JP2688738B2 - Storage media type game equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a storage medium type game facility constructed so that a game can be played based on information stored in a card type storage medium for games.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a card-type pachinko game system has been proposed as a typical example of a storage-medium-type game facility in which a game is played using a card-shaped game storage medium as a medium.

The card system has an advantage that the player only has to carry a card as a storage medium for games, and it is possible to reduce the trouble of carrying a large amount of pachinko balls that easily fall.

Card-type pachinko game systems that have been conventionally proposed are roughly divided into the following two types.

In the first method, when the card is issued, the number of balls held corresponding to the purchase amount is stored in the card, and a pachinko game is played within the range of the number of balls held, and the number of balls held is increased or decreased during the game process. The data is stored in a card (see Japanese Examined Patent Publication No. 47-42227).

In the second card system, when a card is purchased, a card in which only a code number is recorded is issued, the number of balls held is stored in a management device, and the card is inserted into a card reading device of a pachinko machine. This allows the player to play the game by recalling the stored number of balls (see Jikkoku Sho 61-32709 and Shokoku Sho 51-17106).

[0007]

By the way, a so-called magnetic card for recording information in a magnetic recording section is mainly used as a card-shaped storage medium for games.

However, the information stored in the magnetic card (ball number data, balance amount data, code number, etc.)
May not be completely secure in the retention of their recorded information.

That is, in a magnetic card, there is a risk that the magnetic data recorded in the magnetic recording unit may be damaged or erased due to the influence of magnetism such as a magnet while carrying the card.

Further, since the magnetic data recorded in the magnetic recording section is relatively easy to analyze, there is a possibility that the number of balls held data, the balance amount data, etc. may be intentionally tampered with.

On the other hand, there is an idea to use a so-called IC card or the like, which is equipped with a semiconductor memory or a single chip microcomputer having a built-in memory and stores information in a predetermined storage area, for a game. However, this IC card etc.
Although it has the advantage of higher security of information retention than a magnetic card, it is physically damaged by the impact when it is bent or dropped, the circuit is damaged by static electricity, or it malfunctions due to heat, or the battery runs out. There is a risk that the number-of-balls data, the balance amount data, and the like stored in the memory will be destroyed or disappeared due to the factor.

Therefore, in the first card system in which valuable data such as ball number data and balance amount data are stored in the card itself, the valuable data recorded in the magnetic card or IC card is destroyed by any chance. If it disappears or disappears, there is no way to recover the original data, and even if the player holding the card shows the card with the damaged data to the staff of the game store, the game store side also holds the ball. There is no way to check the numbers.

[0013] Here, if measures are taken such that the player's offer is relied upon and data on the number of balls held is restored, the game store may suffer a great deal of damage if the player makes an illegal offer. There is.

On the other hand, if the game store side takes no action to compensate the card with the damaged data, the player is entirely responsible for the card damage, and the card is damaged by force majeure. However, there is a problem in that the game player has no choice but to suffer the damage, which causes a trouble between the game store and the game player.

The above situation is the same when a magnetic card, an IC card or the like is lost, and there is no way to confirm the original data, and the player who lost the card can be rescued. I couldn't.

On the other hand, in the second card system, only the identification code such as the code number is recorded on the magnetic card or the IC card, and the information such as the number of balls held is stored in the storage device of the management device. If the data of the identification code recorded on the card is destroyed or the card itself is lost, there is no means to confirm the identification code of the card. Although the number data etc. are stored, the data corresponding to the card cannot be read, and as a result the player cannot confirm the number of balls he / she owns and is damaged. There was a problem of being lost.

However, it is monetary to give the player all responsibility for card damage, and if the data on the card is damaged due to force majeure or the like, it is between the player and the game store. Trouble is likely to occur.

In particular, in the system in which the number-of-balls data and the balance amount data are stored in the storage device of the management device, if the card is damaged while the player has won a large prize ball, The damage done to him will be enormous.

On the other hand, on the contrary, a serious system in which the storage device of the management device on the side of the amusement store malfunctions for some reason and all the number-of-balls data and balance amount data of a large number of players are lost. There is a risk of trouble.

Therefore, in the card-type pachinko game system, in preparation for the occurrence of the above-mentioned unforeseen situation, data relating to the game such as the number of balls held by the player and the amount of balance data are multiply stored and held. It is desired to have means.

The present invention has been made under the background as described above, and provides a storage medium type game facility capable of recording and holding multiple valuable data substantially equivalent to the number of money or game mediums. Therefore, even if the data stored in the game storage medium or the management device is damaged, the original data can be confirmed, and fraud such as falsification of data can be effectively prevented. With the goal.

[0022]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a storage medium reading device capable of reading information stored in a game storage medium, and is read by the storage medium reading device. A storage medium provided with a game device which is made playable based on information and provides a required game using a game medium, and a management device which can collect information of the plurality of game devices via a data transmission means. In the game equipment, the game storage medium comprises an identification code set for each storage medium and a storage means for storing valuable data substantially equivalent to money or the number of game media, and the management device is Data storage means for storing data and data management means for storing the valuable data in the data storage means for each storage medium based on the identification code stored in the game storage medium. It is equipped with a.

Further, the storage means of the game storage medium,
You may make it memorize | store the game store identification code which shows the game store which the said storage medium is used, and the issue date data which show the issue date of the said game storage medium.

The data management means of the management device is
First valuable data that is substantially equivalent to money stored in the storage means of the game storage medium, and second valuable data that is substantially equivalent to the number of game media converted from the first valuable data. And may be configured to be stored in the data storage means for each game storage medium based on the identification code.

[0025]

According to the above means, the game storage medium is provided with the storage means for storing the identification code set for each storage medium and the valuable data which is substantially equivalent to the money or the game value. A data storage means for storing data,
Since the data management means for storing the valuable data in the data storage means is provided for each storage medium based on the identification code stored in the gaming storage medium, the important valuable data is the gaming storage medium. Since it is stored and held by both the management device and the management device, even if valuable data stored in one of the game storage medium or the management device is damaged or disappears, the other (game The original data can be easily confirmed by the data stored in the storage medium (or management device).

Even if the game storage medium is lost, if the identification code is clear, the management device confirms the data stored in the game storage medium based on the identification code. Can be done and the player can be rescued.

Further, when the valuable data stored in both the game storage medium and the management device are collated, it is possible to find out if the data in the game storage medium has been tampered with. It is possible to prevent fraud.

In particular, the storage means of the game storage medium has a game shop identification code indicating the game shop in which the storage medium is used,
When the issue date data indicating the issue date of the game storage medium is stored, even if the valuable data stored in the game storage medium is destroyed, the game store identification code Also, the original data can be easily specified based on the issue date data.

In addition, the data management means of the management device, the first valuable data substantially equivalent to the money stored in the storage means of the game storage medium, and the game converted from the first valuable data. When the second valuable data that is substantially equivalent to the value is stored in the data storage means for each storage medium based on the identification code, the valuable data in the game storage medium is damaged. If the identification code is clear, even if it occurs or disappears, accurate first valuable data and second valuable data can be called from the storage means of the management device based on the identification code. Also, it is possible to protect valuable data even if a card operation method peculiar to pachinko games is adopted.

[0030]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of a card-type pachinko game system as an example of a storage medium-type game facility to which the present invention is applied.

The pachinko game system of this embodiment is a pachinko machine 100 as a game machine and each pachinko machine 100.
Issuer 200 as a storage medium issuing device for issuing a magnetic card (hereinafter simply referred to as a card) CD as a card-shaped game storage medium having a local valuable value for starting the game in, and the result of the game is obtained. And a management device 400 that centrally manages and controls the various terminals described above, and a management device 400 that centrally manages and controls the above various terminals. The device 400 and the data transmission path 500 as a transmission means for organically connecting the respective terminals to each other form an organic combined body. The organic combination can be interposed only by the card CD, and the operation of the card and the conversion of the valuable data can be performed only by the organic combination.

Therefore, each of the components of the organic combination, the pachinko machine 100, the issuing machine 200, the settlement machine 300, and the management device 400, is provided with a card reader (in this specification, writing on the magnetic surface of the card is performed. (Also referred to as a card reader) is provided, and the card C
The information of D (the number of balls held, the balance remaining data, the identification code set for each card, etc.) and the information of each terminal are stored in the storage device of the management device 400 as the data storage means. The storage is managed in the form of a file for each card CD based on a code (for example, an issue serial number).

Next, before starting a detailed description of each component of the above organic combination, a card CD as a game storage medium used in this embodiment will be described.

The card CD according to this embodiment is, for example, as shown in FIG.
As shown in (A), information necessary for the player, such as the purchase amount AM, card insertion direction DIR, and issue date (= valid date) DATE as issue date data along the center of the card CD. Further, a print display unit PRT is provided on which issuance serial number n (identification code) and the like necessary for resuming a card with damaged data are printed at the time of issuance. Therefore,
There is no need to prepare a plurality of types of cards on which different amounts are printed in advance.

A genuineness / counterfeit identification area TF is provided immediately above the print display portion PRT, and it is difficult to forge a concealing member or a hologram using a special paint such as magnetic ink which cannot be seen from the card surface. Four authenticity discrimination physical layers TF1 to TF4 each having a different structure are provided at appropriate intervals, and above that, the state of the card CD, that is,
Card CD including issued, resurrected, game, zero, and settled
A punch hole forming area PH is provided as a hole forming section for recording the history or state transition of the hole in the form of a hole.

By detecting the above-mentioned holes formed on the card CD with a photoelectric detector, it is easy to read the number of balls held from the file of the management device 400 by using the code recorded on the magnetic surface and confirm it. In addition, the state of the card can be grasped, which can reduce the load on the controller of the card reader and the management device 400 required to determine the process corresponding to the state of the card CD.

On the other hand, below the print display section PRT,
A magnetic recording portion MG coated with a magnetic material is provided, and a blank portion other than the magnetic recording portion MG, the print display portion PRT, and the authenticity discrimination area TF is not shown, but a pattern such as a decorative illustration is provided. And the name of the hall of the pachinko parlor are printed. Instead of providing the authenticity discrimination area TF, a decorative pattern that is difficult to imitate may be used, and the pattern may be optically inspected to discriminate the authenticity of the card.

In the card CD of this embodiment, the magnetic recording portion MG, the print display portion PRT, the authenticity discrimination area TF and the punch hole formation area PH are formed along the insertion direction of the card CD.

In the card CD of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, a band-shaped blank having no important information used for determining the card CD along the insertion direction between the print display portion PRT and the magnetic recording portion MG. Since there is a region, it may be used as a roller traveling region in which the transport roller of the card reader travels.

Further, in the card CD of FIG. 2A, the magnetic recording portion MG is provided only in a part in the longitudinal direction, but like the print display portion PRT, it is continuous from end to end of the card CD. It may be in the form of a strip, or the entire back surface of the card CD may be coated with a magnetic material to form a magnetic recording portion.

The magnetic recording section MG is divided into, for example, five tracks TR1 to TR5 as shown in FIG. 2B, of which the fifth track TR5 has four other bits for parity check. Is recorded. The magnetic recording unit MG also includes, in order from the left side, an 8-bit timing code TMS as dummy data for protecting the valid data unit, 4-bit auxiliary data STX indicating the start of data, and a game store code (game store identification). Code), 16-bit date data DATE indicating the card issue date, and 16-bit card number No converted based on the issue serial number n
(Identification code), 4-bit auxiliary data ETX indicating the end of the data, check bit LRC for parity check for each bit string of each of the data STX to ETX, and dummy data 8 for protecting the valid data portion. The bit timing code TME is recorded. The card number No. And auxiliary data E
A spare area RSU is provided so that information other than the above can be entered between the TX and TX, and valuable data such as the number of balls owned by the player and balance amount data can be recorded therein. This valuable data can be the same as the data stored for each card CD in the storage device of the management device 400, and the valuable data in the storage device of the management device 400 is damaged or lost by any chance. In this case, the valuable data recorded on the card CD can be used to check the number of balls possessed by the player and the balance amount data, thereby preventing the occurrence of a financial trouble. Also, the spare area R
When comparing the valuable data recorded in the SU with the valuable data stored in the storage device of the management device 400,
This is useful for detecting falsification of data on the card CD side, thereby preventing fraud.

As described above, the information recorded on the magnetic surface of the card CD of this embodiment includes the identification code for specifying the usable area of the card CD and the issuing date for indicating the valid period of the card. A card number as an identification code obtained from the issued serial number n using an appropriate function or conversion method, and a check code for error detection. These are configured so that they can be extracted in real time from the data file of the management device 400 by the card number No (identification code).

This makes it possible to prevent fraud caused by copying the card CD and to minimize damage caused by fraud. In other words, even if the card CD is copied, no damage occurs beyond the purchase price and the number of balls registered in the data file, so copying the card CD is a completely useless act.

Moreover, in the above embodiment, the authenticity of the card is verified not only by the magnetic recording information recorded on the card CD but also by the authenticity discrimination physical layers TF1 to TF4 which are difficult to forge. It is possible to more reliably prevent fraud. In addition, the authenticity discrimination physical layers TF1 to TF
Since the fraudulent card can be immediately detected by the check of 4, the fraudulent card can be found more quickly than sending the magnetic information to the management device and determining the fraudulent card.
Further, when the valuable data recorded on the card CD and the valuable data stored in the management device 400 are collated, it is possible to detect tampering of the valuable data on the card CD, and it is possible to reduce fraud. Can be prevented. It is to be noted that a hole is also formed in a telephone card or the like having a magnetic recording section, but a conventional card is provided to inform the user of the remaining balance, and a card reader is used to make a hole. Is not intended to be used for any processing or determination. In the embodiment, four authenticity discrimination physical layers are provided, but the number may be one.

Also, if the player loses the card CD,
Even if the stored data is destroyed, if the card number No (identification code) can be clearly presented, the management device 400 responds to the card CD based on the identification code. Valuable data can be read out, opening the way for rescue of gamers.

Further, by making the card CD a disposable type, it is possible to simplify the system and facilitate the management of the card CD by making the card collection facility unnecessary.
In order to reduce the cost associated with disposable use, the size of the card CD is fixed to 86 mm in length and 54 mm in width, and paper is selected as the material of the card substrate.

FIG. 27 shows a second embodiment of the pachinko gaming card according to the present invention.

Similar to the card CD shown in FIG. 2, the card CD 'of this embodiment has a slightly different position on the card, but the print display portion PRT, the magnetic recording portion MG, and the punch hole forming portion PH. And an authenticity discrimination area TF are provided. Thus, in the card CD 'of this embodiment,
Between the print display unit PRT and the magnetic recording unit MG, that is, in the center of the card, a belt-like roller running area RRA slightly wider than the conveying roller in the card reader is provided along the longitudinal direction of the card. The magnetic recording portion MG and the print display portion PR having important information used for determining the surface of the card CD ', particularly the card by contact with the roller.
T, the authenticity discrimination area TF is prevented from being damaged, and the information can be prevented from becoming unreadable.

Further, in the card CD 'of this embodiment, instead of providing the genuine / counterfeit discrimination physical layers TF1 to TF4 in the genuine / counterfeit discrimination area TF, the security hidden in characters such as hole names printed on the surface of the card. The mark is provided. That is, as shown in FIG. 28, the characters "PLAZA" printed on the surface of the card come to the position where the leg portions of each character correspond to the detection bit patterns B0 to B9 provided at an equal pitch of 3.5 mm. Design it and print it out. Then, the character width is set to 0.5 to 3.0 mm, and "1" or "0" of each bit is represented by the shading of the character.
In addition, the fifth bit B from the left of the 10 bits
4 and the last bit B9 determine the shading of the character so as to represent the parity of the bits B0 to B3 and B5 to B8.

The security bit hidden in the character string is more preferably formed by using a special ink that can be detected only by the sensor and cannot be distinguished by human eyes.

Further, on the surface of the card CD 'of this embodiment, there is provided a head cleaning area HCN which is formed by applying a cleaning agent for removing dirt on the magnetic head to a strip-shaped area continuous with the magnetic recording portion MG. Has been. At the same time, in the card CD ′ of the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 29, the magnetic particles are formed on a base material 11 made of a plastic such as polyester in order to make it difficult to know where the magnetic recording portion MG is provided. A white layer 13 is formed on the magnetic layer 12 which is uniformly coated, and a pattern printing layer 14 is further placed thereon. Then, a thermosensitive coloring layer 15 is formed on a part of the layer (a portion corresponding to the print display section PRT). Is formed, and a transparent protective film 16 is coated thereon. A cleaning agent of the same color as the white layer 13 is applied to the cleaning area HCN, and a protective film 16
Is exposed so as not to be coated, and the cleaning area HCN is hardly changed in color from other parts, thereby improving the aesthetic appearance. Further, a pattern print layer 17 is formed on the back surface of the base material 11 of the card, and the upper surface is coated with a protective film 18.

In the card having the above structure in which the white layer 13 is formed on the surface of the magnetic layer 12, the magnetic layer 12 made of black magnetic particles is
, It is possible to provide a card with rich fashion by printing a picture, and has a function of concealing the magnetic recording unit MG.

Further, a protective film 16 is formed on the surface of the card CD '.
Is coated, the area such as the print display unit PRT, the magnetic recording unit MG, and the authenticity discrimination area TF, which is important information used for discriminating the card, is protected, and the information is hardly destroyed. , The reliability of the card is improved.

FIG. 30 shows another example of the configuration of the magnetic recording section MG provided on the card CD '.

In the example of FIG. 2B, the magnetic recording portion MG has 5
There are two tracks, but here the recording density is 10
By setting it to 5 BPI (4.134 bits / mm),
It has a two-track configuration. Of these, the first track TR
Clock data for giving a sampling timing is recorded in C1. The second track TRC2 includes, in order from the left, a 4-bit start code, a field STX in which the parity bit is entered, and a company code M indicating a card reader manufacturer.
KC and device code MCC indicating the type of card reader, amusement shop identification code (gaming shop identification code) DSC, date data (issuing date data) DATE, card number (identification code) No, card issuing from card reader A text field TXT containing a given issue command code FNC and security data SDC read from the authenticity discrimination area, a field ETX containing a text end code,
It is composed of a field LRC containing an exclusive OR value (detection code) of text data and an end code, and a field STX containing a start code. In addition, the date data is provided with a bit P indicating each parity for every four bits, and the first four bits are used to indicate “month”.
, And the last two digits of the year are binary-coded by the sixth to ninth bits and the eleventh bit, and the last two digits are recorded by the twelfth to fourteenth bits and the sixteenth to nineteenth bits. Has become.

In the case of a card having a magnetic recording section, it is generally easiest to decipher the recording format and the recorded data from the date, but in the card CD 'of the above embodiment, the order of the date is changed and Since a parity bit is inserted every 4 bits and the correspondence of recording bits is changed, it is extremely difficult to forge a card. As in the case of the card CD shown in FIG. 2, a spare area for storing information other than the above is provided in the second track TRC2 of the card CD '. May be recorded. In that case, valuable data can be recorded on both the card CD 'and the management device 400, and even if one valuable data is damaged or disappears, the original data can be easily read by reading the other data. You can check the data.

FIG. 3 shows a configuration example of the card issuing machine 200.

The card issuing machine 200 of this embodiment includes a bill validator 210 for identifying bills for card purchase,
A card reader 220 for printing the amount corresponding to the purchase amount and recording the card number, a balance dispensing device 230 for discharging change, various indicators 241 to 245, and a control unit for controlling the entire issuance machine 200 250 and the like.

The front panel 201 is provided with a bill insertion slot 211, a purchase amount selection switch group 212, and a money amount display 213 corresponding to the above-mentioned bill identification device 210. Therefore, when the player first inserts a bill through the bill insertion slot 211, the inserted amount is displayed on the amount display 213. Then, by pressing a switch corresponding to a desired purchase amount from the selection switch group 212, a card corresponding to the desired purchase amount is issued from the card ejection port 202 of the card reader 220. Each of the money amount selection switch groups 212 is constituted by a switch with a built-in lamp. When the switch is operated, the corresponding built-in lamp is turned on. Then, the inserted bill is collected in the bill storage tank 214.

The card reader 220 takes out the blank cards stored in the card tank one by one, and purchases the purchase amount, the issue date, and the management device 4 on the front surface.
The serial number n issued from 00 is printed, and the card number (identification code) and identification code (store code: amusement store identification code) calculated by the control unit 250 on the magnetic surface on the back of the card, issue date code (Issuance date data), check code, etc. are recorded, and a punch hole is further punched at the issued punching position PH1 (see FIG. 2), and then the card is ejected from the card ejection port 202 provided in the front panel 201.

The issuance serial number n corresponds to the card issuer 20
The management device 400, which has received the application for card purchase from 0, determines the issuance serial number n in the order of acceptance for purchase applications from a plurality of card issuers 200 under its control, and assigns them to each card issuer. A code conversion process such as an operation using a predetermined function f (n) or a rearrangement of bits on the magnetic serial surface of the card in order to prevent fraud by copying the card. The card code (identification code)
The information on the card is recorded in a file of a storage device in the management device 400 for each card based on the card number (identification code).

Further, the serial number issued n is printed on the print display section PRT.
Even if the information in the magnetic recording unit MG becomes unreadable due to damage to the card or the like, the card data can be restored from the file information of the management device 400 based on the issue serial number n. it can.

In order to enable the calculation of the card number from the issue serial number n, the control program of the management device 400 is provided with a function f (n) or a code conversion procedure in advance, and is read from the card. An inverse function or an inverse conversion procedure is provided to confirm the coincidence between the card number and the issue serial number n.

On the other hand, when a bill is inserted from the bill insertion slot 211 of the issuing machine 200 and the purchase amount is determined by the amount selection switch 212 and a balance is generated, a balance dispensing device 230 for repaying the balance is used to pay the bill. A bill tank 231 for stocking is provided, and bills corresponding to the balance are discharged through a bill discharge port 232 provided in the front panel 201.

Further, the card issuance lamp 241 indicating that the card is ready to be issued, the issue stop lamp 242 indicating that the card cannot be issued, and the bill insertion slot 211 are inserted into the front panel 201 of the card issuing machine 200. A bill pool over display 243 that indicates that the tank 214 is full of bills, a card shortage display 244 that indicates that unissued cards in the card tank 221 are empty, and a bill tank 231 of the balance dispensing device. Change shortage indicator 24 indicating that the stock banknote has run out
5 are provided. Further, in order to detect the above state and turn on the corresponding display, the bill tanks 214 and 231 are used.
And the card tank 221 has sensors 261, 262,
263 are provided respectively.

Further, the card issuing machine 200 of this embodiment
Has a plurality (several tens) of issuing machines 20 installed in a game arcade.
0 is distinguished from each other so that the issuing device which has issued the specific card can be grasped in the management device 400.
The machine number set in step 05 is sent to the management device 400, where it is used to generate a transmission address for data communication and to create a data file for each issuing machine.

Although not particularly limited, the setting unit 205
Is displayed on the nameplate 206 attached to the upper part of the front panel 201 of the issuing machine.

As shown in FIG. 4 in detail, the card reader 220 is a card CD in which the magnetic recording portion MG and the print display portion PRT are blank at one end (the right end in the figure).
However, a card tank 821 containing a large number of cards and a card ejecting device 82 for ejecting card CDs one by one from the tank
2 is provided, and in the vicinity of the card removal device 822,
Photoelectric sensor 8 for detecting the edge of the removed card
14 and a card insertion / ejection opening 801 is provided at the other end (left end) of the card reader 220, and a photoelectric sensor 811 for detecting the end of the card is provided in the vicinity thereof. A sensor 812 is provided adjacent to the sensor 811 for checking the authenticity identification physical layers TF1 to TF4 formed on the card CD to confirm whether the card is a legitimate card.

When the card CD is taken out from the card tank 821 by the card take-out device 822, is inserted into the card take-in port 823, and is detected by the sensor 814, the conveyance motor 802 which is a pulse motor is driven to drive the belt 803. The transport roller 804 is rotated via the transfer roller 804. Then, the card CD is transported along the traveling path 806 while being sandwiched between the transport roller 804 and the guide roller 805, and is taken into the card reader. Transport motor 802
Is provided with a rotation detector (sensor 5) 815 such as an encoder for detecting a rotation angle. When the card is conveyed by a predetermined amount, the motor is stopped.

Magnetic heads 808a and 808b are provided at the center of the main body of the card reader 220. One head 808a writes data such as an identification code to the magnetic recording portion MG of the card CD and the other head 808a. 80
At step 8b, reading for confirmation is performed.

The magnetic heads 808a and 808
b, a punching device 807 for forming a punch hole is provided. In the card reader 220 of the issuing machine 200, the punching device 807 is driven at the time of issuing a card, so that a punch hole is punched at a predetermined punching position PH1.

Further, in the vicinity of the punching device 807, a photoelectric sensor 813 for detecting punched holes is provided for confirming whether punching by the punching device 807 has been performed. This sensor 813 detects a punch hole PH1 to PH5 punched in the card CD in a pachinko machine or a payment machine and detects the card CD.
Used to keep track of the status of

Further, a printing device 809 is arranged between the sensors 813 and 812, and the purchase amount A for the print display portion PRT of the conveyed card CD.
M, date of issue DATE and serial number n of issue are printed. When the recording of magnetic data by the magnetic head 808a, the formation of punch holes by the punching device 807, and the printing by the printing device 809 are completed, and the sensor 811 detects the rear end of the card CD, the transport motor 802 is stopped. You.

Control of the motor 802, the punching device 807, and the magnetic heads 808a and 808b based on the detection signals of the sensors 811 to 815 is performed by a controller 228 including a microcomputer (188 for a pachinko machine, 319 for a settlement machine). .

FIG. 5 shows a configuration example of a control system of the card issuing machine 200 configured as described above.

In the figure, reference numerals L1 to L5 denote lamps incorporated in the purchase price selection switch group 212. The lamp corresponding to the turned-on switch is turned on and the operation button is pressed. It is designed to illuminate from behind.

In this system, the magnetic heads 808a and 808b, the conveyance motor 802, the punching device 807, the printing device 809, and the card ejecting device 822, which are the respective components of the card reader 220, are based on the detection signals from the sensors 811 to 815. , A controller 228 (see FIG. 4) such as a CPU (microcomputer),
The controller 228 and various sensors and indicators provided on the issuing machine 200, the bill validator 210, and the balance payout device 230 are controlled by a unit controller 251 in a control unit 250 also formed of a microcomputer. .

The unit controller 251 controls the above-mentioned components and receives the card number to execute the card issuing process, collects the operation data, and collects the operation data from the unit memory 270 as a parallel communication means including a dual port memory. Write in the transmission data area SDA inside. The operation data written in the unit memory 270 is sent to the management device 400 by a transmission controller and a network control unit (NAU), which will be described later, by data communication with the management device 400 via a transmission cable (network). Further, data sent from the management device 400 is also temporarily written into the reception data area RDA in the unit memory 270, and the unit controller 2
The data is received by the reading of the data by 51. Unit memory 270 is provided with a shared data area CDA for storing commands and status information for notifying the other controller that transmission data and reception data are in the memory.

[Table 1], [Table 2] and [Table 3] show the transmission data area SD in the unit memory 270, respectively.
A shows a configuration example of a reception data area RDA and a shared data area.

[0080]

[Table 1]

[0081]

[Table 2]

[0082]

[Table 3]

The hot codes shown in the above [Table 1] are stored in the transmission area of the unit memory 270 by the management device 400 when the system starts up, for example, 010101.
··· Write a code of 01 and send it to the management device 400 periodically to generate a RAM
The system checks whether data has been destroyed and can quickly detect abnormalities in transmitted data.

As shown in [Table 4], the monitor information 1 shown in [Table 1] above is a bit indicating that a test is being executed at system startup, a bit indicating initial value setting / non-setting, and hot. It is composed of a bit indicating a code error, a bit indicating an abnormality in the local network (transmission cable 500) (two bits for low layer and high layer), a bit indicating an issuer abnormality, and the like.

As shown in [Table 5], the monitor information 2 is a bit indicating the abnormality of the card reader, a bit indicating the presence / absence of a card, a bit indicating the state inside the same bill tank, a bit indicating a bill jam, and a bill. Of the remaining amount dispenser 230, a bit indicating the state of the remaining amount dispenser 230 in the bill tank, a bit indicating an abnormality of the remaining amount dispenser 230, and the like.

[0086]

[Table 4]

[0087]

[Table 5]

Next, a pachinko machine 1 that provides the original game
A configuration example of 00 will be described with reference to FIGS.

The pachinko machine 100 of this embodiment is mounted on the gaming machine main body 110 and the island equipment or the like above the gaming machine main body 110 in a one-to-one correspondence with the gaming machine main body 110, and is mainly used for processing and playing a card CD. And a control unit 160 that controls the collection of operation data of the.

The control unit 160 is the gaming machine main body 110.
And a card slot 161 and a card CD
Amount display 162 for displaying the amount of money possessed by the player, ball display 163 for displaying the number of balls held by the player in digital numbers, and analog display 1 in which a plurality of lamps are arranged in a line.
64, a call switch 165 for calling a clerk, etc. are provided on the front surface. The analog display 164 is used to display the number of balls held in a game in an analog manner, or to display a hit state or a free state by simultaneous blinking and moving blinking.

In addition, although not particularly limited, on the front surface of the control unit 160, a safe lamp 166 for displaying a winning ball, which is conventionally provided in the main body of the pachinko machine 100, and a game display lamp indicating that a game is in progress. A speaker 168 for generating sound effects and warnings is provided.

Furthermore, in order to enable a game operation by using a test card described later in a peculiar state in which the pachinko machine 100 is separated from the management device 400, in a portion located inside the island equipment on the side surface of the control unit 160. Test switch 171 of the pachinko machine 10 on the front of the unit.
Nameplates 172 are provided, each of which specifies a platform number given to 0.

Then, inside the control unit 160,
A card reader 180 corresponding to the card slot 161
In addition, a unit number setting switch 173 is provided behind the name plate 172 of the unit number, and a unit controller 190 for controlling the entire control unit 160 is provided. The unit controller 190 is connected to a control device 150 of the game machine main body 110 by a transmission line 191 such as an optical fiber or a coaxial cable, and to a management device 400 via a transmission controller and a local network (transmission cable) described later. .

Card reader 180 of pachinko machine 100
Is a card reader 220 for the issuing machine shown in FIG.
The printing device 809 and the card tank 82
1. The difference is that the card removal device 822 is not provided.

On the other hand, the gaming machine main body 110 of this embodiment is constructed as a closed type gaming machine that circulates and uses the gaming spheres enclosed in the machine, and the circulation device 120 that circulates the enclosed spheres.
have. In addition, at the lower part of the gaming machine main body 110, a launching device 11 for launching the above-mentioned sealed balls one by one into the game area.
1 and its operation dial 112 and a purchase switch 11 for enabling a game procedure using the card.
3. An end switch 114 and an interruption switch 115 are provided. The configuration of the game area is the same as the conventional one.
The purchase switch 113 is an instruction switch for converting a card CD into a game ball in a unit of 200 yen or the like within a range of the amount of the card CD on the assumption that the card CD is inserted into the card insertion / ejection opening 161. Game ball is the number of balls.
The number of balls held is displayed on the number-of-balls indicator 163, and the hitting ball launcher 1
Whenever one game ball is fired by 11, the number of possessed balls is decremented by one, and when a winning ball is generated, the number of prize balls is added and displayed.

The end switch 114 is turned on at any time when the player wants to end the game (including the case where the player wants to change the game table), so that the card in use is ejected from the control unit 160. You can
At that time, the unit controller 190 determines the number of balls held by the player (sum of the purchased balls and the acquired balls) at that time based on the card number (identification code) of the card CD in the storage device of the management device 400 for each card CD. The card is ejected from the insertion / ejection opening 161 after being registered in the individual file.

Further, the interruption switch 115 is a switch used by the player to temporarily interrupt the game for a break, although the player does not intend to stop the game on the gaming machine currently being played, and this switch is operated. Then, the unit controller 190 once ejects the card and waits until the same card is inserted again, and does not accept any other card during that time.

Of the above switches, the purchase switch 113 and the interruption switch 115 are built-in lamp types, and when the number of balls held becomes "0", the lamp in the purchase switch 113 blinks and the interruption switch 115 is pressed. And the built-in lamp is lit until the interruption is released.

FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of the back surface of the gaming machine main body 110.

A winning ball collecting gutter 122 that covers a plurality of winning ball lead-out holes 121 formed so as to penetrate the game board 101 corresponding to the winning area provided in the game area on the front surface of the game board 101 is a game board. It is attached to the back of 101.
The bottom wall of the prize ball collecting gutter 122 is inclined downward toward the center to form guide shelves 122a and 122b, and a first guiding gutter 123 is connected to the lower end of the flow.
The winning balls that have flowed into 2 flow down on guide shelves 122a and 122b and are gathered, and are detected by safe sensor 131 while flowing down first guiding gutter 123. Further, a collecting gutter 124 is provided on the back surface of the game board corresponding to the out hole 102 provided at the lower part of the game area, and the end of the collecting gutter 124 is provided at the end of the first guiding gutter 123. Have joined. Further, in this embodiment, a second guiding gutter 125 for collecting the winning game ball is provided in a large variable winning device provided in the game area, and the end of the second guiding gutter 125 is provided at the end of the collecting gutter 124. Has been joined. The recovery gutter 124 and the second guiding gutter 125 are provided with an out sensor 132 and a safe sensor 133, and detect a game ball flowing into them. First guiding gutter 123 and second
By providing the guide gutter 125, the number of prize balls obtained by winning each prize area can be differently provided to the player.

The confluence part of each of the above-mentioned gutters is connected to the communication port 12
At 7, it is communicated with a guide gutter 126 that guides the recovered game balls to the hitting ball firing device 111.

The guide gutter 126 is, as shown in FIG.
It is a gutter connected to a foul ball intake 104 provided in the middle of an arcuate guide rail 103 for guiding a game ball fired by the hit ball firing device 111 to the upper part of the game area. The winning ball) and the out ball are all finally collected by the guide gutter 126 and guided to the hitting ball firing device 111. Guide gutter 126
In the middle of the process, a foul sensor 134 for detecting game balls collected from the foul ball intake port 104, a ball flyer 105 for aligning the game balls collected on the guide gutter, and a ball removal lever for extracting the enclosed ball to the outside 106 is provided.

The ball detected by the foul sensor 134 is subtracted from the shot ball, and the number of hit balls actually hit in the game area is accurately counted. In addition, the guide rail 103
Firing sensors 135 and 136 for detecting a hit ball fired by the hitting ball launching device 111 are provided at the start end portion of the so as not to count an empty hit as a launch ball, and the launch sensor 135 side The movement of the hit ball toward the 136 side is counted as the number of shots.

On the contrary, when the movement of the hit ball from the launch sensor 136 side to the 135 side is detected, it is detected as a return ball (foul ball).

The punching lever 106 blocks the rotation of the rotatable rotating plate 107 provided so as to form a part of the bottom wall of the guide trough 126 and hits the game ball with the ball launching device 1
11A, and the ball removal lever 106 is slid upward as shown in FIG.
07 is configured to rotate downward by its own weight and discharge game balls in the guide gutter 126.

On the other hand, a ball feed 1 having a ball receiving portion 128a at the lower end of the guide gutter 126 as shown in FIG. 10B.
28 is swingably mounted. By swinging, the game balls in the guide gutter 126 are separated one by one and moved to the firing start position of the guide rail 103. The ball feed 128 is rotated upward in conjunction with the firing rod 111a of the hit ball firing device 111. Guide gutter 12
6 and the starting end of the guide rail 103, the separation wall 1
09 is formed, and when the ball feed 128 is rotated upward, only one game ball engaged with the ball receiving portion 128a at the tip gets over the separation wall 109, and the ball is moved. It is. Note that a cylindrical weight 129 is incorporated in the ball feed 128, and the weight of the weight 129 allows the ball feed 128 to smoothly return to the rotation.

FIG. 11 shows a configuration example of the control system of the pachinko machine 100.

The controller 188 shown in FIG.
Is a controller for controlling the transport motor 802, the magnetic head 808, and the punching device 807, which are the respective components of the card reader 180 shown in FIG. Then, various switches 165, 171, 173 and indicators 162, 16 provided on the controller 188 and the control unit 160 are provided.
3, 164, 166, 167 and the speaker 168 are controlled by a unit controller 190, also composed of a microcomputer.

Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, the control device 150 of the gaming machine main body 110, various sensors, a display and the like are connected to the unit controller 190 via the optical cable 191. To enable communication using an optical fiber cable, an optical multiplexed data link (interface) including a parallel-to-serial converter for converting parallel data and serial data, an optical-to-electric converter for converting electric signals to optical signals, and the like. ) 192 and 193 are provided between the unit controller 190 and the optical fiber cable 191 and between the optical fiber cable and the control device 150.

The optical fiber cable 191 is connected to the unit controller 190 and the controller 1 of the pachinko machine 100.
By using it for data communication with the 50, it is easy to maintain and manage a large number of wirings that were conventionally arranged behind the pachinko machine, and to prevent incorrect wiring connections. be able to.

FIG. 12 shows a configuration example of the control system of the gaming machine main body 110.

Under the control of the unit controller 190 via the optical multiplex data link 193 and the optical cable 191, along with the control device 150, the hitting ball launch device 111 and the purchase enable indicator lamp 1 built in the purchase switch 113 are provided.
13a, interruption indicator lamp 11 with interruption switch 115 built-in
5 a is installed via a driver 195. Also,
Signals from the purchase switch 113, the game end switch 114, and the interruption switch 115 are transmitted to the unit controller 190 via the optical multiplex data link 193 and the optical fiber cable 191.

The control device 150 is also composed of a microcomputer, and the control device 150 includes firing sensors 135, 136 and safe sensors 131, 1.
33, detection signals from the foul sensor 134, and the out sensor 132, and determines a winning ball, a foul ball, an out ball, and the like based on these signals and notifies the unit controller 190.

On the other hand, the unit controller 190, based on the detection signals relating to these game balls, the signals from the purchase switch 113, and the like, the number of discharged balls, the number of out balls, the number of held balls,
Calculate operating data such as sales amount, etc.
Operation information (game state) and monitor information regarding 0 are generated, and these are written in the transmission data area SDA of the unit memory 170 composed of a dual port memory.

The operation data and the like written in the unit memory 170 are stored in the management device 4 by the transmission controller described later.
The data is transmitted to the management apparatus 400 by data communication with the management apparatus 400. The data sent from the management device 400 is also temporarily stored in the reception data area RDA in the unit memory 170.
, And the unit controller 190 reads this to receive data. The unit memory 170 is provided with a shared data area CDA in which a command for transmitting transmission data and reception data in the memory to the other controller and status information are stored.

[Table 6], [Table 7] and [Table 8] show the transmission data area SD in the unit memory 170, respectively.
A, reception data area RDA and shared data area C
4 shows a configuration example of a DA.

[0117]

[Table 6]

[0118]

[Table 7]

[0119]

[Table 8]

[0120]

[Table 9]

[0121]

[Table 10]

As shown in [Table 6], the card number as the identification code, the number of balls as the number of balls held, the amount of money as the balance amount data, etc. read from the card CD are sent to the management device as the transmission card text. It is transmitted to the storage device 400 of the management device 400 as a file for each card CD based on the card number (identification code).

In addition, as shown in [Table 7], the management device 4
From 00, the card number as the identification code, the number of balls as the number of possessed balls, the amount of money as the balance amount data, and the like are transmitted to the pachinko machine 100, and these data are temporarily stored in the unit memory 170 as the received card text. ,
For example, when the card CD is ejected, the data is written in a predetermined area (RSU) of the magnetic recording unit MG of the card CD.

As a result of the above processing, valuable data such as the card number (identification code) and the number-of-balls data and the balance amount data are stored and held in both the card CD and the management device 400. If the data is damaged or disappears, it can be restored by the other data.

The monitor information 1 shown in [Table 6] is, as shown in [Table 9], a bit indicating that the test is being executed at system startup, a bit indicating initial value setting / non-setting, and a hot code. It is configured by a bit indicating an error, a bit indicating an abnormality of the local network (transmission cable 500) (two bits for low layer and high layer), a bit indicating an abnormality in the gaming machine, and the like. The monitor information 2 is
As shown in [Table 10], it has a bit indicating an abnormality of the card reader.

Further, the operation information is, as shown in [Table 11], a bit indicating the stopped state, a bit indicating that the game is being interrupted, a forced termination state by the management device 400 or the controller based on communication abnormality or fraud detection. A bit indicating, a bit indicating that a game is in progress, the gaming machine 100
Is constituted by a bit or the like indicating that the player is in a free state without a player.

[0127]

[Table 11]

From the above [Table 11], the actual pachinko machine 1
The state of 00 is represented by 0000000000010000 when the free state is in progress, 0000000000000001 is being played, 0000000000000010 when forced termination is received, 0000000000000100 when interrupted, and 0000000000001000 when hitting occurs.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the configuration of the above-mentioned settlement machine 300.

The settlement machine 300 of this embodiment has a card reader 310 for reading the card number of the inserted card CD.
And a balance payout device 32 for refunding the amount of unpurchased money that remains unused for the card CD.
0, a printer 330 that issues a receipt in which the number of balls acquired by the game is printed, various displays 340 to 342, and a control unit 3 that controls the entire settlement machine 300.
50 and the like.

Corresponding to the card reader 310, a card insertion slot 311 on the front panel 301, a ball number display 312 for displaying the number of won balls (number of balls held), and an amount display for displaying the unpurchased amount. A vessel 313 is provided. When a player first inserts a card through the card insertion slot 311, the card reader 310 reads the card number (identification code) recorded on the magnetic surface of the card CD and sends the card number to the management device 400, and transmits data relating to the card CD. receive. Then, while the unpurchased amount is displayed on the amount display 313, the acquired number of balls is displayed on the number-of-balls display 312,
A receipt is issued by the printer 330. After the settlement, the inserted card CD is punched at a predetermined punching position PH5 by the punching device 807, and then collected (seized) in the card storage tank 314.
This prevents misuse of the cleared card.

The configuration of the card reader 310 is the issuing machine 20.
This is almost the same as the card reader 220 (see FIG. 4) of FIG. 4, except that there is no card ejection device 822 and no card tank 821, and the card storage tank 314 is arranged at that position. The transport direction of the card CD is opposite to that of the issuing machine. The printer 330 pulls out a blank sheet of paper stocked in a roll state, prints the date of issuance, the number of balls obtained, the amount of unused money, and the card history on the surface of the sheet, and discharges it from the receipt issuing port 331. I do.

At the same time, money corresponding to the unpurchased amount is paid out from the balance payout device 320.

The balance payout device 320 comprises a bill tank 321 for storing bills and a bill discharge port 322. In addition, since a fraction of less than 1,000 yen is generated at the time of settlement, a coin tank 324 for storing coins in units of 100 yen is provided.
And a coin payout device 326 comprising a coin payout opening 325.

Further, the front panel 3 of the settlement machine 300
01, a settlement-in-progress lamp 341 indicating that the card is being settled, and a settlement stop lamp 34 indicating that the card cannot be settled.
2. A card overflow indicator L11 indicating that the tank 313 is full with the card CD inserted from the card insertion slot 311 and a bill shortage indication indicating that the stock bills in the bill tank 321 of the balance dispensing device 320 have run out Monitor L12, a coin shortage indicator L13 for notifying that the stock coins in the coin tank 324 of the coin dispensing device 326 have run out, and a paper-less indicator L14 for indicating that the roll paper in the printer 330 has run out A lamp group 340 is provided.

In order to detect the above states and turn on the corresponding indicators, the card tank 314, the bill tank 321, the coin tank 324, and the printer 330 are provided with sensors 361, 362, 363 and 364, respectively. ing. The coin dispensing device 326 is provided with a coin removal switch 327.

Further, in the settlement machine 300 of this embodiment,
The management apparatus 4 distinguishes each of the plurality of payment machines installed in the amusement store and performs payment for a specific card.
Unit number setting device 3 to be able to grasp at 00
05 is provided internally, and the machine number set by the setting unit 305 is sent to the management device 400, and is used for generating a transmission address in data communication and creating a data file for each settlement machine. .

Although not particularly limited, the setting device 30
The same number as the unit number set by 5 is displayed on a nameplate 306 attached to the upper part of the front panel 301 of the checkout machine.

FIG. 14 shows an example of the configuration of a control system of the settlement machine 300 configured as described above.

In the figure, reference numerals L11 to L14
Are the lamps constituting the monitor display lamp group 340.

In this embodiment, the magnetic head 808, the punching device 807 and the carrying motor 802 which compose the card reader 310 are composed of a controller 319 composed of a CPU (microcomputer) based on the detection signals from the various sensors 811 to 815 (see FIG. 4 corresponding to the controller 228), various sensors and indicators provided in the controller 319 and the settlement machine 300, the bill dispenser 320, the coin dispensing device 326, and the printer 330.
Control unit 35 also composed of a microcomputer
It is controlled by the unit controller 351 in the area “0”.

The unit controller 351 controls the above components, checks the card number, receives and displays the card data, executes the settlement process, collects the operation data, and transfers the operation data to a unit comprising a dual port memory. Write to the transmission data area SDA in the memory 370. The operation data written in the unit memory 370 is transmitted by the transmission controller to the management device 400 via the transmission cable through the transmission cable.
Sent to 0. The data sent from the management device 400 is also temporarily stored in the reception data area R in the unit memory 370.
The data is written to the DA, and the unit controller 351 reads the data to receive data. Unit memory 370 has a shared data area CD containing commands and status information for notifying the other controller that transmission data and reception data are in the memory.
A is provided.

[Table 12], [Table 13] and [Table 14]
3 shows a configuration example of the transmission data area SDA, the reception data area RDA, and the shared data area CDA in the unit memory 370, respectively.

[0144]

[Table 12]

[0145]

[Table 13]

As shown in [Table 13], in this embodiment, the history data of the card CD is also received, printed on a receipt together with the time data and ejected, so that the settlement can be performed with high reliability for the player. You can impress that it is data. However, the history data is data of up to 20 times contained in the card file.

[0147]

[Table 14]

As shown in [Table 15], the monitor information 1 shown in [Table 12] includes a bit indicating that a test is being executed at the time of system startup, a bit indicating initial value setting / unset, and a hot bit. It is composed of a bit indicating a code error, a bit indicating an abnormality in the local network (transmission cable 500) (two bits for a low layer and a high layer), a bit indicating an error in a checkout machine, and the like.

[0149]

[Table 15]

Further, the monitor information 2 indicates, as shown in [Table 16], a bit indicating an abnormality in the printer, a bit indicating an abnormality in the card reader, a bit indicating the state in the coin tank, and a coin jam of the coin dispenser. The bit, a bit indicating the abnormality of the coin dispensing machine, a bit indicating the state inside the bill tank of the bill dispensing machine, a bit indicating the abnormality of the bill dispensing machine, and the like.

[0151]

[Table 16]

Next, the pachinko machine 100, the card issuing machine 200, and the payment machine 300 configured as described above are comprehensively controlled, and operation data is collected in real time. A description will be given of a management device 400 that immediately restores the original data state, restarts the operation of each part of the system, and enables the totalization of data necessary for the management of the game store.

FIG. 15 shows a specific configuration of the management device 400, and FIG. 16 shows a system configuration of the management device 400.

The management device 400 has substantially the same configuration as an office computer.

That is, a control box 401 in which a main memory M-MEM including a central processing unit CPU and a semiconductor memory (RAM), a timer (including a calendar), TMR, a communication control unit SCC, etc. are stored, and this control box. A floppy disk storage device (FDD) 402 as an auxiliary storage device provided on the upper portion of 401;
A hard disk storage device (HDD) 403, a printer 404 for printing collected data and the like, a CRT display device 405 for displaying messages and collected data, and a console for an operator to give commands and setting data to a central processing unit. The management device 400 is configured by 406.

The printer 404 has a buffer 404a for temporarily storing the data to be printed in order to improve the throughput of the management apparatus 400.

Further, the management apparatus 400 is unique to the pachinko gaming system, and is generated by the card reader 407 or the pachinko machine 100 that issues a test card as a medium for causing each terminal to take an action on the system. An auxiliary printer 408 that prints, in real time, emergency information generated by the system such as “stop” is provided above the control box 401.

When a power failure occurs, the main memory M-ME
Operate the management device 400 for at least about 10 minutes so that the operation data of all terminals volatilely held in M and the data of all issued cards can be transferred to the hard disk storage device 403 and protected. An auxiliary power supply 409 is provided below the control box 401.

In this embodiment, a system mainly including a pachinko machine 100, a card issuing machine 200, a settlement machine 300, and a management device 400 will be described. The present invention is shown by broken lines X, Y, and Z in FIG. As described above, the in-store broadcasting device X, the premium exchange device Y, the vending machine Z, and the like can be extended to a system in which the management device 400 is controlled. In particular, there is a possibility that the prize exchange apparatus Y can easily apply a system in which a prize can be exchanged directly without using the card and passing through the checkout machine 300.

Further, the console 406 constituting the management device 400 also has a unique key configuration most suitable for the pachinko game system of this embodiment.

FIG. 17 shows a configuration example of the console 406. FIG. 6B shows the upper surface, that is, the panel surface of the console 406, and FIG.

In FIG. 17, reference numeral 421 denotes a store opening switch for instructing each terminal of the system to start a business.
Reference numeral 22 denotes a store closing switch for instructing the end of business. The card can be operated in each terminal device after the store opening switch 421 is turned on until the store closing switch 422 is turned on. Reference numeral 423 denotes an end switch for storing the operation data of all terminals in the floppy disk storage device 402 after the business is closed, and an end switch for instructing the management device 400 to stop the operation, and 424 for instructing a recovery process of the damaged card. Card resurrection switch. By operating the card revival switch 424, for example, when valuable data such as the number of possessed balls stored on the card CD is destroyed or disappears, management based on the card number (identification code) is performed. It is possible to read the valuable data corresponding to the card CD from the hard disk storage device 403 of the device 400 and write the valuable data again to the magnetic recording unit MG of the card CD to revive the card CD and rescue the player. it can. In addition, in addition to the above switches, for example, a card data reading switch is provided on the panel surface of the console 406, and the management device 400
When the valuable data stored in the hard disk storage device 403 is destroyed or disappears, a function of reading the valuable data stored in the card CD of the player and restoring the original data may be added.

The four switches of the store opening switch 421, the store closing switch 422, the end switch 423, and the card recovery switch 424 are particularly important switches for the present system, and are prevented from being easily operated during the operation of the system. Therefore, it is interlocked with the key switch 420 provided behind (the upper side in the figure), and unless the key switch 420 is turned on, the switches 421 to 424 cannot be operated to be turned on. Has become.

Reference numerals 425, 426, and 427 denote ten keys, a return key, and a delete key, which are the same as those provided on a console of an ordinary personal computer or the like.

On the other hand, reference numeral 428 denotes a display menu switch for giving an instruction to display data on the card, operation data of each terminal, and the like on the screen of the CRT display device 405.
Is a CRT clear switch for requesting deletion of data displayed on the CRT display device 405. Reference numeral 430 denotes a print menu switch for giving a command to cause the printer 404 to print data on the card, operation data of each terminal, and the like. Reference numeral 431 denotes a print stop switch for requesting the printer 404 to stop printing. Reference numeral 432 denotes a setting switch for requesting the setting of the number of hits and the hitting mode in the pachinko machine 100, and 433 denotes a hitting, that is, a game continuation impossible state, in which a prize ball of the set hitting number is paid out. A hit release switch 434 for giving a command to release the hit status of the pachinko machine 100 that is in use, prevents normal control and data collection due to a communication network abnormality or the like, or prevents illegal operation of a player. A forced termination switch 435 for requesting a forced termination of a specific terminal or all terminals when found, a termination release switch 435 for releasing the suspension of the terminal that has been forcibly stopped, and a time setting switch 439.

Further, the console 406 of the embodiment has a buzzer 440 for generating a sound for urging the operator to wake up when an emergency such as a stop in the pachinko machine 100 occurs, and a buzzer stop switch for instructing to stop the sound generation. 436 are provided.

Of the above switches, the switches 421 to 424 and 432 to 436 indicated by double frames in the drawing are:
These switches are built-in lamps, and when these switches are turned on, the built-in lamp is turned on while the corresponding process is being executed or the state is being continued. However, buzzer stop switch 4
The lamp in 36 is linked with the buzzer, is turned on while the buzzer is sounding, and is turned off when the stop switch 436 is pressed.

Further, the console 406 of this embodiment has a test card switch 437 for giving a test card issuance command on the back thereof, an exchange rate of purchased balls, a store code, a total number of terminals, Winning ball 1
A built-in switch 438 is provided for making a setting request such as the number of prize balls per piece. These switches 437 and 438 are different from other switches,
The switch is a switch which is hardly used usually, and is a switch which only needs to be known by a specific person (such as a manager of an amusement store).

Here, the test card will be described. As is clear from the configuration already described, the gaming system according to this embodiment includes all terminals (pachinko machines 10).
0, the card issuing machine 200, and the settlement machine 300)
Under the control of 00, the state shifts to an operable state by exchanging a card number and the like, and the terminal cannot operate alone. However, since the pachinko machine 100 is frequently used, jamming and so-called tulips and other accessories often break down, and it is necessary to adjust nails in the game area to adjust the payout rate. In that case, you will perform a trial strike after repair and nail adjustment,
It is very inconvenient to start up the entire system and operate the pachinko machine 100 only with a purchase card.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the test switch 171 in the control unit 160 of each pachinko machine 100 described above is turned on, and the special test card issued by the management device 400 is inserted into the card of the control unit 160. When the pachinko machine 100 is inserted through the outlet 161, a certain number of balls are given, and the pachinko machine 100 can execute a game operation alone.

Note that the card reader 407 provided in the management device 400 has substantially the same configuration as the card reader 220 in the card issuing machine 200 shown in FIG. However, unlike the card issuing machine 200, it does not have a blank card inside, but adopts a method of inserting a blank card from the outside and recording a predetermined code. Therefore, it has a card tank 821 and a card ejecting device 822. Absent.

Further, since the test card and the resurrection card issued by the management device 400 do not always need to specify the use date, number, and the like as in other general cards, a printing device is not required. Then, when the resurrection card is issued, a punch hole is made at a predetermined punching position PH2 of the card by the punching device 807.

As described above, the terminal 10 of this embodiment
0, 200, and 300 are all under the control of the management apparatus 400, and unless the management apparatus 400 is activated, they cannot operate independently in principle. Therefore, at the time of system startup, the management apparatus 400 gives setting values to all terminals and initializes them. In addition, prior to the initialization, the terminal numbers are collected from each terminal to enable data transmission, and each transmission address is formed. During the operation of the system, the operation data of all the terminals is collected in real time, and the main storage device M-ME is collected.
M.

As described above, in this embodiment, the management device 400
The amount of data that is handled is enormous.

Therefore, in the embodiment, these data are organized by file management to facilitate the handling.

[Table 17] shows a file configuration example of data managed by the management device 400.

These files are normally stored in the main memory MM.
Although recorded in the EM, all files are saved in the hard disk storage device 403 at the time of power failure. Further, data files relating to the terminals, ie, pachinko machine files (hereinafter referred to as P machine files), issuing machine files and checkout machine files are stored in the floppy disk storage device 402 at the end of business hours, and are provided for monthly operation data tallying and the like. You.

[0178]

[Table 17]

Next, each file shown in [Table 17] will be described in more detail.

The set value file FL1 in the same table stores the exchange rate of purchased balls, the store code, the number of terminals, the number of prize balls, the number of hits, etc., which are stored in advance in the hard disk storage device 403 by the input of the console 406 when the system is installed. It is a set value that varies according to the characteristics and configuration of the system.

This set value file is stored in the main storage device M-MEM from the hard disk storage device 403 at the start of normal business.
Is loaded. The set value file FL1 can be updated from the console 406 by pressing a built-in switch when replacing a pachinko machine or the like.

[Table 18] shows a configuration example of the setting value file FL1.

[0183]

[Table 18]

In the table, the purchase ball exchange rate is the number of rental balls per purchase amount unit (for example, 200 yen), that is, the number of balls initially held, and the number of NAUs is a high-layer network and a low-layer network as a data transmission system. It is the total number of network adapter units (communication control devices) provided in the connection part with. Further, the number of prize balls from a certain pachinko machine to a certain pachinko machine is set in a table indicated by a symbol i. This prize ball count is 2 per car
The number of types of prize balls can be set. Moreover, in this embodiment, as shown by i = 1 to 16, all the pachinko machines 100, 100... Of the game arcade are divided into 16 groups, and two main and sub prize balls are separately set. It can be set to. However, the pachinko machines 100 having the same set values are given consecutive machine numbers,
The target range is specified by the start number and the end number.

Further, the number of hits is set in the table indicated by j, and the hitting mode is set in the table indicated by k. Here, the hit mode indicates a method of calculating the number of hits (arithmetic formula). For example, a mode in which hitting is performed when the number of payout prize balls reaches the hit number, or the number of payout prize balls. There is a mode in which, when the number of hit balls is subtracted from the number of hits reaches the number of hits, hitting is performed when the hitting number is reached. Although not particularly limited, in this embodiment, j = 1 to 16, k = 1 to 16
As shown by, the number of hits and the hitting mode can be independently set for each of 16 groups.

[Table 19] shows a configuration example of the file FL2 of the transmission address used for data transmission.

[0187]

[Table 19]

In [Table 19], the type flag is a flag for indicating the type of terminal, and "1" is a pachinko machine,
"2" is a card issuing machine and "4" is a checkout machine.
"0" indicates the absence of the terminal. The terminal number and serial number are the terminal number and serial number created except for "4" and "9". The unit number is placed under one NAU (network adapter unit) regardless of the type of terminal. The number of each terminal, that is, the number that is an address on a low-layer network described later, and the channel number is the address of each terminal viewed from the management device, that is, the number that is an address on a high-layer network described later. However, in the system of the embodiment, the number of pachinko machines connected under one NAU is set to 64 or less.

The NAU number and the machine number are the numbers given by the setting switches (173, 205, 305, 561) as described above. In the case of a pachinko machine, the machine number of the pachinko machine 100 is conventionally "4". It is a skip number given as a number excluding "9". Here, the fact that "4" and "9" are not used indicates that an octal representation is possible. Therefore, the unit numbers expressed in decimal numbers are represented only by the numerals 0 to 7 using the conversion table shown in Table 20. According to this, for example, the unit number “258” is “247”
Is written.

[0190]

[Table 20]

When this is expressed in binary code by the binary coded octal system, it becomes "010.100.111". This code indicates “167” in decimal notation, so that the pachinko machine numbers missing “4” and “9” are consecutive numbers.

On the other hand, in order to suppress the address on the low-layer network to 8 bits, the lower 8 bits of the above code are taken, and this is expressed as a code "1010.
0111 ”and expressing this in HEXA,“ A
7H ". Further, besides the pachinko machine 100, terminals such as the issuing machine 200 and the settlement machine 300 are also connected under one NAU, and an 8-bit unit number is also given to them. 64 units
Code "A7H" and code "3FH"
And "27H" is obtained. In this embodiment, this is used as the unit number. The channel number is “NAU number + unit number” with the unit number prefixed with the NAU number.

By such a method, in the practice of a pachinko gaming machine having a serial number that does not use "4" and "9", the efficiency matching the characteristics of the microcomputer that processes data using only the binary system is achieved. Good address processing is possible.

Incidentally, N on the lower layer network
The address "FFH" is given to the AU address, and the issuing machine 200
And the settlement machine 300 have a unit number of "41H"
One of "EFH" is given.

The above files are created for all terminals based on the response data of the unit table request by the management device 400 after the line test.

[Table 21] shows a configuration example of the card file FL3. The card file FL3 contains information for each card.

[0197]

[Table 21]

In the table, the card number (identification code) is a number obtained from the issue serial number n by using the function f (n), and the number of balls held, the amount of money, and the card status are the issue serial number n.
And information indicating the current state of the card specified by the card number. In this embodiment, the information is hereinafter referred to as card text.

Here, the card status means [Table 22].
As shown in, a bit that indicates a free state that is not used in the game, a bit that indicates that the game is in progress, a bit that indicates that the game is temporarily leaving the game machine, and a bit that indicates that the card has already been cleared by the payment machine. A bit, a bit indicating that the number of balls in the card and the remaining balance have become zero, a bit indicating that one or more hits have occurred in the past, a card that was used in a pachinko machine that was forcibly terminated It is composed of a bit indicating that the card has been revived, and the like.

[0200]

[Table 22]

On the other hand, returning to [Table 21], in the card file FL3, the location terminal serial number indicating the location of the terminal where the card currently exists and the location terminal number are registered.
In pachinko game arcades, as a rule, the numbers "4" and "9" are not used as machine numbers, so two types of terminal numbers, back and front, are generated.

Further, in [Table 21], the i counter indicates the number of times the card has performed an action, that is, the number of times the card is ejected from the system as an organic combination to the outside, and corresponds to this number. The card information such as the unit number, the number of balls held, the amount of money, and the time at that time, that is, the history of the card is recorded. Statistically, most players play with less than 20 pachinko machines per day,
In this embodiment, the card history is recorded up to 20 times. However, if the number of times exceeds 20, i = 20
It is recorded by updating the table indicated by. In addition,
In the above case, the i counter does not count the interruption of the game. That is, each card information is recorded in a new area at the time of interruption, but the value of the i-counter is substantially updated by recording the card information in the same area without updating the counter when the game end switch is turned on after the interruption is released, and recording the card information in the same area. The number is matched.

Here, the state and action of the card and registration of the card information in the card file FL3 will be described with reference to FIG.

First, when the card issuing machine 200 issues a card CD, the card CD is ejected,
The card CD shifts from the unissued (blank) state SS0 to the free state SS1. Then, the desired pachinko machine 100
When the card CD is inserted into the V, the state shifts to the V technique state SS2. Here, when the number of balls and the amount of money of the card CD become zero due to the game, the card CD is discharged and the zero return state SS3
Move on to Further, when the interruption switch 115 is pressed during the game, the card CD is ejected and the state shifts to the interruption state SS4, and returns to the game state SS2 again by reinserting the same card.

When the end switch 114 is pressed to end the game during the game, the card CD is ejected and the free state SS1 is entered. The card is ejected even by forced termination or hitting by the CPU and the gaming state SS
2 to the free state SS1. When the payment process is performed with the card CD in the free state and the payment process is performed, the card CD is collected after an invalid mark is added, and the state is shifted to the payment completed state SS5. In the system of this embodiment,
Pachinko machine 100 with card CD in suspended state SS4
It is also possible to go to the payment machine 300 as it is and return to the payment processing, and in this case, the state shifts from the suspension state SS4 to the payment completed state SS5.

In the above-mentioned state transition diagram, the arrow indicating the transition direction is marked with a circle, which is an action that involves recording card information in the card file FL3. In each block, the code indicated by XXH is as shown in [Table 2].
The corresponding state is expressed in hexadecimal digits (HEXA expression) using the code indicating the card state of [2].

[Table 23] shows a structural example of the P machine file FL4.

In the figure, the items from the unit number to the card status are the data held in the transmission data area shown in [Table 6], and these are sampled by the management device 400 once per second. Is registered in the file. The number of main prize balls, the number of sub prize balls, the number of hits, and the hit mode are registered in the P machine file FL4 based on the set value file FL1 shown in [Table 18] at the time of system startup.

[0209]

[Table 23]

[Table 24] and [Table 25] show the issuing machine file FL5 and the settlement machine file FL6, respectively.
Data items shown in [Table 24] are data held in the transmission data area of the issuing machine shown in [Table 1],
Further, the data items shown in [Table 25] correspond to the data held in the transmission data area shown in [Table 12]. These are managed once a second by the management device 40.
Sampled by 0.

[0211]

[Table 24]

[0212]

[Table 25]

In Tables 23 to 25, the data marked with a circle in the save column is the data saved in the floppy disk storage device 402 at the end of business.

[0214] Next, the card issuing machine 100, the pachinko machine 200, and the settlement machine 30 as the terminals configured as described above.
0 and a management device 4 for centrally controlling these terminals
A data transmission path (local area network) that enables data transmission and card operation by organically coupling 00 is described. FIG. 19 shows a configuration example of a pachinko game system using a hierarchical data transmission path.

That is, 100 to 1000 terminals are grouped by 20 to 40 in units such as an island facility of a game shop, and the terminals of each group circulate at high speed on a ring-shaped transmission line. Token-passing low-layer network (token bus) 510 in which a node (terminal) that has acquired an access right called a token has the right to send and receive data in the form of packets.
Depending on the network adapter unit (NAU)
530).

The plurality of NAUs 530 for controlling each low-layer network (token bus) 510 are CSMs.
It is connected to the management device 400 via an A / CD high-layer network 520.

The lower layer network 510 is 2.5 Mb
The high layer network 520 is controlled to have a transmission rate such as 10 Mbps, and the NAU 530 absorbs the difference in transmission rate between the two to provide smooth data transmission. It acts as a buffer that enables it, thereby reducing the load on the management device 400 and enabling a large amount of operation data to be collected.

In FIG. 19, a pachinko machine 100 as a terminal is shown by a symbol P, a card issuing machine 200 is indicated by a symbol H, and a settlement machine 300 is indicated by a symbol S. is there.

Each of the terminals P, H, and S is shown in FIGS.
13 is connected to a branch line branched from the low-layer network 510 by a cable branch circuit 540 as shown in FIG. The control units 160, 250 and 350 of each terminal are connected to the end of each branch line.
In FIG. 19, a control unit of each terminal is indicated by reference numeral U.

FIG. 20 shows a configuration example of a control unit common to each terminal.

That is, between the unit controller 190 (251, 351) for controlling each terminal and the lower layer network 510, a unit memory 170 (270, 370) as a parallel communication means and a unit controller 190 (251). , 351), and a buffer packet memory 552 for transmitting / receiving data without disturbing the operation, and a buffer packet memory 552 for holding the transmitted / received data in the form of packets in order to speed up data transmission
And a communication control network controller 553 that converts transmission parallel data into serial data and converts received serial data into parallel data while establishing transmission and reception rights in the low-layer network (token bus) 510. A level conversion circuit 554 for converting the level of the data signal and a cable branch circuit 540 for separating and coupling the transmission signal and the reception signal are connected. Each of the controllers 551 and 553 is composed of a microcomputer, and the packet memory 552 is composed of a dual-port memory like the unit memory 170.

However, there is no shared data area in which commands are stored in the packet memory 552, and transmission and reception requests between the data transmission controller 551 and the network controller 553 are directly exchanged between the controllers. ing.

FIG. 21 shows a circuit configuration example of the NAU (network adapter unit) 530 for buffering the data transmission between the low layer network 510 and the high layer network 520.

The NAU 530 of this embodiment is a low layer network controller 533 which establishes a transmission / reception right in the low layer network 510 and performs serial / parallel conversion of data.
A high-layer network controller 537 for establishing a transmission / reception right and serial-to-parallel conversion of data in the CSMA / CD type high-layer network 520; and a data transmission controller 535 for controlling data transfer between these network controllers 533 and 537. It has.

Of the above controllers, the lower layer network controller 533 is composed of a communication LSI dedicated to token passing, and the lower layer network controller 5
37 and the data transmission controller 535 are constituted by a general-purpose microcomputer.

Then, these controllers 533 and 5
35 and between 535 and 537, a buffer packet memory 534 for absorbing a difference in data transmission speed between the low-layer network 510 and the high-layer network 520.
And 536 are respectively connected. The packet memories 534 and 536 are constituted by dual port memories and have a transmission data area and a reception data area. Further, between the low-layer network controller 533 and the low-layer network (talks bus) 510,
A branch circuit 531 for separating and combining the transmission signal and the reception signal and a level conversion circuit 532 for converting the level of the transmission / reception data signal are connected. Similarly, between the higher layer network controller 537 and the higher layer network 520, the level conversion circuit 538 and the branch circuit 5 are provided.
39 is connected.

Further, in the NAU 530 of this embodiment,
A NAU number setting device 561 for setting a number for distinguishing a plurality of connected NAUs from each other;
A minimum number setting device 5 for setting the minimum number among terminals existing on the low-layer network 510 under the control of 0
62, and a number setting device 563 for setting the number of terminals existing on the low-layer network. The set values of the setting units 561 to 563 are input to the data transmission controller 535 in the NAU 530, and the NAU number is used to form the transmission address of each NAU in the high-layer network 520. The transmission address of each terminal in the low-layer network 510 is formed by the minimum number and the number.

The hierarchical local network 500 described above.
In FIG. 19, when the system starts up, the management device 4
00 performs a line test through each NAU 530 and setting of setting values for each terminal, and while the system is operating, the NAU 530 operates from the terminals P, H, and S once a second using the low-layer network 510. Collect data and store it in its own memory. The accumulated data is also transmitted to each NAU 5 through the high-layer network 520 once a second in response to a request from the management device 400.
30 is stored in a data file in the management device 400.

As mentioned above, the communication network is NAU.
530 as a buffer, and the high-layer network 520 transmits the transmission speed of the low-layer network 510.2.
Since the transmission rate is set to be four times the transmission rate of 5 Mbps, even in a system having 100 to 1000 terminals, each of the terminals can receive the signals from [Table 1], [Table 6], and [Table 1].
A large amount of operation data as shown in 2) can be collected in the management device 400 once a second.

Next, the card reader 1 of the pachinko machine 100
22 and 2 show an example of a card operating method by 80.
3 will be described. This flow shows a procedure for a card provided with only one authenticity discrimination physical layer.

When a card is inserted into the insertion / ejection slot 801 of the card reader 180 and the sensor 1 (811) detects it, the carry motor 802 is rotated in the normal direction and the ejection flag prepared in the controller 188 is cleared. (Routines R1 to R3). The card is taken in by the forward rotation of the motor 802.
When a detection pulse is received from the sensor 5 (815) that detects the rotation of the sensor, the counter counts the number of pulses, the controller 188 calculates the rotation angle from the count value, and the predetermined position, that is, the authenticity discrimination physical layer TF1 is When the card enters the position facing the sensor 2 (812), the motor 802
Is stopped, and the sensor 2 detects the authenticity of the physical layer TF.
1 is scanned, and based on the detection signal, it is determined whether or not the inserted card is a legitimate card (routine R4).
-R7).

If it is determined that the card is a legitimate card, the motor is normally rotated in routine R8, and if it is determined that the card is not a legitimate card, the discharge flag is set in routine R9. Routine R1
Move to 0. When the number of authenticity discrimination physical layers is four, the procedure of the above-mentioned routines R5 to R8 is repeated four times before proceeding to the routine R10.

In the routine R10, it is judged whether or not the issuing hole forming portion PH1 of the card CD has come to a position facing the reading sensor 3 (813). Then, when the reading position is reached, the signal of the sensor 3 is read to determine whether or not a punch hole is opened (routines R11 and R12). If it is open, the process directly proceeds to the routine R14.

In the routine R14, it is determined whether or not the recovery hole forming portion PH2 of the card CD has come to a position facing the reading sensor 3 (813). Then, when the reading position is reached, the signal of the sensor 3 is read to determine whether or not a punch hole is opened (routine R15, R16). When it is open, the process directly proceeds to the routine R18.

In the routine R18, it is determined whether or not the zero return hole forming portion PH4 of the card CD has come to a position facing the reading sensor 3 (813). Then, when the reading position is reached, the signal of the sensor 3 is read to determine whether or not a punch hole is opened (routines R19 and R20). If it is not open, the process directly proceeds to the routine R22.

In the routine R22, it is determined whether or not the settlement hole forming portion PH5 of the card CD has come to a position facing the reading sensor 3 (813). Then, when the reading position is reached, the signal of the sensor 3 is read to determine whether or not a punched hole is opened (routine R23, R24). If it is not open, the process directly proceeds to the routine R26.

In the routine R26, it is determined based on the number of pulses from the sensor 5 whether the magnetic data reading position has been reached or not. The data recorded in the portion MG (see FIG. 2B) is transferred to the magnetic head 808.
After that, the data is temporarily stored in a register in the controller 188 or in a RAM (routine R28), and the routine proceeds to routine R29.

In the routine R29, it is judged whether or not the sensor 4 (814) at the innermost portion of the card reader has detected the edge of the card. When it is detected, the routine proceeds to routine R30, where the motor is stopped, and then the data appraisal processing shown in FIG. 23 is carried out.

In the above flow, the routine R
After setting the discharge flag at 9, R13, R17, R21, and R25, the flow returns to the main flow.
As indicated by reference numeral Z, the process may immediately shift to the data appraisal process in FIG.

In the data appraisal process shown in FIG. 23,
First, it is determined in a routine R50 whether or not the discharge flag is set to "1". Only when the discharge flag is not "1", the process proceeds to the original data appraisal processes R51 to R65, and the discharge flag is set to "1".
In the case of, the process proceeds to the routine R71 to start the reverse rotation of the motor, and then counts down the counter by the number of pulses of the sensor 5; Is stopped (routines R72 to R74). At this time, the signal of the sensor 1 may be used together and the motor 802 may be stopped when it is turned off.

When proceeding to the routine R51, the magnetic data stored in the processing routine R28 of FIG.
Read in the order stored in bit units. Since dummy data is contained at the head of the stored magnetic data, the read data is the auxiliary data STX which is the first valid data.
Is determined (routine R52), and R is passed through routine R53 until the auxiliary data STX is read.
Repeat 51. When the auxiliary data STX is read, the process proceeds to the next routine R54. If the auxiliary data STX has been destroyed, the determination of yes in the routine R52 is no longer made. If the STX does not come out even after the data is read out, it is determined that the number of data is over in the routine R53, and the routine proceeds to the aforementioned routine R71 to execute a card discharging process.

On the other hand, when the correct auxiliary data STX is read out and the routine shifts to the routine R54, the next magnetic data is read out and it is determined whether or not it matches the correct identification code (routine R55). If the identification codes match, the process proceeds to the next routine R56, and if they do not match, the routine R56
The process proceeds to a card ejection process 71.

In routine R56, the next magnetic data is read out, and in routine R57 it is determined whether or not it coincides with the preset date. If the date matches, the process proceeds to the routine R58. If the date does not match, the process proceeds to a card discharging process of the routine R71.

In the routine R58, the card number No. which is the next magnetic data. Is read, and the card number is stored in another storage area in a routine R59. then,
The next storage magnetic data is read out in the routine R60, but since it is a spare code, it is skipped and discarded in the routine R61, and the routine proceeds to the routine R62. Here, the next magnetic data is read out, and it is determined in the routine R63 whether or not the data matches the auxiliary data ETX. If the data matches, the process proceeds to the routine R64, and if not, the routine R7.
The processing shifts to card discharge processing No. 1.

In the routine R64, the check code is calculated for each bit string from the data STX to ETX that have been read so far, and then the routine proceeds to the routine R65 to read the check code LRC which is the next magnetic data. Then, it is determined in a routine R66 whether or not the read data LRC matches the check code calculated in the routine R64, and if they match, the process proceeds to the number identification process in FIG. I do.

In this way, in the flow of FIG. 23, it is determined whether or not the card is a legitimate card based on the magnetic data. On the other hand, in the flow of FIG. 22, the discrimination of the card is performed by the authenticity discrimination physical layer on the card in the routines R5 to R9. Therefore, it is possible to reliably eliminate fraud by copying the card. Further, in the flow of FIG. 22, in the routines R10 to R25, the card state is determined using the punch holes PH1 to PH5, and it can be determined whether or not the card is capable of pachinko game. A card that cannot be played can be immediately discharged from the card reader 180 without performing the card number appraisal process by the management device 400.

Next, the procedure of card number verification by the management device 400 will be described with reference to FIG.

The controller 188 of the card reader 180
Is the card number No. stored in a predetermined area in the routine R59 during the data appraisal process of FIG. Control unit 1
The data is transferred to the 60 unit controllers 190 (step S1). Then, the data (card number) is stored in the transmission area SDA in the unit memory 170, is put in a “card-in” packet indicating that the card is inserted into the card reader, and is transmitted via the network 500 to the control unit 160. Is transmitted to the management device 400 (step S2).

Upon receipt of the card number, the management device 400 calculates the issue serial number n (step S3), and uses the issue serial number n to generate the card file FL3 [Table 21].
(Steps S4 and S5). When a corresponding file is found, the file is read (step S6), and it is determined whether the card status is "free" (step S7). When the card status is other than "free" and when the file is not found in step S5, "NAK" for rejecting the response is transmitted in step S10, and when the card file exists and the card status in it is "free", , Update the card file and change the card state to "playing", and change the card number N
o. Is written in a predetermined column of the terminal of the pachinko machine 100 that has sent (step S8). Then, the card text (card information) is inserted into the "ACK" as an acknowledgment and transmitted (step S9).

Upon receiving a response from the management device 400, the control unit 160 which has transmitted the "card-in" packet determines whether the response is "NAK" or "ACK" (step S
11) When "ACK" is received, the display unit 162, 163 on the front of the control unit refers to the card text sent from the management device 400 to display the unused amount and the number of balls held (step S12). ).

Then, after the number of lamps of the analog display 164 is turned on in proportion to the number of balls (step S
13), driving the hit ball launching device 111 (step S)
14). Also, the transmission area SD of the unit memory 170
After the pachinko machine operation information in A is changed to "in game" (step S15), the process proceeds to a game processing routine such as calculation of the number of payout balls and the number of collected balls (step S16).

On the other hand, when it is determined in step S11 that “NAK” has been received, the controller 188 of the card reader 180
(Step S17).

When the controller 188 receives this ejection command, it executes a card ejection process having the same procedure as the routines R71 to R74 shown in FIG. 23, and then enters the card insertion waiting state (steps S18 and S19). When there is no ejection command, the state where the card is held in the card reader 180 and the acceptance of another card is prohibited (step S20). At this time, valuable data such as possessed ball number data and balance amount data may be written and discharged into the spare area (RSU) of the magnetic recording unit MG of the card CD.

Next, referring to FIG. 25, the game end switch 114 provided in the pachinko machine 100 (see FIGS. 6 and 7).
A control procedure in the case where is turned on will be described.

When the end switch 114 is turned on and the unit controller 190 of the control unit 160 confirms this, the driving of the hit ball launching device 111 is stopped (steps S101 and S102).

Next, after changing the card status in the transmission area SDA of the unit memory 170 to "free", the card text is put in the "end SW" packet notifying that the end switch is turned on, and the management device 400 is entered. (Steps S103 and S104). Then, when receiving an “ACK” response from the management device 400, the ball number display 1
63 and the display of the amount indicator 162 are changed to "0" (steps S105 and S106). Then, after changing the pachinko machine operation information in the transmission area SDA of the unit memory 170 to "free", a card ejection command is given to the card reader 180 (steps S107 and S10).
8). Thereafter, the control unit 160 scrolls the lamp of the analog display 164 to display a message indicating a "waiting for customer" state (step S109).

On the other hand, the control unit 188 of the card reader 180 receives the card ejection command from the control unit 160 in the above step S108 (routine R).
101), the transport motor 802 is rotated (Routine R)
102). And a sensor 5 for detecting the rotation angle of the motor.
The counter for counting the pulses in (815) is counted down by the number of incoming pulses (routine R10).
3) It is determined whether or not the card has moved to a position where the game hole forming position PH3 of the card faces the sensor 3 (routine R104).
In the routine R105, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped,
Next, the punching device 807 is driven to form a game hole forming location PH3.
After the punch holes are made (routine R106), the reverse rotation of the motor is restarted (routine R107). Then, the pulses of the sensor 5 are counted again (countdown), and when it is determined that the card has come to the card ejection position, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped and the card ejection is completed (routine R1).
08, R109, R110). As described above, the card once used in the game is punched by the punching device 807 at a predetermined position and discharged.

Next, referring to FIG. 26, the pachinko machine 100 will be described.
A control procedure in the case where a zero-reset state in which both the number of balls held and the unused amount of the card become zero during the game will be described.

When the unit controller 190 in the control unit 160 determines that zeroing has occurred during the game,
The driving of the hit ball firing device 111 is stopped (step S2).
01, S202).

Next, after changing the card status in the transmission area SDA of the unit memory 170 to "free", the card text is put in the "zero return" packet notifying that the zero return has occurred, and the management device 400 is informed. It is transmitted (steps S203 and S204).

Then, when the "ACK" response is received from the management device 400, the display of the coin number display 163 and the amount display 162 is changed to "0" (steps S205, S20).
6). Then, the transmission area S of the unit memory 170
After changing the pachinko machine operation information in the DA to “free”, a card ejection command is given to the card reader 180 (steps S207 and S208). Thereafter, the control unit 160 scrolls the lamp of the analog display 164 to display a message indicating the "waiting for customer" state (step S209).

On the other hand, when the control unit 188 of the card reader 180 receives the card ejection command from the control unit 160 in the above step S208 (routine R
201), the transport motor 802 is rotated (routine R202). Then, the counter for counting the pulses of the sensor 5 (815) for detecting the rotation angle of the motor 802 is counted down by the number of the input pulses (routine R
203), it is determined whether or not the card has moved to a position where the return-hole-forming portion PH4 of the card faces the sensor 3 (routine R204). In the routine R205, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped, and then the punching device 807 is driven to return to the zero-hole forming position P.
After punching a hole in H4 (routine R206), the motor 802 restarts reverse rotation (routine R207). Then, the pulse of the sensor 5 is counted again (countdown).
Then, it is determined whether or not the gaming hole forming portion PH3 of the card has moved to a position facing the sensor 3 (routine R208,
R209), if yes, proceed to routine R210.

In routine R210, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped, and then the punching device 807 is driven to punch holes in the game hole forming portion PH3 (routine R21.
1) Restart the reverse rotation of the motor 802 (routine R2
12). Then, the pulse of the sensor 5 is counted again (countdown), and when it is determined that the card has come to the card ejection position, the rotation of the motor 802 is stopped, and the ejection of the card CD is completed (routines R213, R214, R21).
5).

However, at the time of card ejection due to occurrence of zeroing, the above routines R207 to R211 may be omitted, and punching holes may be formed only at the zeroing hole forming portion PH4 to eject.

In the above embodiment, the case of using the magnetic cards CD, CD 'having the magnetic recording portion as the card-shaped game storage medium has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the information is not limited thereto. A so-called IC card equipped with a semiconductor memory or a single-chip microcomputer having a built-in memory is used as a storage unit, and valuable data such as ball number data and balance amount data is stored in a predetermined storage area of the memory, and also in a management device. The same data may be stored and held, and both the IC card and the management device may be configured to store and manage the data.

Further, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the gaming facility provided with the pachinko gaming machine of the enclosed ball circulation system as an example of the gaming machine is explained, but the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, a card A game facility equipped with a gaming machine configured to convert valuable data possessed by each gaming machine into a real ball and supply it from the supply plate on the front of the gaming machine to the inside of one gaming machine The present invention can be applied to a gaming facility provided with a gaming machine of any configuration (including gaming machines other than pachinko gaming machines) as long as a game is played by a storage medium.

Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the card reader as the storage medium reading device is provided separately from the game machine has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the case where the storage medium reading device is provided integrally with the game machine. May be

[0268]

As described above, according to the present invention, a game storage medium has an identification code set for each storage medium,
The management device includes storage means for storing valuable data substantially equivalent to the number of money or game media, and the management device is based on the data storage means for storing data and the identification code stored in the game storage medium. , Since the data management means for storing the valuable data in the data storage means is provided for each storage medium, important valuable data is double stored and held in both the game storage medium and the management device. By any chance
Even if the valuable data stored in one of the game storage medium or the management device is damaged or disappears, the original data will be changed according to the data stored in the other (game storage medium or management device). The effect is that it can be easily confirmed.

Even if the game storage medium is lost, if the identification code is clear, the management device confirms the data stored in the game storage medium based on the identification code. Can be done and the player can be rescued.

When the valuable data stored in both the game storage medium and the management device are collated, it is possible to find out if the data in the game storage medium has been tampered with. Therefore, there is an effect that fraudulent acts can be prevented.

In particular, the storage means of the game storage medium has a game store identification code indicating the game store in which the storage medium is used,
When the issue date data indicating the issue date of the game storage medium is stored, even if the valuable data stored in the game storage medium is destroyed, the game store identification code Also, the original data can be easily specified based on the issue date data.

Further, the data management means of the management device, the first valuable data substantially equivalent to the money stored in the storage means of the game storage medium, and the game converted from the first valuable data. When the second valuable data substantially equivalent to the number of media is stored in the data storage means for each gaming storage medium based on the identification code, the valuable data of the gaming storage medium is stored. Even if the data is damaged or lost, if the identification code is clear, the accurate first valuable data and the second valuable data are called from the storage means of the management device based on the identification code. At the same time, the first valuable data can be made semi-permanently valid, and the second valuable data can be made valid only on the day of the game or only at the game store.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram showing an overall configuration of a pachinko game system to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing a configuration example of a card used in a storage-medium type gaming facility according to the present invention, and an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a magnetic recording unit of the card.

FIG. 3 is a front view showing a configuration example of a card issuing machine used in a storage-medium type gaming facility according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a configuration example of a card reader.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the card issuing machine.

FIG. 6 is a front view showing a configuration example of a pachinko machine.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a control unit of the pachinko machine.

FIG. 8 is a rear view illustrating a configuration example of a back surface of the pachinko machine.

FIG. 9 is a rear view showing a configuration example of a sealed ball circulating device on the back of a pachinko machine.

FIG. 10 is an enlarged view showing details of a ball removing portion of the enclosed ball circulating device and a perspective view showing details of a ball feeding portion of the enclosed ball circulating device.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control system of the entire pachinko machine.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a control device of the pachinko machine.

FIG. 13 is a front view showing a configuration example of a checkout machine.

FIG. 14 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control system of the checkout machine.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view illustrating a configuration example of an entire management device.

FIG. 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a system configuration of the management apparatus.

17A and 17B show an example of a configuration of a console of the management device, wherein FIG. 17A is a plan view and FIG. 17B is a rear view.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram showing a state transition of a card in the game system of the present invention.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a transmission system in the game system of the present invention.

FIG. 20 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a control unit that controls data transmission and reception between a unit controller of each terminal and a transmission path (network).

FIG. 21 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration example of a NAU (network adapter unit) that performs data transfer control on a network.

FIG. 22 is a flowchart illustrating a first-level authenticity verification processing procedure in the card reader of the pachinko machine.

FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing a second-stage authenticity verification processing procedure based on magnetic data in the card reader of the pachinko machine.

FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing a third-level authenticity verification processing procedure using a card number as an identification number by the management device;

FIG. 25 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in the card reader when the end switch of the pachinko machine is turned on.

FIG. 26 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure in a card reader when a zero return occurs during a game in a pachinko machine.

FIG. 27 is a front view showing a second embodiment of a gaming card used in a storage medium type gaming facility according to the present invention, and an explanatory diagram showing an internal configuration of the card.

FIG. 28 is an explanatory diagram showing a configuration example of a true / false discrimination area in a card.

FIG. 29 is a sectional view showing an example of a sectional structure of a card.

FIG. 30 is an explanatory diagram showing another configuration example of the magnetic recording unit in the card.

[Explanation of symbols]

CD, CD 'magnetic card (card-shaped game storage medium) PH punch forming section TF authenticity discrimination area PRT print display section MG magnetic recording section RSU spare area (storage means) 100 Pachinko machine 110 Game machine main body 120 Enclosed ball circulation Apparatus 160 Control unit 170 Unit memory 180 Card reader (storage medium reading device) 190 Unit controller 200 Card issuing machine 210 Bill validator 220 Card reader 230 Balance dispenser 250 Control unit 300 Checkout machine 310 Card reader 320 Bill dispenser 330 Printer 350 Control unit 400 Management device (data management means) 403 Hard disk storage device (data storage means) 510 Low-layer network 520 High-layer network 530 NAU (network adapter unit)

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. A storage medium reading device capable of reading information stored in a storage medium for games, wherein the game medium is used based on the information read by the storage medium reading device. In a storage medium type game facility provided with a game device for providing a required game and a management device capable of collecting information of the plurality of game devices via a data transmission means, the game storage medium is a storage medium for each storage medium. And a storage means for storing valuable data substantially equivalent to the number of money or game media, wherein the management device is a data storage means for storing data,
A storage medium type game facility, comprising: a data management unit that stores the valuable data in the data storage unit for each storage medium based on the identification code stored in the game storage medium. 2. A storage means of the game storage medium, a game shop identification code indicating a game shop in which the game storage medium is used, and issue date data indicating an issue date of the game storage medium. The storage medium type game equipment according to claim 1, wherein 3. A data management means of the management device, and first valuable data substantially equivalent to money stored in the storage means of the game storage medium, and converted from the first valuable data. The second valuable data which is substantially equivalent to the number of game media is stored in the data storage means for each game storage medium based on the identification code.
Alternatively, the storage medium type game facility according to claim 2.