JP4063935B2 - Slot machine - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an arrangement of symbols appearing in the display window when a plurality of symbol rows are rotationally moved with respect to the display window and the rotational movement of each symbol row is stopped based on the operation of inserting game media and starting the game. It relates to a slot machine that displays the presence or absence of winning.
[0002]
[Prior art]
A conventional general slot machine has a display window in the front part of the machine body, and three reels having a plurality of symbols drawn on the outer periphery are coaxially arranged side by side. After inserting 1 to 3 medals into the insertion slot, the reels are rotated all at once by operating the start lever so that the three symbol rows rotate.
[0003]
A stop switch corresponding to each reel is provided on the front portion of the machine main body. When these switches are pressed, the rotating reels are individually stopped. Then, when all the reels were stopped, a winning was made when a predetermined symbol was aligned on an effective line, and the number of medals determined according to the symbol at that time were paid out to the player.
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, in the conventional technology as described above, the mounting position of each stop switch with respect to the front portion of the machine body is fixed. Therefore, the player could not move each stop button to a height position that is easy to operate, such as adjusting the height position of each stop switch according to his / her seat height.
[0005]
Therefore, if the sitting height of the player and the height position of each stop switch do not match, the player must perform a stop operation with the arm raised or lowered forcibly. Playing games over time caused stiff shoulders and increased fatigue.
[0006]
The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described problems of the prior art, and the height position of the unitized stop switch can be adjusted as appropriate, so that the player can adjust the height suitable for himself / herself. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a slot machine that can operate a stop switch at a position and does not get tired of arms and shoulders even when playing for a long time and has excellent operability.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The gist of the present invention for achieving the above-described object resides in the following section .
[1] A plurality of symbol rows (20a, 20b, 20c) are rotationally moved with respect to the display windows (12a, 12b, 12c) based on the operation of inserting the game medium and starting the game, and each symbol row (20a, 20b). , 20c) in the slot machine (10) for displaying the presence / absence of a winning in the arrangement of symbols appearing in the display windows (12a, 12b, 12c) when the rotational movement is stopped,
A plurality of the corresponding symbol rows (20a, 20b, 20c) are provided, and each has a stop switch (30a, 30b, 30c) for individually stopping the rotational movement of the symbol rows (20a, 20b, 20c).
Each stop switch (30a, 30b, 30c) is integrally assembled to a base member (35, 35A) formed in a plate shape to constitute a unit,
In the front part of the main body of the slot machine (10), an opening (40) is provided in which the tip of each stop switch (30a, 30b, 30c) on the base member (35, 35A) looks into the outside,
Guide portions (41) for guiding both side edges of the base member (35, 35A) in the vertical direction are provided on both sides of the opening (40).
The base member (35, 35A) is mounted so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the front portion of the slot machine body (10).
A vertically extending rack (42) provided on the back side of the base member (35, 35A), a pinion (43) rotatably meshing with the rack (42), and a pinion (43) coaxially fixed A drive mechanism for moving the base member (35, 35A) composed of the operated operation gear (44) in the vertical direction;
The operation gear (44) is arranged on the side of one side edge of the base member (35, 35A), and a part of the outer periphery of the operation gear (44) is arranged on the front surface of the slot machine (10) main body. The slot machine (10), which is exposed to the outside through an opening (46) for operation opened in the section .
[0010]
Next, the operation based on the present invention will be described.
According to the slot machine (10) of the present invention, each stop switch (30a, 30b, 30c) is united by assembling the base member (35, 35A) integrally with the base member (35, 35A). The unit including the stop switches (30a, 30b, 30c) can be adjusted to a desired height position that is easy for the player to operate because it is mounted so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the front portion of the machine body. it can.
[0011]
The base member (35, 35A) is preferably formed in a plate shape, for example. In such a case, an opening (40) through which the tip of each stop switch (30a, 30b, 30c) on the base member (35, 35A) looks into the outside is opened in the front part of the machine body.
[0012]
Here, if the vertical width of the opening (40) is set narrower than the vertical width of the base member (35, 35A), even if the base member (35, 35A) is moved in the vertical direction with respect to the opening (40), The opening (40) can always be blocked by the base member (35, 35A).
[0013]
If guide portions (41) for guiding both side edges of the base member (35, 35A) in the vertical direction are provided on both sides of the opening (40), the base member (35, 35A) is moved in the vertical direction. Can be moved smoothly.
[0014]
Also, a rack (42) extending in the vertical direction is provided on the back side of the base member (35, 35A), and the operation gear (44) is fixed coaxially with the pinion (43) that is rotatably engaged with the rack (42). If the drive mechanism is provided, the height position of the base member (35, 35A) can be adjusted as appropriate by the player rotating the operation gear (44).
[0015]
The operation gear (44) is arranged to the side of one end edge of the base member (35, 35A), and a part of the outer periphery of the operation gear (44) is opened in the front portion of the machine body. The operation opening (46) is exposed to the outside so that the player can operate by directly touching a finger.
[0016]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, various embodiments representing the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
1 to 4 show a first embodiment of the present invention.
In the slot machine 10 according to the present embodiment, three vertically long display windows 12a, 12b, and 12c fitted with a transparent glass plate are provided on the front surface 11a of the box-shaped casing 11. On the back side of each display window 12a, 12b, 12c, first to third reels 20a, 20b, 20c having a cylindrical shape are arranged on the same axis in the lateral direction and are rotatably supported. ing.
[0017]
On the outer peripheral surfaces of the first to third reels 20a, 20b, and 20c, there are substantially constant symbols such as “cherry”, “lemon”, and “bell” and characters such as “7” and “BAR”. It is drawn at intervals. Three symbol rows corresponding to the first to third reels 20a, 20b, and 20c are observed through the display windows 12a, 12b, and 12c. Instead of the mechanical structure such as a reel, for example, three symbol rows may be displayed as a moving image on a liquid crystal screen configured as a display window.
[0018]
On the surface of the display windows 12a, 12b, and 12c, a plurality of winning lines 13 that are activated in accordance with the number of medals inserted through the medal insertion slot 15 are drawn. An effective display lamp 14 is disposed at the end of each winning line 13, and is set to indicate which winning line 13 is activated by lighting the effective display lamp 14.
[0019]
In the center of the front portion 11a of the slot machine 10, a shelf portion 11b protruding slightly forward is provided, and the front wall of the shelf portion 11b corresponds to the first to third reels 20a, 20b, and 20c. Three stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c for individually stopping the rotational movement are provided.
[0020]
Each stop switch 30a, 30b, 30c is comprised as a unit which can move to an up-down direction with respect to the front wall (front part 11a) of the shelf part 11b. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the stop switches 30 a, 30 b, and 30 c are unitarily assembled with a plate-like base member 35.
[0021]
Any of the stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c is firmly fixed so that the cylindrical shaft portion 31 is fitted into the mounting holes 37 that are formed side by side in the base member 35. A push button 32 is housed inside the tube shaft portion 31. In addition, a case portion 33 in which a spring for urging the push button 32 and a switching mechanism interlocked with a push operation of the push button 32 is incorporated is integrally assembled behind the cylindrical shaft portion 31.
[0022]
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 3, the base member 35 is formed in a rectangular shape, and is mounted on the back side of the front wall of the shelf 11b so as to be movable in the vertical direction. An opening 40 is formed in the front wall of the shelf 11b so that the push buttons 32 of the stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c on the base member 35 can look into the outside.
[0023]
As shown in FIG. 2, the size of the opening 40, particularly the vertical width, is set smaller than the base member 35. Thereby, even if the base member 35 moves to the uppermost position or the lowermost position with respect to the opening 40, the opening 40 is always closed by the base member 35.
[0024]
On both sides of the opening 40, guide portions 41 for guiding both side edges 36, 36 of the base member 35 in the vertical direction are provided. The guide portion 41 is formed of a member having an L-shaped cross section in which the side edge 36 of the base member 35 is slidably fitted. The guide parts 41 on both sides are arranged in parallel to each other so as to extend in the vertical direction by the movement distance of the base member 35 in the vertical direction. Note that stoppers 41 a and 41 b for preventing the base member 35 from coming off are provided at the upper and lower ends of the guide portion 41.
[0025]
In addition, a drive mechanism for moving the base member 35 in the vertical direction is provided on the front wall of the shelf 11b. This drive mechanism includes a rack 42, a pinion 43, and an operation gear 44. The rack 42 is attached to the back side near the one side edge 36 of the base member 35 so as to extend in the vertical direction with the rack teeth facing the back side.
[0026]
The pinion 43 is fixed to the rotary shaft 45 so as to mesh with the rack 42 at a position near the middle of the guide portion 41, and the operation gear 44 is integrally fixed to the same rotary shaft 45. The operation gear 44 is arranged to the side of the one side edge 36 of the base member 35, and an operation for exposing a part of the outer periphery of the operation gear 44 to the outside on the front wall of the shelf portion 11b. The opening 46 for use is drilled.
[0027]
One end of the rotary shaft 45 is pivotally supported in a cantilevered manner with respect to a bearing 19 fixed to the support wall 11c. Note that the rack 42 and the pinion 43 are set so as not to impair the operability of the operation gear 44 and to engage with each other with such a force that the base member 35 does not easily move when the stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c are operated. .
[0028]
In FIG. 1, a medal slot 15 is provided on the right side of the shelf 11b, and a bet switch 16 and a settlement switch 17 are provided on the left side of the shelf 11b in addition to the start lever 18. The start lever 18 is a switch that rotates the first to third reels 20a, 20b, and 20c all at once by pulling forward. The bet switch 16 is a switch for setting the number of bets among 1 to 3 medals at the start of the game. The settlement switch 17 is a switch for settlement of medals deposited in the apparatus.
[0029]
At the lower end of the front portion 11 a of the slot machine 10, a discharge port 51 for medals to be paid out as a prize and a tray 52 for receiving medals paid out from the discharge port 51 are provided. Moreover, the various electrical decoration apparatuses 21 are arrange | positioned at the upper end of the front part 11a. Although not shown, the slot machine 10 stores a power supply unit, a control circuit board, a medal dispenser, and the like.
[0030]
Next, the operation will be described.
In the slot machine 10, when a predetermined number of medals are inserted into the medal insertion slot 15 and the bet switch 16 is pushed, a winning line is set according to the number of bets 1 to 3 set by the operation. 13 is activated.
[0031]
At this time, the effective display lamps 14 arranged at both ends of the activated pay line 13 are turned on. When the number of bets is one, only the center line is activated. When the number of bets is two, the upper and lower horizontal lines are also activated. Five lines are activated.
[0032]
When the start lever 18 is pulled after the bet number is determined, the first to third reels 20a, 20b, and 20c rotate all at once. The player can observe the three symbol rows corresponding to the rotating first to third reels 20a, 20b, and 20c through the display windows 12a, 12b, and 12c.
[0033]
When the first to third reels 20a, 20b, and 20c reach a steady rotational speed, the stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c can be operated. The base member 35 on which the stop switches 30a, 30b, 30c are supported is movable in the vertical direction with respect to the front wall of the shelf portion 11b. The player can adjust each stop switch 30a, 30b, 30c to a desired height position where the player can easily operate the game before or during the game.
[0034]
1 and 2, when the operation gear 44 is turned from the bottom to the top, the coaxial pinion 43 rotates clockwise in FIG. 4, and the rack 42 meshing with the pinion 43 moves upward together with the base member 35. Move to. Thereby, the position of each stop switch 30a, 30b, 30c unitized in the base member 35 can be adjusted upward.
[0035]
On the contrary, when the position of each stop switch 30a, 30b, 30c is adjusted downward, the operation gear 44 may be appropriately rotated from top to bottom in FIGS. If the operation gear 44 is not touched, the base member 35 is not displaced due to the meshing relationship between the rack 42 and the pinion 43 when the stop switches 30a, 30b, 30c are operated.
[0036]
As described above, the height positions of the unitized stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c can be adjusted as appropriate, and the player operates the stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c at the height position that suits him / her. Is possible. Therefore, even if a game is played for a long time, the arms and shoulders do not get tired.
[0037]
When the stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c are pressed in order, the rotation stops from the reels 20a to 20c corresponding to the pressed switches. When all of the reels 20a to 20c are stopped and a predetermined symbol is arranged on the activated pay line 13, a number of medals corresponding to the combination assigned to the symbol is received from the outlet 51 to the tray 52. To be paid out. Note that when a winning pattern with specific symbols appears, a special game state is entered, and thereafter, the game proceeds under extremely advantageous conditions until a predetermined release condition is satisfied.
[0038]
FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
In the present embodiment, the base member 35A constituting the unit is formed in a rectangular shape having a shorter lateral width than that of the first embodiment. In this base member 35A, the stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c are in close proximity to each other within a range that can be pushed by another finger that moves with one fingertip positioned as a fulcrum. It is attached.
[0039]
Similar to the first embodiment, the vertical position of the base member 35 </ b> A can be appropriately adjusted by turning the operation gear 44. Note that parts that are the same as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.
[0040]
According to the present embodiment, the stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c are arranged close to each other, so that the player can keep the position almost fixed without moving the raised arm in the substantially horizontal direction. The stop switches 30a, 30b, and 30c can be operated easily and quickly.
[0041]
Note that the slot machine according to the present invention is not limited to the various embodiments described above. For example, the shape and arrangement of the stop switch are not limited to those illustrated. Further, the unitization of the stop switch is not limited to being attached to the plate-like base member, but may be configured as a unit by attaching the stop switch to a rod-like base member, for example.
[0042]
Further, although the slot machine that actually rotates the reel is shown, it may be a slot machine that displays a picture imitating the reel on a display means such as a liquid crystal display. Further, the unit including the stop switch may be configured to move not only in the vertical direction but also in the horizontal direction.
[0043]
【The invention's effect】
According to the slot machine of the present invention, each stop switch is integrally assembled to a base member formed in a plate shape to constitute a unit, and the front end of the slot machine body has a tip of each stop switch on the base member. Opening to look into the outside, provided on both sides back side of the opening with a guide part that guides both side edges of the base member in the vertical direction, the base member in the vertical direction with respect to the front part of the slot machine body A base member comprising a rack that is movably mounted on the back surface of the base member and extends in the vertical direction, a pinion that meshes with the rack in a rotatable manner, and an operation gear fixed coaxially with the pinion. The operation gear is arranged to the side of one end edge of the base member, and a part of the outer periphery of the operation gear is opened in the front part of the slot machine body. Because exposed from the mouth portion to the outside, the player can adjust the desired height position easy to operate by directly touching the finger, without tiring it arms and shoulders for a long time playing a game, operation Improves.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an appearance of a slot machine according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a front view showing a base member to which a stop switch of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention is attached.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a base member attached with a stop switch of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a base member attached with a stop switch of the slot machine according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an appearance of the slot machine according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Slot machine 11 ... Box-shaped housing | casing 11b ... Shelf part 13 ... Winning line 14 ... Effective display lamp 15 ... Medal insertion slot 16 ... Bet switch 17 ... Settlement switch 18 ... Starting lever 20a, 20b, 20c ... First to second 3 reels 30a, 30b, 30c ... stop switch 31 ... cylinder shaft part 32 ... push button 33 ... case part 35 ... base member 35A ... base member 36 ... side edge 37 ... mounting hole 40 ... opening 41 ... guide part 42 ... Rack 43 ... Pinion 44 ... Operation gear 45 ... Rotating shaft 46 ... Operation opening 51 ... Discharge port 52 ... Receptacle

Claims (1)

Based on the game media input and game start operations, when a plurality of symbol rows are rotated relative to the display window, and the rotation movement of each symbol row is stopped, whether or not there is a prize in the symbol arrangement appearing on the display window In the slot machine that displays
A plurality of stop switches are provided corresponding to each of the symbol rows, and individually stop the rotational movement of each symbol row,
Each stop switch is integrally assembled to a base member formed in a plate shape to constitute a unit,
In the front portion of the slot machine main body, an opening is formed so that the end of each stop switch on the base member looks into the outside,
On both side back sides of the opening, a guide portion for guiding both side edges of the base member in the vertical direction is provided,
The base member is mounted so as to be movable in the vertical direction with respect to the front portion of the slot machine body,
A drive mechanism for moving the base member in the vertical direction, comprising a rack extending on the back side of the base member and extending in the vertical direction, a pinion rotatably meshed with the rack, and an operation gear fixed coaxially with the pinion With
The operation gear is arranged laterally from one side edge of the base member, and a part of the outer periphery of the operation gear is exposed to the outside from the operation opening formed in the front portion of the slot machine body. A slot machine characterized by that.

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