JP3051091B2 - Slot machine lottery notification method - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a slot machine in which a lottery process is performed inside a machine after a game start operation, and when a lottery is won, reel stop control is performed so that a specific winning is easily generated. More particularly, the present invention relates to a lottery-per-lot notification method for notifying a player that a lottery has been won by a lottery process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional typical slot machine has a front surface of an airframe constituted by three panels, upper, middle, and lower.
The center panel is provided with a symbol display window for displaying symbols applied to the peripheral surface of each reel,
A medal slot, a start lever, a stop button switch for each reel, and the like are provided below the center panel.
Inside the center panel, a plurality of reels and an illumination system such as a fluorescent lamp for illuminating the peripheral surface of each reel are provided, and when the power is turned on, the illumination system is turned on. The lighting operation illuminates the peripheral surface of the reel, and during the game, the symbols of each reel are set to be easily viewable from outside through the symbol display window.

In this type of slot machine, when a player starts a game starting device, ie, inserts a medal and operates a start lever, all reels start rotating at the same time, and thereafter, the player operates a stop button. Each reel stops. When all reels stop, when a combination of symbols of each reel stopped on an activated stop line among a plurality of stop lines becomes a predetermined combination, the game is awarded and a predetermined number of cards are won. Is paid out as a payout.

In recent slot machines, in order to give a player an opportunity to obtain a large number of medals, when a specific symbol combination of each reel is established on an activated stop line, this is won as a bonus. In general, a system in which a normal game is shifted to a bonus game a plurality of times is used. When a bonus is won, a predetermined number (for example, 12) of bonus games can be executed,
In each bonus game, when another specific symbol of each reel stops on, for example, a central stop line, a medal with a high payout is paid out. During the bonus game, the stop operation of each reel is controlled so that the specific symbol stops on the central stop line, and as a result, the player can perform the predetermined number of bonus games. You can get a lot of medals.

In this type of slot machine, when a player performs a game start operation, a lottery process is performed inside the machine, and when the lottery is won, the reel stop control is performed so that the above-mentioned bonus prize is easily generated. It is carried out. Here, the lottery process means, for example, randomly generating a number (for example, a number from 1 to 1000) within a predetermined range, and generating the generated number at a predetermined value (for example, 7) or a number within a predetermined range (for example, 7). For example, in the case of 1 to 10), it means a process of winning.

[0006] In addition, in recent slot machines, when a lottery is won by a lottery process, for example, a display lamp provided on an upper panel or an airframe is turned on or blinked to indicate that the lottery has been won. Informed,
This enhances the player's expectation of winning a bonus and improves customer service so that the player does not stop the game halfway without knowing that the lottery has been won.

[0007]

However, in the conventional slot machine, it is necessary to check whether or not a lottery has been won by moving the line of sight to the direction of the display lamp each time the game is started, so that the player concentrates on the game. No, it is a factor that hinders the progress of the game.

[0008] Further, since the display lamps are installed at different positions for each model, some players may not be aware of the presence of the display lamps, thereby increasing the player's expectation of winning a bonus. Is not reached, and even though the lottery has been won, the player stops the game on the way, and the customer service cannot be improved.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and informs a player that a lottery has been won by a lottery process by using a lighting system of a reel, thereby playing a game for a specific winning. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of notifying a lottery of a slot machine that enhances a customer's expectation and improves customer service.

[0010]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a lottery process is performed inside a machine after a game start operation, and when a lottery is won, reel stop control is performed so that a specific winning is easily generated. In the slot machine described above, the lighting system for illuminating the peripheral surface of each reel includes one or more lighting devices that are set to a lighting state before a lottery is won by the lottery process, and the lottery process Thus, when a lottery is won, at least one lighting device is turned off to change the lighting state, thereby notifying the player that the lottery has been won.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a slot machine wherein a lottery process is performed inside the machine after a game start operation, and when a lottery is won, reel stop control is performed so that a specific winning is easily generated. As an illumination system for illuminating the peripheral surface of each reel, it includes an illumination device capable of illumination of different colors, and when a lottery is won by the lottery process, the illumination changes to a different color from that before the lottery was hit. By changing the illumination state, the player is notified that the lottery has been won.

[0012]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a lottery is performed by a lottery process after a game start operation, at least one of the lighting devices is turned off. It can be confirmed that the lottery has been won by the change in the brightness of.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the lottery is performed by the lottery process after the game start operation, the color of the illumination changes. You can confirm that the lottery has been won by having changed.

[0014]

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a slot machine according to one embodiment of the present invention. The body of this slot machine is configured such that a door 2 is attached to the front of a box-shaped main body 1 so as to be openable and closable. The front surface of the door portion 2 is composed of three upper, middle, and lower panels 2a, 2b, and 2c.
b, a medal slot 4, starting levers 5, 5 and 3
A plurality of stop button switches 6a, 6b, 6c, and a medal discharge port 7 and a medal tray 8 are provided below the lower panel 2c.
Each is provided.

The central panel 2b is provided with three columns of symbol display windows 3a, 3b, 3c.
Corresponding to the positions of a, 3b, and 3c, a total of five stop lines L1 to L5 of upper, middle, lower, and diagonal are shown. If the number of inserted medals is one, five stop lines L1
To L5, if only the central stop line L1 is two, the upper, middle, and lower three stop lines L1 to L3
If there are three, all the stop lines L1 to L5
Are activated respectively.

Inside the main body 1, three reels 9 a, 9 a are provided inside the symbol display windows 3 a, 3 b, 3 c.
b, 9c are incorporated. Each reel 9a, 9b, 9c
Indicates a plurality of types of symbols on the outer peripheral surface. When the reels are stopped, three symbols of the reels 9a, 9b, and 9c are displayed.
The symbols for the pieces are arranged in a line on each of the stop lines L1 to L5.

Although not shown, each of the reels 9a, 9b,
9c, a symbol that establishes a normal winning in a normal game (hereinafter, referred to as a “winning symbol of a normal game”) and a symbol that establishes a bonus winning in a normal game (hereinafter, a “bonus winning”) And a symbol for establishing a prize in the bonus game (hereinafter referred to as a “bonus game winning symbol”).

When medals are inserted through the medal insertion slot 4, the number of stop lines corresponding to the number of inserted medals is activated. Next, when the start lever 5 is operated, the three reels 9a, 9b, 9c start all at once. Thereafter, each time the stop button switches 6a, 6b, 6c are operated, the corresponding reels 9a, 9b, 9c are individually stopped.

When all reels are stopped, when a combination of "winning symbols of the normal game" is established on the activated stop line, the internal medal dispensing machine operates and a predetermined number of coins (for example, 2 to 10 medals are discharged from the medal discharge port 7 to the medal tray 8. Also, when a combination of “bonus winning symbols” is established on the activated stop line, the medal payout machine operates,
After a predetermined number of medals (for example, 15 medals) have been released from the medal discharge port 7 to the medal receiving tray 8, the normal game is shifted to the bonus game a plurality of times. Furthermore, in each bonus game, when the "winning symbol of the bonus game" of one of the reels stops on the central stop line L1, the medal payout machine is activated, and a predetermined number (for example, 15) of medals is obtained. Is discharged from the medal discharge port 7 to the medal tray 8.

Although the drawings show a slot machine in which medals are inserted for each game for convenience of explanation, the present invention is not limited to this, and a large number of medals are input in advance to the machine. The present invention can also be applied to a slot machine in which the game is stored using the stored medals by a push button operation for each game. In this medal storing type slot machine, the payout of medals at the time of winning is realized by adding the number of stored medals by the payout number.

An illumination system 11 for illuminating the peripheral surface of each of the reels 9a, 9b, 9c is provided inside the central panel 2b inside the main body 1. The lighting system 11
It may be provided inside each of the reels 9a, 9b, 9c to illuminate the peripheral surface of the reel from inside. Illumination system 1 in the illustrated example
1 includes a first lighting device 11a formed of a fluorescent lamp and a second lighting device 11b formed of three miniature lamps. Each of the lighting devices 11a and 11b is
It is arranged at an obliquely upper position in front of b and 9c. For example, a bean lamp having an output of 3 watts and a fluorescent lamp having an output of 6 watts are used.

In this embodiment, a fluorescent lamp is used as the first lighting device 11a, and a plurality of miniature lamps are used as the second lighting device 11b. For example, each of the first and second lighting devices 11a is used. , 11b may be fluorescent lamps, and the first and second lighting devices 11a, 11b may be light emitting diodes that emit light of different colors. Furthermore,
A fluorescent lamp may be used as the first lighting device 11a, and a light emitting diode that emits light of red, blue, green or the like may be used as the second lighting device 11b. Furthermore, in addition to the first and second lighting devices 11a and 11b, third, fourth, and even more lighting devices are provided, and when a lottery is won by a lottery process, one or more lighting devices are provided. The lighting operation described later may be performed. Furthermore, an illumination system may be configured with a single illumination device (for example, one fluorescent lamp), and when a lottery is performed by a lottery process, a lighting operation described later can be performed on the illumination device.

FIG. 2 shows an electrical configuration of the slot machine. In the figure, reference numeral 20 denotes a control unit composed of a microcomputer.
21, ROM2 for storing programs and fixed data
2. Includes a RAM 23 used for reading and writing data.
The CPU 21 decodes and executes a program stored in the ROM 22, executes various calculations and processes while reading and writing data from and to the RAM 23, and controls a series of operations of each input / output unit.

In this slot machine, the control unit 20
Executes a lottery process after the game start operation, and when a lottery is won by the lottery process, the operation of each of the first and second lighting devices 11a and 11b is notified in time of FIG. In addition to the control shown in the chart, the stop control of each of the reels 9a, 9b, 9c is performed so that a combination of "bonus winning symbols" is established on the activated stop line. 4 and 5 described later,
The control procedure of the CPU 21 is specifically shown by a flowchart.

A first lighting device 11a, a second lighting device 11b, a medal detection sensor 25, a medal dispensing machine 26 and the like are connected to the control unit 20 via a bus 24. The medal detection sensor 25 detects a medal inserted into the medal insertion slot 4 and outputs a medal detection signal. The medal payout machine 26 operates at the time of winning, and discharges the number of medals to be paid out from the medal discharge port 7 to the medal receiving tray 8. Although not shown, the bus 24 includes input units such as the start lever 5, the stop button switches 6a, 6b, and 6c, and a reel drive unit for driving the reels 9a, 9b, and 9c. Are also connected.

FIG. 3 shows the first and second lighting devices 11a,
A method for controlling the operation of the operation 11b is shown in a time chart. In the figure, (1) and (2) are the first and the first in the first embodiment.
The control of each of the second lighting devices 11a and 11b is performed by (3)
(4) shows control of the first lighting device 11a in the second embodiment, and (5) and (6) show control of the first and second lighting devices 11a and 11b in the third embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the second lighting device 11b composed of a plurality of miniature lamps is turned on when the power is on, and maintains the lighting state until the power is turned off (FIG. 3 (1)).
reference). The first lighting device 11a composed of a fluorescent lamp is turned on when the power is turned on, and is turned off when a lottery is performed by a lottery process in a normal game. After that,
After the bonus prize is established and the bonus game is executed, the lighting operation is performed (see FIG. 3 (2)).

According to this embodiment, after the lottery is won,
Until the bonus game is over, the first illuminating device 11a is turned off and only the illumination light from the second illuminating device 11b is applied to the peripheral surfaces of the reels 9a, 9b, 9c. It becomes dark lighting condition. Therefore, the player can recognize that the lottery has been won when the lighting condition changes from the bright lighting condition to the dark lighting condition.

Also in the second embodiment, the first lighting device 11a is a fluorescent lamp, the second lighting device 11b is a plurality of miniature lamps,
The second lighting device 11b performs a lighting operation when the power is on, and maintains the lighting state until the power is turned off (FIG. 3A).
reference). The first lighting device 11b is turned on when the power is on, and in a normal game, when a lottery is won by a lottery process, if a bonus prize is established in the game,
Lighting operation is performed immediately after the light-off operation (FIG. 3 (3))
reference). If a lottery has been won, but no bonus prize has been established in the game, the first lighting device 11b turns off the light, and turns on when a bonus prize is established in the subsequent game (FIG. 3 (4)). reference).

According to this embodiment, when a lottery is won and a bonus prize is not established in the game, the first lighting device 11a is turned off until a bonus prize is established in a subsequent game. Since only the illumination light from the second illumination device 11b is applied to the peripheral surfaces of the reels 9a, 9b, 9c, the illumination state is relatively dark. Therefore, when the player changes from a bright lighting condition to a dark lighting condition,
You can recognize that the lottery has been won.

In the third embodiment, each of the first and second lighting devices 11a and 11b is a light emitting diode that emits light of a different color, and the second lighting device 11b is turned on when the power is on. In a normal game, when a lottery is won by a lottery process, the light is turned off. Thereafter, after the bonus prize is established and the bonus game is executed, the state returns to the lighting state (see FIG. 3 (5)). On the other hand, in a normal game, the first lighting device 11a performs a lighting operation when a lottery is won by a lottery process, a bonus winning combination is established, and after the bonus game is executed, the first lighting device 11a returns to an extinguished state. (See FIG. 3 (6)).

According to this embodiment, the second lighting device 11b is turned on and the first lighting device 11a is turned off until the lottery is won. Only the illuminating light from the illuminating device 11b is illuminated, and the illumination state becomes a predetermined color (for example, white). After winning the lottery,
Until the bonus game is over, the second lighting device 11b is turned off and the first lighting device 11a is turned on, so that only the illumination light from the first lighting device 11a is applied to the peripheral surface of each reel. The lighting state is different from the color before the lottery is won (for example, green). Therefore, when the color of the lighting condition changes, the player can recognize that the lottery has been won. When the lottery is won, the second lighting device 11b
May be caused to blink.

FIG. 4 shows the first and second lighting devices 11a,
FIG. 5 shows the flow of control of the CPU 21 when the operation of the CPU 11b is controlled based on the time charts of FIGS. 3 (1) and (2), and FIG. The control flow of the CPU 21 in the case where the control is performed based on the above will be described. The first and second lighting devices 11a, 1
The same applies to the case where the operation of 1b is controlled based on the time charts of FIGS. 3 (5) and (6), and illustration and description thereof are omitted here.

Referring to FIG. 4, at the start,
Each of the second lighting devices 11a and 11b is in a lit state and stands by for a normal game start operation. In the figure, ST indicates each step of the control. When the player inserts medals and operates the start lever 5 in ST1 and ST2, the CPU 21 checks whether or not the flag F indicating a lottery is set to "1" (ST3). In this case, since the flag F is not set, the determination in ST3 is “NO”, and the CPU 21 executes a lottery process (ST4).

When a lottery is won, the determination in ST5 is "YE
S ", the CPU 21 sets the flag F to" 1 "and turns off the first lighting device 11a (ST6,
7). If the lottery does not win, the determination in ST5 is “N
O ", and the first lighting device 11a remains lit. Although not shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4,
It goes without saying that the three reels 9a, 9b, 9c rotate all at once by inserting a medal and operating the start lever.

After the reels have been rotated, the player turns the stop button switch 6
a, 6b, and 6c are operated to stop the reels 9a, 9b, and 9c.
Executes such control that the "bonus winning symbol" stops on the activated stop line.

When all the reels 9a, 9b, 9c are stopped, the determination in ST8 becomes "YES" and the CPU
21 performs a winning determination (ST9), and determines whether or not a combination of a “winning symbol of a normal game” or a combination of a “bonus winning symbol” is established on the activated stop line. If no prize is won, ST10
Is "NO", and the process returns to the start and waits for the next game. If the combination of the “winning symbols in the base game” is established, the determination in ST10 is “YE
S "and ST11 are" NO ", and the CPU 21 pays out medals in ST12, and then returns to the start and waits for the next game.

If the combination of "bonus winning symbols" is established, ST10 and ST11 are both "YE
S ", the CPU 21 pays out the medals in ST13, and then checks in ST14 whether the flag F is set to" 1 ". Without a lottery,
If the combination of the “bonus winning symbols” is realized by chance, the flag F is not set.
The determination at T14 is "NO", and the process proceeds to ST16 to execute the bonus game. If the lottery has been won and the combination of "bonus winning symbols" has been established, the flag F is set to "1", so the determination in ST14 is "YES", and the flag F is set to "0" in ST15. After that, the process proceeds to a bonus game in ST16.

When the bonus game of ST16 is executed and ended, the CPU 21 checks whether the first lighting device 11a is turned on. Here, the first lighting device 1
The case where 1a is lit means that the lottery does not win and the combination of "bonus winning symbols" is accidentally established. In this case, the process returns to the start and waits for the next game. The case where the first lighting device 11a is turned off is a case where a lottery has been won and a combination of “bonus winning symbols” has been established. In this case, the first lighting device 11a is turned on in ST18. After returning to the state, the process returns to the start and waits for the next game.

If the combination of the "bonus winning symbols" is not established in the game even though the lottery has been won, the next base game is performed with the first lighting device 11a kept turned off. . In the base game, since the flag F is in the set state, ST1, ST2
The determination in ST3 after the game start device is “YES”, and ST4 to ST7 are skipped. The following procedure is the same as described above, and the description thereof is omitted here.

FIG. 5 shows the first and second lighting devices 11a,
11 shows a control flow of the CPU 21 when the operation of the CPU 11b is controlled based on the time charts of FIGS. 3 (1), (3) and (4). At the start of the drawing, the first and second lighting devices 11a and 11b are in a lit state, and are waiting for a normal game start operation.

When there is a game start operation by the player in ST1 and ST2, the CPU 21 checks whether or not the flag F indicating the lottery is set to "1" (ST1).
3). In this case, since the flag F is not set,
The determination in ST3 is "NO", and the CPU 21 executes a lottery process (ST4). If a lottery is won, the determination in ST5 is "YES", and the CPU 21 sets the flag F to "1" in ST6. If the lottery does not win,
The determination in ST5 is "NO", and ST6 is skipped. Although not shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5,
In the game start operation in ST1, ST2, three reels 9a, 9
Needless to say, b and 9c rotate simultaneously.

After the reels have been rotated, the player switches the stop button switch 6
a, 6b, and 6c are operated to stop the reels 9a, 9b, and 9c.
Executes such control that the "bonus winning symbol" stops on the activated stop line. When all the reels 9a, 9b, 9c have thus stopped, the determination in ST7 becomes "YES", and the CPU 21 makes a winning determination (ST
8) It is determined whether or not the combination of the “winning symbol of the normal game” and the combination of the “bonus winning symbol” are established on the activated stop line.

If the winning is not established, the determination in ST9 is "NO", and the process proceeds to ST12. If the combination of the “winning symbols of the base game” is established, ST
If the determination at 10 is “YES”, the determination at ST11 is “NO”, and after the payout of the medals at ST12 is made,
Proceed to 2.

In ST12, it is determined whether or not the first lighting device 11a is turned on. In this case, since the determination in ST12 is "YES", the process proceeds to next ST13, where the flag F is set to "1". Is determined. Here, the case where the flag F is set means that the lottery has been won, but the combination of the “bonus winning symbols” has not been established, and in this case, ST13
Is "YES", and the CPU 21 turns off the first lighting device 11a (ST14), and then returns to the start and waits for the next game. The case where the flag F is not set is a case where the lottery is not won and the combination of the “bonus winning symbols” is not established. In this case, the determination in ST13 is “NO”,
Return to the start and wait for the next game.

If the combination of the "bonus winning symbol" is established, ST9 and ST10 are both "YES".
After paying out the medals in ST15, the CPU 21 determines whether or not the first lighting device 11a is turned on in ST16. In this case, the determination in ST16 is “YE
S ", and it is determined in step ST18 whether the flag F is set to" 1 ". Here, the case where the flag F is set is a case where a lottery is won and a combination of “bonus winning symbols” is established in the game. In this case, the determination in ST18 is “YE
S ", the CPU 21 once turns off the first lighting device 11a, turns it on immediately (ST19), and shifts to the bonus game (ST21). The case where the flag F is not set is a case where the lottery is not won and the combination of the “bonus winning symbol” is accidentally established. In this case, the determination in ST18 is “NO”, Shift to bonus game (ST2
1).

If the combination of the "bonus winning symbols" is not established in the game even though the lottery has been won, the next base game is performed with the first lighting device 11a kept turned off. . In the base game, since the flag F is in the set state, ST1, ST2
Is "YES" after the game start operation, and ST4 to ST6 are skipped. The following procedure is the same as described above, except that when the bonus prize is established in the game and the determination in ST10 is “YES”, the first lighting device 11a is in the unlit state, so the determination in ST16 is "NO", and the CPU 21 turns on the first lighting device 11a in ST17.

[0048]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when a lottery is won by the lottery process, at least one lighting device is turned off to change the lighting state, thereby notifying the player that the lottery has been won. Therefore, while the player keeps his or her gaze in the direction of the reel, the change in the brightness of the reel light can surely confirm that the lottery has been won, and can concentrate on the game. Further, when the lottery is won, the lighting state of the reel changes, so that the player can surely recognize whether or not the lottery has been won, and the expectation for the bonus prize is raised. Further, even if the lottery is won, the player does not stop the game on the way, and the customer service can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, when the lottery is won by the lottery process, the color of the illumination changes, so that the player keeps his or her line of sight in the direction of the reel. You can be sure that the lottery has been won.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an appearance of a slot machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an electrical configuration of the slot machine.

FIG. 3 is a time chart showing a control method of each of the first and second lighting devices.

FIG. 4 shows the operation of each of the first and second lighting devices in FIG. 3 (1).
CP when controlling based on the time chart of (2)
6 is a flowchart showing a control flow of U.

FIG. 5 shows the operation of each of the first and second lighting devices in FIG. 3 (1).
It is a flowchart which shows the flow of control of CPU when performing control based on the time chart of (3) and (4).

[Explanation of symbols]

 9a, 9b, 9c Reel 11 Illumination system 11a First illumination device 11b Second illumination device 20 Control unit 21 CPU

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A performs lottery process inside the machine after the game start operation, when the lottery hits, in the slot machine that a particular prize and to perform reel stop control so prone, the outer periphery of the reel As an illumination system for applying illumination to the
It is set to the lighting state before the lottery is won by the lottery process
Includes one or more lighting devices, and turns off at least one lighting device when a lottery is won by the lottery process
A slot machine lottery notification method for notifying a player that a lottery has been won by changing a lighting state. 2. A lottery process inside the machine after a game start operation.
When a lottery wins, a specific prize is likely to occur
Slot machine that controls the reel stop
In the Shin, a different illumination system is used to illuminate the peripheral surface of each reel.
Lighting device capable of lighting in different colors,
When the lottery wins due to the reason, it differs from before the lottery wins
By changing the lighting conditions by changing to color lighting
A lottery notification method for a slot machine in which a player is notified that a lottery has been won .