Figures 47 and 48 mainly show the internal operating unit 600 in an exploded state, and the decorative fixing member 520 is not shown.

[0500] As shown in Figures 47 and 48, the internal operating unit 600 comprises an outer member 610 fastened to the bottom plate portion 511 of the rear case 510, a lifting plate member 630 supported on the outer member 610 so as to be displaceable in the vertical direction and positioned inside in the left-right direction, a drive motor 648 fastened to the outer member 610 as a device for generating a driving force for raising and lowering the lifting plate member 630, a transmission gear 649 fixed to the drive shaft of the drive motor 648 and transmitting the driving force to the lifting plate member 630, and a coil spring SP1 that applies an upward biasing force (a load in the pulling direction) to the lifting plate member 630.

[0501] The internal operation unit 600 also includes a resistance generating device 650 configured to generate resistance to the movement of the lifting plate member 630, an inner member 670 arranged on the inside in the left-right direction so as to position the lifting plate member 630 between the outer member 610 and the inner member 670 and fastened to the outer member 610 by fastening screws inserted in the left-right direction into the outer member 610, a displacement member 680 displaceably supported on the inner member 670 and arranged on the inside in the left-right direction, a rotation posture assisting member 690 fastened and fixed from the inside left and right on the back side of the upper end of the inner member 670, and a light-emitting operation production unit 700 whose both ends are connected to the displacement member 680.

[0502] The internal operation unit 600 is a unit that is configured roughly symmetrically on the left and right, with the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 positioned at the center on the left and right, and the light-emitting operation performance unit 700 is supported in an operable manner by a roughly common configuration that is fixedly positioned on the rear case 510 side on both the left and right sides of the light-emitting operation performance unit 700.

[0503] Details of each component of the internal operation unit 600 will be explained below with reference to Figures 49 and 50, which are enlarged views of each area of ​​Figure 47. In the explanation of Figures 49 and 50, Figures 47 and 48 will also be referenced as appropriate.

[0504] Figure 49(a) is an exploded front perspective view of the outer member 610, the lifting plate member 630, and the resistance generating device 650 in range XLIXa of Figure 47, Figure 49(b) is a front perspective view of the outer member 610 in range XLIXb of Figure 47, Figure 50(a) is an exploded front perspective view of the lifting plate member 630, the inner member 670, the displacement member 680, and the rotation attitude assist member 690 in range La of Figure 47, and Figure 50(b) is an exploded front perspective view of the displacement member 680 and the rotation attitude assist member 690 in range Lb of Figure 47.

[0505] As shown in Figures 49(a) and 49(b), the outer member 610 comprises a plate-like portion 611 formed in the shape of a long plate in the vertical direction, and extended wall portions 621 extending in the form of walls on the left and right outer sides of the plate-like portion 611 (the outer wall portion 512 of the rear case 512 that is adjacent to the outer wall portion 512 in the assembled state) and formed to divide the left and right outer areas of the plate-like portion 611.

[0506] The plate-like portion 611 is provided with a pair of upper and lower elongated holes 612 each having a long, oval shape extending in the vertical direction, a wiring hole 613 which is elongated in the vertical direction and has a wide oval shape (wider than the elongated holes 612) behind the upper elongated hole 612, and a pair of upper and lower guide protrusions 614 which protrude cylindrically outward on the left and right sides behind the lower elongated hole 612.

[0507] The elongated holes 612 are elongated holes for restricting the displacement direction of the lifting plate member 630, and a pair are arranged on the upper and lower sides. The front-to-rear width of the elongated holes 612 is formed slightly wider than the diameter of the upper fastening portion 632 and the lower fastening portion 633 of the lifting plate member 630 through which it is inserted, thereby reducing the displacement of the lifting plate member 630 in the front-to-rear direction. This pair of elongated holes 612 is intentionally formed with a shift in front-to-rear position. In other words, the lower elongated hole 612 is positioned more forward than the upper elongated hole 612.

[0508] As a result, the support position of the upper part of the lifting plate member 630 is located further rearward than the support position of the lower part of the lifting plate member 630, so that the lower part of the lifting plate member 630, which is suspended from the upper part of the lifting plate member 630, is forced rearward by gravity.

[0509] This allows the rack gear portion 634 of the lifting plate member 630 to be moved closer to the transmission gear 649, thereby preventing the rack gear portion 634 from falling off the transmission gear 649 and optimizing the meshing relationship.

[0510] The wiring hole 613 is an opening for passing electrical wiring that is connected inside the light-emitting action production unit 700, passing the electrical wiring located on the left and right outside of the inner member 670 through the irregular opening 685a of the anti-fall-off collar member 685, and discharging it to the left and right outside of the outer member 610.

[0511] The guide protrusion 614 functions as a portion that guides the displacement of the front-rear displacement member 653 of the resistance generating device 650. That is, it functions to guide the front-rear displacement member 653 so that it can be displaced in the front-rear direction, and also to prevent the front-rear displacement member 653 from tilting forward or backward and changing its posture, as will be described in detail later.

[0512] Extended wall portion 621 is provided with a plurality of fastening portions 622 arranged at the front end portion and configured to accept fastening screws inserted into decorative fixing member 520, and a pair of upper and lower receiving holes 623 arranged at the rear side and formed to accept insertion protrusions 532 (see FIG. 43) of insertion plate portion 531 of decorative fixing member 520. Note that the fastening portions other than fastening portion 622 arranged at the front end portion are mainly used to fasten and fix illumination boards 570, 580 (see FIG. 40).

[0513] The lifting plate member 630 comprises an elongated main body portion 631 whose longitudinal direction is oriented in the vertical direction, a pair of upper fastening portions 632 which protrude outward to the left and right from the elongated main body portion 631, are inserted into the upper elongated holes 612 of the outer member 610, and are formed so that fastening screws can be screwed in, a pair of lower fastening portions 633 which protrude outward to the left and right from the elongated main body portion 631, and are inserted into the lower elongated holes 612 of the outer member 610, and are formed so that fastening screws can be screwed in, and a rack gear portion 634 which is formed in the shape of gear teeth on the back side of the elongated main body portion 631 and which meshes with a transmission gear 649.

[0514] The lifting plate member 630 also includes a detection portion 635 that extends from the lower end of the elongated main body portion 631 toward the back side and is positioned in a detection groove of a position detection device (not shown) so that the position of the elongated main body portion 631 can be detected; a front-to-rear long hole 636 that is drilled in the elongated main body portion 631 as a long hole that is long in the front-to-rear direction at the midpoint between the pair of upper fastening portions 632; an anti-slip plate 637 that is positioned on the left and right outer sides of the plate-shaped portion 611 and fastened to the upper fastening portion 632 by fastening screws that are inserted therethrough; an abutment plate 638 that is positioned on the left and right outer sides of the plate-shaped portion 611 and fastened to the lower fastening portion 633 by fastening screws that are inserted therethrough; and a ring member C1 that is assembled to the upper fastening portion 632 and the lower fastening portion 633 to reduce frictional resistance during operation.

[0515] The upper fastening portion 632 and the lower fastening portion 633 are disposed in accordance with the front-to-rear arrangement of the elongated hole 612 of the outer member 610. Therefore, the lower fastening portion 633 is disposed in front of the upper fastening portion 632.

[0516] The longitudinal slot 636 is a slot that guides the longitudinal movement of the metal rod-shaped member 686 inserted into the second longitudinal slot 673 and the curved longitudinal slot 674 of the inner member 670, and is formed with a longitudinal length that is equal to or greater than the longitudinal width of the range in which the second longitudinal slot 673 and the curved longitudinal slot 674 are formed.

[0517] With the upper fastening portion 632 of the lifting plate member 630 inserted into the upper long hole 612, a fall prevention plate 637 is fastened and fixed to the tip side of the upper fastening portion 632, and with the lower fastening portion 633 inserted into the lower long hole 612, a contact plate 638 is fastened and fixed to the tip side of the lower fastening portion 633, thereby making it easier to prevent the lifting plate member 630, which is supported on the outer member 610 so that it can be raised and lowered, from falling off from the outer member 610.

[0518] The abutted plate 638 has locking portions on the left and right outer sides for locking the lower ends of the coil springs SP1. The upper ends of the coil springs SP1 are locked to locking portions 638a formed on the left and right outer sides of the plate-shaped portion 611 of the outer member 610. In other words, the coil springs SP1 generate a biasing force (pulling force) that biases the abutted plate 638 upward.

[0519] While the fall-off prevention plate 637 is formed in an oval shape, the contact plate 638 is formed in a rectangular shape, which makes it possible to increase the contact area with the resistance generating device 650 and reduce the magnitude of the load per unit area generated in the event of a collision, as will be described in detail later.

[0520] The resistance generating device 650 includes a solenoid 651 whose plunger extends and retracts in the front-to-rear direction, a fixed cover 652 for housing the solenoid 651 and fixing it to the left and right outside of the outer member 610, and a front-to-rear displacement member 653 that is engaged with the plunger of the solenoid 651 and is guided by a guide protrusion 614 of the outer member 610 so that it can be displaced in the front-to-rear direction.

[0521] The fixed cover 652 has a plurality of insertion holes 652a drilled at both the upper and lower positions of the solenoid 651 as insertion holes through which fastening screws threaded into the outer member 610 can be inserted, and a pair of upper and lower fitting portions 652b recessed with arrangement dimensions that allow the tip of the guide protrusion portion 614 of the outer member 610 to fit into.

[0522] The front-rear displacement member 653 has a pair of guided elongated holes 653a drilled on both the top and bottom sides, each elongated in the front-rear direction, as long holes through which the guide protrusions 614 are inserted. With the guided elongated holes 653a inserted into the guided elongated holes 653a, the fitting portions 652b of the fixed cover 652 are fitted into the tips of the guide protrusions 614, thereby preventing the front-rear displacement member 653 from falling off the guide protrusions 614.

[0523] As shown in Figures 50(a) and 50(b), the inner member 670 comprises a plate-shaped portion 671 arranged opposite the plate-shaped portion 611 of the outer member 610 in the left-right direction, an extended wall portion 677 extending in a wall-like manner on the left and right outer sides of the plate-shaped portion 671, and a rectangular protrusion portion 678 protruding in a rectangular shape on the left and right inner sides at the rear portion of the upper end of the plate-shaped portion 671.

[0524] The plate-shaped portion 671 is provided with a first elongated hole 672 which is drilled as a long hole in the vertical direction on the rear side of the lifting plate member 630, further back than the front-to-back position; a second elongated hole 673 which is drilled as a long hole extending parallel to the first elongated hole 672 from an upper end portion of the first elongated hole 672 which is shifted higher than the upper end portion of the first elongated hole 672 on the front side of the first elongated hole 672; and a curved elongated hole 674 which is drilled as a curved elongated hole connected to the lower end portion of the second elongated hole 673.

[0525] As the connecting portion of plate-shaped portion 671 with rear case 510, in Figure 48 a fastening portion is shown only on the rear side of the upper end of left-hand inner member 670, and no other fastening portions are shown on the rear side of inner member 670. As can be seen from this, plate-shaped portion 671 is not fixed in position mainly by direct fastening to rear case 510, but by fastening via outer member 610 and decorative fastening member 520 (see Figure 40) which are fastened to rear case 510. In other words, plate-shaped portion 671 generates a fixing force with rear case 510 by indirectly fastening to rear case 510.

[0526] The plate-shaped portion 671 has multiple fastening portions 671a into which fastening screws are inserted in the left-right direction from the left and right outside into the plate-shaped portion 611 of the outer member 610, and the inner member 670 is fastened and fixed to the outer member 610 by screwing in the fastening screws.

[0527] The first elongated hole 672 is formed to have a width greater than the widths of the second elongated hole 673 and the curved elongated hole 674. As a result, in this embodiment, the first elongated hole 672 can be used as a through hole for electrical wiring, and the electrical wiring connected to the light emitting action production unit 700 can be prevented from being exposed in the left and right inner regions of the pair of left and right inner members 670, as will be described in detail later.

[0528] The second elongated hole 673 and the curved elongated hole 674 are formed to have the same width. The curved shape of the curved elongated hole 674 is formed as an arc shape with the center of the tubular portion 684 as the axis in a state where the tubular portion 684 of the displacement member 680 guided by the first elongated hole 672 is positioned at the lower end of the first elongated hole 672.

[0529] The extension wall portion 677 includes a partition wall portion 677a formed so as to surround the first long hole 672 from the plate-shaped portion 671 outward to the left and right, and a protective extension portion 677b extending from the front side edge portion inward to the left and right in a shape sufficient to cover the back surface of the illumination boards 570, 580.

[0530] The displacement member 680 includes a box-shaped main body 681 formed in a substantially rectangular box shape with left and right insides open, a pair of fastening portions 682 formed to protrude outward from the short side wall portions of the box-shaped main body 681, extension portions 683 extending along the left and right outer side surfaces of the box-shaped main body 681, a tubular portion 684 cylindrically protruding outward in the left and right directions from the corner of the box-shaped main body 681, a drop-off prevention collar member 685 fastened and fixed to the tip end side of the tubular portion 684, and the extension portions 683. The light-emitting action production unit 700 includes a metal rod-shaped member 686 that is fitted and fixed into a fitting recess 683a formed as a circular recess on the base end side of the portion 683, a plurality of ring members 687 that are arranged in the gaps between the relatively displaceable members and through which the metal rod-shaped member 686 is inserted, a large-diameter ring member 688 through which the cylindrical portion 684 is inserted, and front and rear ring members 689 that are inserted into the fastening portion 682 while being arranged so as to sandwich the light-emitting action production unit 700 from the front and rear (see Figure 46).

[0531] The fastening portion 682 has a female thread portion into which a fastening screw is threaded that is inserted into the connecting hole 764 of the light emitting operation production unit 700, and the light emitting operation production unit 700 is connected to the displacement member 680 by this fastening screw.

[0532] The extension portion 683 functions as a part that protects the light-emitting action performance unit 700 from coming into contact with the inner member 670 when the light-emitting action performance unit 700 is assembled to the displacement member 680 (see Figures 45 and 46 for the relative positioning of the extension portion 683 and the light-emitting action performance unit 700).

[0533] The cylindrical portion 684 has an irregularly shaped opening 684b formed on the inner side so as to penetrate the box-shaped single body portion 681 in the left-right direction, and fastening portions 684a formed at both positions on either side of the central axis passing through the irregularly shaped opening 684a so that fastening screws inserted into the anti-fall-off collar member 685 can be screwed in.

[0534] A fall-off prevention collar member 685 is fastened and fixed to the cylindrical portion 684 while the cylindrical portion 684 is inserted into the first elongated hole 672 of the inner member 670. An irregularly shaped opening 685a is formed in the center of the fall-off prevention collar member 685 as an opening of approximately the same size as the irregularly shaped opening 684b of the cylindrical portion 684.

[0535] That is, when the fall-off prevention collar member 685 is fastened and fixed to the cylindrical portion 684, an opening penetrating in the left-right direction is formed on the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 684 and the fall-off prevention collar member 685. This opening functions as a through hole for electrical wiring connected to the light-emitting action production unit 700. This will be explained here.

[0536] The other end of the electrical wiring, one end of which is connected to the light-emitting operation performance unit 700, is brought out through the wiring hole 762 (see Figure 48) of the light-emitting operation performance unit 700, passes through the irregular opening 684b of the tubular portion 684 of the displacement member 680 and the irregular opening 685a of the anti-fall-off collar member 685, and is brought out to the left and right outside the first long hole 672 of the inner member 670, and further passes through the wiring hole 613 of the outer member 610 and is brought out to the left and right outside the plate-shaped portion 611.

[0537] The irregularly shaped opening 685a is not a simple circular opening, but has a protruding portion (a portion through which a fastening screw is inserted) that protrudes inward from a diameter position of the circle, and when the irregularly shaped opening 685a rotates in the circumferential direction, the protruding portion catches the electrical wiring, displacing the electrical wiring in the circumferential direction. This makes it possible to suppress friction that occurs between the irregularly shaped opening 685a and the electrical wiring, making it easier to prevent breakage of the electrical wiring.

[0538] The other ends of the electrical wiring are routed from the left and right outer sides of plate-shaped portion 611 to the rear side of rear case 510 and connected to individual relay boards. The areas on the left and right outer sides of plate-shaped portion 611 are at least hidden by decorative fixing member 520 (see FIG. 40).

[0539] It is conceivable that the electrical wiring may be exposed at one end between the light emitting action production unit 700 and the displacement member 680, but in this embodiment, the box-shaped main body 681 is extended inward to the left and right so as to cover the electrical wiring, and the extension plate 763 of the light emitting action production unit 700 is extended so as to cover the electrical wiring in front of the wire-through hole 762 in a front view (see FIG. 48). This makes it easier to prevent the electrical wiring from being exposed at the position between the light emitting action production unit 700 and the displacement member 680.

[0540] By routing the electrical wiring in this manner, it is possible to avoid the electrical wiring being exposed in the left and right inner regions of the pair of left and right inner members 670. Therefore, problems that tend to arise when the electrical wiring is visible to the player, such as the electrical wiring being located in front of the third pattern display device 81 and hiding the display, thereby reducing visibility, and the electrical wiring being located in a disorganized manner, which makes it look messy and reduces the presentation effect, can be resolved. In other words, it is possible to improve the visibility of the third pattern display device 81 and hide the electrical wiring from the player.

[0541] At this time, the partition wall portion 677a can restrict the placement of electrical wiring in the gap between the outer member 610 and the inner member 670, thereby preventing the electrical wiring from coming into contact with the lifting plate member 630, which is positioned closer to the front than the partition wall portion 677a.

[0542] The metal rod-shaped member 686 has E-rings fitted into its left and right outer ends to form a rod shape with a flange, thereby preventing the member from falling off from the left and right outer ends. The metal rod-shaped member 686 is inserted in the following order: the left and right inner ends are inserted into the ring member 687, the front-rear long hole 636 of the lifting plate member 630, the ring member 687, the second long hole 673 (curved long hole 674) of the inner member 670, the ring member 687, and the fitting recess 683a of the displacement member 680, and is fitted and fixed in the fitting recess 683a of the extension portion 683.

[0543] In this way, the metal rod member 686 is a member that is inserted into the lifting plate member 630 and the inner member 670, and its up-down arrangement depends on the change in arrangement caused by the lifting and lowering operation of the lifting plate member 630, and its front-to-rear arrangement depends on the arrangement of the second elongated hole 673 and the curved elongated hole 674. The arrangement and posture of the displacement member 680 and the light emitting action production unit 700, into which the metal rod member 686 is fitted and fixed, change depending on the change in arrangement and posture; however, the changes in the arrangement and posture of the displacement member 680 and the light emitting action production unit 700 will be described later.

[0544] The front and rear ring member 689 includes a plate-shaped ring member 689a disposed on the box-shaped main body 681 side, and a flanged ring member 689b having a flange formed on the end of the cylinder that extends outward.

[0545] The plate-shaped ring member 689a and the flanged ring member 689b are configured to sandwich the light-emitting action production unit 700 between their respective plate-shaped portions arranged in front and behind, and the cylindrical portion 689b1 of the flanged ring member 689b is positioned on the inner side of the connecting hole 764 of the intermediate connecting member 760 described later.

[0546] The rotational posture assist member 690 is positioned on the left and right inner sides of the rectangular protrusion 678 of the inner member 670, and is fastened to the rectangular protrusion 678 by fastening screws inserted from the left and right inner sides and screwed into the fastening portions of the rectangular protrusion 678.

[0547] The rotational posture assisting member 690 comprises a box-shaped main body 691 which is formed in a box shape with the left and right inner sides open and which is fastened and fixed to the rectangular protrusion 678, and a tubular member 695 which is arranged on the left and right inner sides of the box-shaped main body 691 and is rotatably supported by the box-shaped main body 691.

[0548] Box-shaped main body 691 has extension parts 692 extending downward from the left and right inner ends on the rear side, and a cylindrical member 695 is supported by a rotation shaft extending in the left and right direction on the left and right inner sides of extension parts 692. That is, cylindrical member 695 is arranged at the rear side end and lower position of box-shaped main body 691, and is arranged away from the player, so that cylindrical member 695 does not stand out too much.

[0549] The light emitting action production unit 700 is a unit that is connected to the fastening parts 682 of the displacement members 680 arranged on both the left and right sides, and its arrangement and posture change as the arrangement and posture of the displacement members 680 on both the left and right sides change.

[0550] Fig. 51 is an exploded front perspective view of light-emitting action performance unit 700, Fig. 52 is an exploded rear perspective view of light-emitting action performance unit 700, and Fig. 53 is an exploded front perspective view of light-emitting action performance unit 700. Note that Fig. 53 illustrates an exploded view of light-emitting action performance unit 700 as viewed from the direction looking up. Also, Fig. 53 illustrates, in addition to light-emitting action performance unit 700, displacement member 680 in a corresponding arrangement.

[0551] The light-emitting action performance unit 700 comprises a main body member 710 on which the rotation performance device 800 is arranged, a lower plate member 730 arranged below the main body member 710 and fastened to the main body member 710, an intermediate plate member 740 arranged between the main body member 710 and the lower plate member 730 and blocking the front side of the space, a plurality of decorative members 750 fixed to the front side of the intermediate plate member 740, and a pair of left and right intermediate connecting members 760 arranged on both the left and right sides of the main body member 710 and fastened to the main body member 710 by fastening screws inserted from the outside on the left and right.

[0552] The main body member 710 is formed in a box shape with the bottom and front sides open, and is equipped with a plurality of fastening portions 711 formed so that fastening screws inserted from below into the lower plate member 730 can be threaded in, a front edge portion 712 extending downward from the front side edge of the top plate, a plurality of clamping portions 713 arranged opposite the front edge portion 712 with a dimension that allows the intermediate plate member 740 to be clamped between the front edge portion 712 and the clamping portions 713, and a pair of left and right fixed plate portions 720 formed to connect the top plate and the rear side wall portion on both the left and right sides.

[0553] The fixed plate portion 720 is formed in a flat plate shape along a plane intersecting the left-right axis so that it can support the intermediate connecting member 760 on a surface, and is equipped with a plurality of fastening portions 721 that are formed so that fastening screws inserted into the intermediate connecting member 760 from the outside on the left and right can be screwed in and are used to fasten and fix the intermediate member 760, and a recessed portion 722 that is recessed in an approximately semicircular shape at the lower end on the back side.

[0554] The recessed portion 722 is formed so that the central axis of the semicircular shape is aligned with the central axis of the wire-passing hole 762 drilled in the intermediate connecting member 760. This allows the opening formed by the recessed portion 722 and the lower plate member 730 and the wire-passing hole 762 to be aligned in a straight line from side to side, making it easier to pass the electrical wires through the wire-passing hole 762.

[0555] The lower plate member 730 has a plurality of insertion holes 731 for inserting fastening screws that are screwed into the fastening portions 711 of the main body member 710, and a plurality of protrusion portions 732 that are arranged facing each other in the front and rear near the front edge portion.

[0556] The lower plate member 730 has a light diffusion treatment applied to the left and right outer parts of the lower surface, and is formed to reduce visibility when looking through the member to the far side. This makes it difficult to see the electrical wiring, drive device, etc. arranged inside the light-emitting action production unit 700, even when viewed from the lower plate member 730 side in an upward viewing direction (see FIG. 53).

[0557] Furthermore, patterns, figures, etc. may be drawn on the left and right inner parts of the lower surface of the lower plate member 730 (the roughly circular white parts in Fig. 53). As a result, even in a situation where the player can see the underside because the light-emitting action presentation unit 700 is positioned in front of and above the third pattern display device 81 when the internal operation unit 600 is in the retracted state (see Fig. 36), the player can still see the patterns and figures of the light-emitting action presentation unit 700, thereby maintaining the presentation effect.

[0558] The protrusions 732 are formed to perform the same function as the front edge 712 and the clamping portion 713 of the main body member 710. That is, they are arranged side by side in the front and rear with a dimension that allows them to clamp the intermediate plate member 740.

[0559] The intermediate plate member 740 is formed in a thin plate shape that curves so that the left and right central portions protrude toward the front side along the shape of the front edge of the lower plate member 730, and a plurality of illumination boards 741 are fastened and fixed to the back side.

[0560] The intermediate plate member 740 is held by being sandwiched between the main body member 710 and the lower plate member 730. That is, the upper edge of the intermediate plate member 740 is sandwiched between the front edge portion 712 and the sandwiching portion 713 of the main body member 710, and the lower edge of the intermediate plate member 740 is held by being sandwiched between the protrusion portion 732 of the lower plate member 730. Therefore, compared to when the intermediate plate membe...

Claims

[Claim 1] A gaming machine comprising a gaming board, a first displacement member, a second displacement member, and a drive means, wherein the first displacement member can be displaced relative to the second displacement member in accordance with the displacement of the second displacement member, a surface that can be viewed in a predetermined area when viewed in a predetermined direction can be changed between a first surface and a second surface by the relative displacement of the first displacement member; the driving means is configured to generate a driving force that causes the second displacement member to be displaced, the first displacement member is capable of being positioned at a first position and a second position different from the first position, The second position is a position where the visibility of the first displacement member is lower than that of the first position, the relative displacement and the change in the visible surface are configured to be caused by the driving force; At least a portion of the first displacement member is located forward of a predetermined position on the front side of the game board in the first position, The gaming machine includes: When the first displacement member is positioned at the first position, a predetermined portion of the first surface is configured to be positioned closer to the front of the gaming machine than a specific portion of the second surface, and when the first displacement member is positioned at the second position, the specific portion is configured to be positioned closer to the front of the gaming machine than the predetermined portion, When the first displacement member is positioned at the first position, the first surface is configured to be visible when viewed in the predetermined direction, and the second surface is configured to be visible when viewed in a specific direction different from the predetermined direction, When the first displacement member is positioned at the second position, the second surface is configured to be visible when viewed from the predetermined direction, and the second surface is configured to be visible also when viewed from the specific direction, A gaming machine characterized in that the second surface is configured to be visible when viewed in the specific direction even when the first displacement member is relatively displaced.

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