Display data management device and display data management system

Abstract

To bring display content according to a game machine into a state in which it can be displayed in a game machine information display device automatically without requiring an operation by a staff member of a game parlor.SOLUTION: A management computer C for managing display data of a game machine information display device D includes: a storage part CS in which display candidate images X to be displayed in the game machine information display device D are stored; a reception part for receiving designation of a display object image to be displayed in each game machine information display device D from the display candidate images X; and a control part for monitoring presence or absence of a difference candidate image, which is a difference between the display candidate images X stored in the storage part CS and the display candidate images X stored in a storage part 114 of each game machine information display device D, and executing processing for automatically downloading the difference candidate image as a new display candidate image through a communication part CT to the storage part 114 of the game machine information display device D where the difference candidate image X is discovered.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a display data management system that manages display data to be displayed on a gaming machine information display device installed corresponding to each gaming machine and displaying information such as information on the gaming machine and information on the entire gaming hall.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, above the pachinko and slot gaming machines in a gaming hall, there is installed a gaming machine information display device called a so-called call lamp that displays information such as payout information and jackpot information of each gaming machine, information on the entire gaming hall, and further makes calls to store clerks.

[0003] In such gaming machine information display devices, in recent years, a configuration using a large liquid crystal panel has become mainstream. Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 disclose gaming machine information display devices using a large liquid crystal panel. By increasing the size of the display panel in this way, it is possible to enhance the decorativeness of the gaming machine information display device, increase the number of items and the amount of information of gaming information displayed on one screen, and enhance the excitement and satisfaction of players.

[0004] On the other hand, due to the replacement of new gaming tables, the images displayed on the gaming machine information display device need to be replaced each time, and the store clerks in the gaming hall have had problems with the troublesome work each time accompanied by the replacement of the gaming tables. Specifically, when the store clerks in the gaming hall replace the gaming tables, they browse the content server storing the display content, download the target image file to the management device, and then select the image file to be displayed from the management device and send it individually to each gaming machine information display device.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses a data transfer system for amusement parlors that, before closing time, transmits images corresponding to the amusement machines to be installed after replacement work from a management computer to a amusement machine information display device, and, for example, when business hours end and the writing of the updated images to the updated image storage unit is completed, controls the system to replace the display images stored in the display image storage unit with the updated images. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2020-203125 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2015-180436 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-158783 [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] By using the technology described in Patent Document 3, it is possible to reduce the time required for image transfer after business hours, which occurred in conjunction with the replacement of gaming machines, and the waiting time for staff at the gaming establishment to perform verification work after the image data has been transferred.

[0008] However, even with the technology described in Patent Document 1, the aforementioned operation of "downloading candidate image files to a management device, then selecting those candidate image files and sending instructions to each gaming machine information display device" still remains a task that needs to be performed by the staff of the gaming parlor, so there was room for improvement.

[0009] Furthermore, when new machines are installed or gaming machines are moved, it may be necessary to revert to the previously installed models. In such cases, there was a problem in that the image data had to be resent from the management device to the gaming machine information display device and re-registered in order to revert to the previous image.

[0010] This invention has been made in view of the above, and aims to enable the display of display content appropriate to the game machine on the game machine information display device automatically when game machines are replaced or moved to a different location, without requiring any intervention from the staff of the game arcade. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] To achieve this objective, in this invention, when a new display candidate image for a gaming machine information display device is stored in the management storage unit of the management device, the device checks whether the new display candidate image is stored in the display storage unit of each gaming machine information display device, and for gaming machine information display devices that do not have new display content stored, it performs a process to download the new display candidate image in addition to the existing display candidate image.

[0012] Specifically, in the first aspect of this disclosure, the display data management device for managing display data for a plurality of gaming machine information display devices provided corresponding to each of a plurality of gaming machines installed in a gaming arcade comprises a management storage unit that stores candidate display images to be displayed on the gaming machine information display devices, a reception unit that receives a designation of a target display image to be displayed on each of the gaming machine information display devices from among the candidate display images, and a communication unit that transmits a command indicating the target display image to each of the gaming machine information display devices, and a control unit that monitors for the presence or absence of a difference candidate image, which is the difference between the candidate display images stored in the management storage unit and the candidate display images stored in the display storage unit of each of the gaming machine information display devices, and executes a process to automatically download the difference candidate image as a new candidate display image to the display storage unit of the gaming machine information display device in which the difference candidate image is found.

[0013] Furthermore, for a display data management system, the configuration may include the display data management device described in the first embodiment above and the plurality of gaming machine information display devices.

[0014] According to the above embodiment, the display data management device monitors for the presence or absence of difference candidate images, which are the differences between the display candidate images stored in the management memory and the display candidate images stored in the display memory of each gaming machine information display device. If additional difference candidate images are found, the device automatically downloads them as new difference candidate images to the display memory of the gaming machine information display device. This eliminates the need for store staff to "download the image files to be display candidates to the management device, then select the image files to be display candidates and send them to each gaming machine information display device," significantly reducing the burden on staff. Furthermore, since all gaming machine information display devices connected to the display data management device can hold common display candidate images from the past to the present, even in situations where many new gaming machines are released daily and gaming machines are replaced frequently, it is possible to immediately use images appropriate for the gaming machine and create an integrated presentation between the gaming machine and the gaming information display.

[0015] In the first embodiment described above, the control unit may be configured to monitor for the presence or absence of a difference image between the uploaded image uploaded to the content server that provides the display content and the display candidate image stored in the management storage unit, and to automatically download the difference image as the new display candidate image to the management storage unit.

[0016] This configuration eliminates the need for arcade staff to check the content server's upload status, significantly reducing their workload. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically display content appropriate to the game machine on the game machine information display device when a game machine is replaced or moved to a different location, without requiring any intervention from the staff of the game arcade. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1]Image diagram showing the overall configuration of the amusement arcade information management system [Figure 2] Front view showing the installation state of the gaming machine information display device [Figure 3] Block diagram showing a configuration example of the display data management system [Figure 4] Flowchart showing an operation example of the display data management system [Figure 5] Diagram for explaining the operation of the display data management system [Figure 6] Diagram for explaining the operation of the display data management system [Figure 7] Diagram for explaining the operation of the display data management system [Figure 8] Diagram for explaining the operation of the display data management system

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The following description of the preferred embodiments is merely illustrative in nature and is not intended to limit the present invention, its scope of application, or its use.

[0020] FIG. 1 is an image diagram showing a configuration example of the amusement arcade information management system according to the embodiment. The amusement arcade information management system includes a display data management system.

[0021] The display data management system includes a management computer C (corresponding to a display data management device) and a plurality of gaming machine information display devices D.

[0022] As is well known, a plurality of islands I are provided in the amusement arcade. A plurality of gaming machines M are arranged and installed on each island I.

[0023] The amusement arcade is equipped with a management computer C (equivalent to a management device) that manages the amusement machine information display device D (including the management of display data), and a relay unit GW that is connected to the management computer C in a bidirectional manner. Each island I is equipped with an island management unit IU that is connected to the management computer C in a bidirectional manner via the relay unit GW. The relay unit GW may consist of a single hub or a configuration in which multiple hubs are connected hierarchically.

[0024] Furthermore, the amusement arcade is equipped with a hall computer H that manages the game information of the gaming machines M. A relay unit Q, provided for each gaming machine, is interposed between the hall computer H and each gaming machine information display device D. In other words, each gaming machine information display device D is connected to the hall computer H via a corresponding relay unit Q. The gaming machine information display device D receives output signals (including game information) from the connected gaming machine M, displays the received game information on the display panel W, and outputs the signals received from the gaming machine M to the hall computer H via the relay unit Q.

[0025] Although Figure 1 shows an example where the management computer C and the hall computer H are provided separately, the management computer C and the hall computer H may be configured as a single unit. In this case, for example, the hall computer H may also perform the functions of the management computer C.

[0026] Figure 2 is a front view showing the installed state of the gaming machine information display device D, or more specifically, a front view of a portion of island I. In the following explanation, the top and bottom are defined based on the installed state of the gaming machine information display device D. Furthermore, with the gaming machine information display device D installed, the side facing the player P is defined as "front," and the side facing the island where the gaming machines M, such as pachinko machines, are installed is defined as "rear," and the left and right are defined based on the player P's viewpoint (front view) (see Figure 2).

[0027] In island I, multiple gaming machines M are installed side by side in a horizontal direction. Above each gaming machine M, a gaming machine information display device D is installed in a position where the display panel W is visible to the seated player P. Specifically, a beam section I2 extending horizontally is provided between the fascia board I1 located at the top of island I and the gaming machines M, and the gaming machine information display device D is attached to this beam section I2 via mounting members (not shown).

[0028] For the sake of clarity, multiple gaming machines M may be distinguished and described using the designations M1, M2, M3, ..., Mn. Similarly, gaming machine information display devices D may be distinguished and described using the designations D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn, and the display panels W of each gaming machine information display device D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn may be described using the designations W1, W2, W3, ..., Wn. In this case, it is assumed that gaming machine M1 is connected to gaming machine information display device D1, gaming machine M2 is connected to gaming machine information display device D2, gaming machine M3 is connected to gaming machine information display device D3, and gaming machine Mn is connected to gaming machine information display device Dn.

[0029] Figure 3 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of the management computer C and the gaming machine information display device D.

[0030] The management computer C comprises a communication unit CT, a reception unit CU, a control unit CP, and a storage unit CS which corresponds to a management storage unit.

[0031] The communication unit CT has the function of communicating with content servers via a network such as the Internet, or with the gaming machine information display device D, based on control from the control unit CP. The communication method (communication protocol) used in the communication unit CT is not particularly limited, and conventionally known communication methods (communication protocols) can be used.

[0032] The reception unit CU has the function of receiving the selection of display target images to be displayed on each gaming machine information display device D from among the display candidate images X described later (see, for example, X1 and X2 in Figure 5). The specific configuration of the reception unit CU is not particularly limited. For example, a mouse or keyboard (not shown) connected to the management computer C and used to receive input operations from the staff of the gaming arcade can function as the reception unit CU. Also, if the management computer C is a touch panel type computer, the display panel (touch sensor) of the management computer C can function as the reception unit CU. Furthermore, if the staff of the gaming arcade performs input operations via a terminal device, and the results of those input operations are sent to the management computer C via wireless communication, the communication unit CT that receives the wireless signal can also function as the reception unit CU.

[0033] The memory unit CS stores candidate images X to be displayed on the gaming machine information display device D, backup data of game information for multiple game information display devices, installation configuration information for the game information display devices on island I, and programs for operating the control unit CP. The memory unit CS may consist of a single storage medium or multiple physically separated storage mediums. Furthermore, there are no particular limitations on the type of storage medium used as the memory unit CS, and HDDs, SD cards, semiconductor memory, etc., can be suitably used.

[0034] The candidate images X for display include both still images and moving images. Furthermore, candidate images X may include, for example, (1) images of normal gameplay, (2) images of special gameplay such as jackpots, and (3) announcement images for advertising or announcing events at the arcade. Additionally, candidate images X may include image materials used for normal gameplay images, special gameplay images, and / or announcement images. These image materials may include image materials corresponding to each arcade machine M. For example, image materials may include (1) background image materials created as still or moving images, (2) character image materials composed of one or more numbers, letters, kanji, hiragana, etc., (3) frame image materials such as grid lines that divide the display screen, and (4) graph image materials used to represent game information graphically. The display panel W of each arcade machine information display device D in Figure 2 shows an example of a normal gameplay image using candidate images X.

[0035] The candidate images X to be displayed may be stored in the memory unit CS beforehand, or they may be input via the communication unit CT. Alternatively, they may be created by an employee of the amusement arcade using the management computer C.

[0036] The control unit CP, for example, is implemented by the CPU (Central Processing Unit) and controls the operation of the management computer C and performs various calculations based on programs stored in the memory unit CS and input operations received by the reception unit CU.

[0037] Specifically, the control unit CP checks at predetermined intervals (for example, every 15 minutes) whether there are any new uploaded images, which are display candidate images X, uploaded to the content server via the communication unit CT. If there are new uploaded images, it checks whether the new uploaded images are included in the existing display candidate images X stored in the storage unit CS.

[0038] The method for checking whether a newly uploaded image is included in the existing candidate images X is not particularly limited. For example, the image file names could be set according to a specific rule, and the method for checking whether a newly uploaded image is included in the existing candidate images X could be based on the results of comparing those file names. Alternatively, the method could be based on the date and time the file was stored, or on the results of directly comparing images using a program or a dedicated algorithm.

[0039] If there is a difference between the existing display candidate image X and the new image, the difference image is automatically downloaded to the storage unit CS as the new display candidate image X via the communication unit CT. The above predetermined time is not particularly limited and may be shorter or longer than 15 minutes.

[0040] Furthermore, when a new display candidate image is stored in the memory unit CS, the control unit CP checks for the presence or absence of a difference candidate image, which is the difference between the display candidate image stored in the memory unit CS and the display candidate image stored in the memory unit 114 of each gaming machine information display device D (described later). Then, the control unit CP executes a process to automatically download the difference candidate image as a new display candidate image X to the memory unit 114 of the gaming machine information display device D (described later) where the difference candidate image was found.

[0041] Furthermore, the control unit CP obtains instruction information from the reception unit CU regarding the candidate display images X to be displayed on each gaming machine information display device D. Then, via the communication unit CT, it sends a command to each gaming machine information display device D indicating the image to be displayed on the display panel W. The specific processing details of the control unit CP will be explained later with specific examples.

[0042] Next, an example of the configuration of the gaming machine information display device D will be described. The gaming machine information display device D has a control board (not shown) built into it, and the circuits shown in Figure 3 are mounted on or directly or indirectly connected to the control board.

[0043] The gaming machine information display device D includes an input / output unit 101, an external communication unit 102, and an external memory socket 103 as input / output means, a remote control receiver 104 and a touch switch 105 as input means, and a display panel W, a decorative light-emitting unit 3, and an audio output unit 106 as output means.

[0044] The input / output unit 101 is configured to communicate with the gaming machine M corresponding to its gaming machine information display device D, and acquires gaming information from the gaming machine M. The input / output unit 101 is also configured to communicate with the hall computer H, and transmits the gaming information acquired from the gaming machine M to the hall computer H. Furthermore, the input / output unit 101 has a function to transmit call information to the hall computer H based on a touch operation on a call button (not shown) displayed on the display panel W.

[0045] The external communication unit 102 is configured to communicate with the management computer C, etc., and receives voice and image information transmitted from the management computer C and transmits it to the storage unit 114 via the voice and image control circuit 110, which will be described later. Furthermore, the external communication unit 102 receives a command from the management computer C indicating the image to be displayed and transmits it to the main control circuit 109, which will be described later.

[0046] The communication method used to connect the external communication unit 102 and the management computer C is not particularly limited, but RS485 is preferably applicable, for example. The external communication unit 102 operates to automatically establish communication with the management computer C when the power of the gaming machine information display device D is turned on.

[0047] The external memory socket 103 is configured to accept a storage medium such as a USB memory stick (not shown), and receives audio and image information recorded on the storage medium and transmits it to the storage unit 114 via the audio and image control circuit 110, which will be described later.

[0048] The remote control receiver 104 is configured to receive operation signals transmitted from a remote control (not shown) operated by an employee of the amusement arcade, and transmits the operation signals received from the remote control to the main control circuit 109, which will be described later.

[0049] The touch switch 105 is configured to acquire information about touch operations performed by the player P, etc. (hereinafter referred to as "operation information") from the surface (front) of the transparent front plate member that covers the front of the display panel W. The operation information acquired by the touch switch 105 is transmitted to the main control circuit 109, which will be described later, via the touch controller 111.

[0050] Furthermore, the gaming machine information display device D includes a processing unit 108 that controls the display of the display panel W based on a command received from the management computer C indicating the image to be displayed.

[0051] The arithmetic processing unit 108 comprises a main control circuit 109 and an audio-image control circuit 110.

[0052] The main control circuit 109 has the function of controlling the entire gaming machine information display device D based on programs stored in the memory unit 112. Specifically, the main control circuit 109 is configured to perform various calculation processes and control the display of the gaming machine information display device D, such as controlling the display of the display panel W and controlling the blinking of the decorative light-emitting unit 3.

[0053] The audio-image control circuit 110 is controlled by a control signal output from the main control circuit 109. Under the control of the main control circuit 109, the audio-image control circuit 110 transmits an image signal to the image signal conversion circuit 115 and transmits audio information to the audio output unit 106. A display panel W is connected to the image signal conversion circuit 115, and the image display data generated by the image signal conversion circuit 115 is displayed on the display panel W.

[0054] Next, the operation of the display data management system will be explained with reference to Figures 4 to 8. Figure 5 shows the initial state of the storage unit CS of the management computer C, the storage unit 114 of the gaming machine information display device D, and the content server V. In Figure 5, the filled-in display candidate images X represent the images designated as display target images to be displayed on the display panel W of each gaming machine information display device D. In the following explanation of Figures 5 to 8, four display candidate images X1 to X4 will be used as examples to explain the display candidate images X.

[0055] In the example in Figure 5, candidate image X2 is designated as the image to be displayed in gaming machine information display devices D1 and D2, and candidate image X1 is designated as the image to be displayed in gaming machine information display devices D3 and Dn. In Figures 6 to 8, as in Figure 5, the images designated as images to be displayed are shown by filling them in.

[0056] In the initial state shown in Figure 5, content server V stores display candidate images X1 and X2. Specifically, for example, a link with a specific name (e.g., "date + revision number") is set up in content server V, and the corresponding display content (display candidate image) can be downloaded via that link.

[0057] In the initial state shown in Figure 5, the storage unit CS of the management computer C stores the same display candidate images X1 and X2 as the content server V. The display candidate images X1 and X2 in the storage unit CS are managed with the same names as the respective display candidate images X1 and X2 in the content server V. In addition, the identifiers of the display candidate images X1 and X2 are registered in the management list. In this example, the file names F1 and F2 are registered in the management list. By using the same names in this way, it is possible to check the differences between the display candidate images. However, it is not limited to using the same names; other identification methods are acceptable as long as each display candidate image can be identified. That is, it is sufficient to obtain the difference between the display candidate image X stored in the content server V and the display candidate image X stored in the storage unit CS, and the specific form is not specified. The same applies to the storage unit 114 below; it is sufficient to obtain the difference between the display candidate image X stored in the storage unit 114 and the display candidate image X stored in the storage unit CS, and the specific form is not specified.

[0058] In the initial state shown in Figure 5, the memory units 114 of the gaming machine information display devices D1, D2, and Dn store the same display candidate images X1 and X2 as the memory unit CS. In the gaming machine information display devices D1, D2, and Dn, the display candidate images X1 and X2 are managed under the same names as in the memory unit CS. In addition, identifiers for the display candidate images X1 and X2 (for example, file names F1 and F2) are registered in the management list. Furthermore, the memory unit 114 of the gaming machine information display device D3 stores the same display candidate image X1 as in the memory unit CS of the management computer C. This display candidate image X1 is managed under the same name as in the memory unit CS.

[0059] The flowchart in Figure 4 illustrates an example of the operation as seen from the perspective of the management computer C. The upper section shows the operations related to the communication between the management computer C and the content server V, while the lower section shows the operations related to the communication between the management computer C and each gaming machine information display device D. The operations in the upper and lower sections of Figure 4 can be executed independently and in parallel, simultaneously, or at different times, regardless of the order in which they are performed.

[0060] As mentioned above, in Figures 5 to 8, the images designated as the images to be displayed are shown by filling them in on the display panel W of each gaming machine information display device D.

[0061] In step S11, the management computer C checks whether there is a difference image between the uploaded image uploaded to the content server V and the display candidate image X stored in the storage unit 114. In the example in Figure 5, there is no difference image, so the determination is NO in step S12, and the flow returns to step S11.

[0062] In step S21, the management computer C checks for the presence or absence of a difference candidate image, which is the difference between the display candidate image X stored in the memory unit 114 and the display candidate image X stored in the memory unit 114 of each gaming machine information display device D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn. In the example in Figure 5, it is recognized that the display candidate image X2 is not stored in the memory unit 114 of the gaming machine information display device D3, that is, that X2 exists as a difference candidate image.

[0063] In step S22, the management computer C automatically downloads the difference candidate image as a new display candidate image X to the storage unit 114 of the gaming machine information display device D where the difference candidate image was found. In the example in Figure 5, the management computer C automatically downloads the difference candidate image X2 as a new display candidate image X to the storage unit 114 of the gaming machine information display device D3 where the difference candidate image was found (see dashed line in Figure 5). The download of the difference candidate image X2 is performed at any time, for example, during or outside of the operating hours of the gaming arcade. Once the download of the difference candidate image X2 is complete, the staff of the gaming arcade can specify the display candidate images X1 and X2, which are common to the management computer C, as the display target images for all gaming machine information display devices D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn.

[0064] The processes in steps S21 and S22 may be repeated at predetermined time intervals, or they may be executed whenever predetermined conditions are met, such as when a new display candidate image X is stored in the storage unit CS.

[0065] Next, let's assume that new display candidate images, X3 and X4, have been uploaded to content server V, as shown in Figure 6.

[0066] In step S11, the management computer C recognizes that X3 and X4 are difference images between the uploaded image uploaded to the content server V and the candidate display images stored on the management computer C. That is, a YES determination is made in step S12 in Figure 4, and the flow proceeds to the next step S13.

[0067] In step S13, the management computer C automatically downloads the difference images X3 and X4 discovered in step S11 as new display candidate images X. At this time, it saves them with the same name as the content server V and registers the filenames F3 and F4 of the display candidate images X3 and X4 in the management list (see dashed lines in Figure 6). When step S13 is completed, the flow returns to step S11, and the processes of steps S11 to S13 are executed at predetermined intervals.

[0068] In the subsequent step S21, the management computer C recognizes that X3 and X4 are difference candidate images compared to the display candidate images X stored in the memory unit 114 of each gaming machine information display device D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn.

[0069] In the next step S22, the management computer C automatically downloads the difference candidate images X3 and X4 as new display candidate images X to the storage units 114 of each of the gaming machine information display devices D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn where the difference candidate images were found (see dashed lines in Figure 7). The download of the difference candidate images X3 and X4 is performed at any time, for example, during or outside of the operating hours of the gaming arcade. Once the download of the difference candidate images X3 and X4 is complete, the staff of the gaming arcade can specify the common display candidate images X1 to X4 as the images to be displayed on all gaming machine information display devices D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn.

[0070] Figure 8 shows an example where, after downloading the difference candidate images X3 and X4, the arcade staff input new specifications for the images to be displayed on each of the arcade information display devices D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn to the management computer C. Specifically, in the example in Figure 8, the management computer C receives commands to display the image X4 on the arcade information display device D1, the image X3 on the arcade information display device D2, the image X1 on the arcade information display device D3, and the image X2 on the arcade information display device Dn, and transmits these commands to each of the arcade information display devices D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn. Then, each of the arcade information display devices D1, D2, D3, ..., Dn immediately reflects the received commands and switches to display the images on the display panel W according to the game status of the arcade machine M and the instructions from the staff.

[0071] As described above, according to this embodiment, the management computer C monitors for the presence or absence of differential images with the content server V, and if differential images exist, it automatically downloads them. Furthermore, the management computer C monitors for the presence or absence of differential candidate images with each gaming machine information display device D, and for gaming machine information display devices D that have differential candidate images, it executes a process to automatically download the differential candidate images as new display candidate images X. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the hassle for store staff. In addition, since all gaming machine information display devices D connected to the management computer C can hold common display candidate images X from the past to the latest, even in situations where many new gaming machines M are released every day and gaming machines M are replaced frequently, it is possible to immediately use images corresponding to the gaming machine M and create an integrated presentation between the gaming machine M and the gaming information display.

[0072] -Other Embodiments- Furthermore, the technology described herein is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiments, and can be applied to embodiments that have been modified, replaced, added, or omitted as appropriate. It is also possible to combine the components described in the above embodiments to create new embodiments.

[0073] For example, the above embodiment may have the following configuration.

[0074] In the above embodiment, the display image shown on the display panel W was used as an example, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, the same processing can be performed on the audio output from the audio output unit 106, either in combination with or independently of the display image shown on the display panel W. In this case, the processing can be performed by replacing the description of "image" in the above embodiment with "audio," and the same effect can be obtained. [Industrial applicability]

[0075] This invention significantly reduces the hassle for store staff, and even in situations where many new gaming machines are released daily and machines are replaced frequently, images appropriate to the gaming machine can be used immediately, making it extremely useful and highly applicable to industry. [Explanation of symbols]

[0076] C Management Computer (Display Data Management Device) CP Control Unit CS storage section (management storage section) CT Communication Department CU Reception Department D Gaming machine information display device V Content Server X Candidate images to display 114 Memory section (display memory section)

Claims

1. A display data management device that manages the display data of multiple gaming machine information display devices provided for each of the multiple gaming machines installed in a gaming arcade, A management storage unit that stores candidate images to be displayed on the aforementioned gaming machine information display device, A receiving unit that receives the selection of a target image to be displayed on each of the gaming machine information display devices from among the candidate images to be displayed, A communication unit that transmits a command to each of the gaming machine information display devices indicating the image to be displayed, The system includes a control unit that monitors for the presence or absence of a difference candidate image, which is the difference between the display candidate images stored in the management storage unit and the display candidate images stored in the display storage unit of each of the gaming machine information display devices, and that executes a process to automatically download the difference candidate image as a new display candidate image to the display storage unit of the gaming machine information display device in which the difference candidate image is found. A display data management device characterized by the following features.

2. In the display data management device according to claim 1, The control unit monitors whether there is a difference image between the uploaded image uploaded to the content server that provides the display content and the display candidate image stored in the management storage unit, and automatically downloads the difference image to the management storage unit as a new display candidate image. A display data management device characterized by the following features.

3. A display data management device according to claim 1 or claim 2, The system comprises the aforementioned plurality of gaming machine information display devices, A display data management system characterized by the following features.

Images