JP7804308B2 - Pachinko gaming machine and its performance device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a pachinko gaming machine and its presentation device that allows the presentation device corresponding to the game on the gaming board to be designed separately from the gaming board.

In pachinko machines, which include a game board on which game balls are rolled to play, the design freedom of the presentation devices, which operate based on the game content on the game board, is greater than in game boards that have many rules related to their size and the handling of game balls, and presentation devices are increasingly defining the individuality of pachinko machines.

Among the various presentation devices, the center gambling device, which includes a display device in the center of the game board, is the core of the display of game content and is the part most visible to players. Therefore, many proposals have been made that emphasize innovative designs for center gambling devices.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a gaming machine in which a central gambling device consists of a display panel and a display device main body that decorates the surrounding area, with the display device main body being detachably attached to a base unit fixed to the gaming board. By separating the display device main body from the base unit and making it detachable and interchangeable, it is possible to increase the variety of gaming machine designs. Here, a first connector housing provided on the base unit is detachably fitted to a second connector housing provided on the display device main body, thereby stably fixing them to each other, while at the same time connecting terminals provided in the first and second connector housings to each other, allowing operation signals from the display device main body to be received.

Increasing the variety of gaming machine designs ultimately means that players will perceive the machine as a different gaming machine, even though the machine itself remains the same. In other words, this can be seen as recycling, where the machine itself remains the same, but the presentation devices are replaced to create a different gaming machine.

For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a gaming machine in which non-replaceable parts such as the power supply board, ball management board, ball launcher, and launched ball supply device are all concentrated in the upper unit of the gaming machine, allowing these to be used as is, so that even if the gaming board unit is replaced during renewal, renewal of game content such as presentation effects can be easily carried out. It also mentions that even if the gaming board unit is replaced during renewal, displays and other items that are generally expensive and do not need to be replaced will not be needlessly discarded.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-263036 Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2020-44142

As mentioned above, there is a greater degree of freedom in designing presentation devices than in the game board, but by installing them inside the game board, the design is ultimately limited by the game board. Therefore, it is considered to install presentation devices separately from the game board.

The present invention was made in consideration of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a pachinko gaming machine and its associated presentation device that allows the presentation device corresponding to the game on the gaming board to be designed separately from the gaming board.

The pachinko gaming machine of the present invention is a pachinko gaming machine that includes an effect device that operates based on the game content on a game board that rolls a game ball along its surface, and is characterized in that the main body of the gaming machine including the game board is located inside the cabinet, and the effect device is located outside the cabinet in a compartment separate from the main body of the gaming machine.

The presentation device according to the present invention is a presentation device for a pachinko game machine that operates based on the game content on a game board that rolls a game ball along its surface, and is characterized in that it is installed inside a frame that is attached to the game center together with the game device main body including the game board, and is installed as a single unit that can be separated from the game device main body.

The above-mentioned features allow the design of the presentation device to be carried out outside the gaming device, which is separated by the cabinet, effectively eliminating interference between them and allowing the gaming board to be designed separately regardless of changes to the presentation device.

1 is a front view of a pachinko gaming machine in one embodiment according to the present invention. 1 is a top view of a pachinko gaming machine in one embodiment according to the present invention. A front view of a main body frame used in an amusement machine. 1 is a side view of a pachinko machine according to one embodiment of the present invention; 1 is an exploded side view of a pachinko gaming machine according to one embodiment of the present invention;

A pachinko gaming machine and its presentation device as one embodiment of the present invention will be described using Figures 1 to 5.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, gaming machine 1, which is a pachinko gaming machine, is attached inside outer frame 2, which is a framework installed in an island facility within an amusement parlor (not shown). Gaming machine 1 includes main frame 5, which is attached to outer frame 2 so as to be able to open and close freely, and gaming device main body 1a, which is incorporated into main frame 5 so as to be able to open and close freely. Gaming device main body 1a is provided inside cabinet 15 (see Figure 5) and is provided below main frame 5 so as to provide space above it. Meanwhile, presentation device 1b is housed in the space provided above. In other words, presentation device 1b is provided outside cabinet 15 of gaming device main body 1a, in a separate compartment from gaming device main body 1a. Note that, hereafter, directions will be indicated as seen from a player directly facing gaming machine 1, as shown.

The gaming device main body 1a is equipped with a front door 3 with an opening 3a in the center, and can be opened toward the player using the left end as a pivot. The front door 3 is further equipped with a transparent plate 6 that blocks the opening 3a while allowing the player to view the gaming area 19, a handle 7 that is operated to launch gaming balls, and an upper tray 8 and a lower tray 9 that store gaming balls.

A game board 10 is fixed to the gaming device main body 1a, forming a play area 19 between itself and a transparent plate 6 fitted into the front door 3, along whose surface game balls roll. The game board 10 is further provided with prize openings such as a start chucker 13 and an attacker 14, as well as other prize openings, nails, and other devices (not shown), which allow the path of the game balls that fall while rolling within the play area 19 to be distributed along its surface. The gaming device main body 1a can handle game balls and play the game on its own, even without the presentation device 1b.

On the other hand, presentation device 1b is designed to operate based on the game content on game board 10. For example, presentation device 1b includes a first presentation unit 12 using an LCD display device, a second presentation unit 4 that uses LEDs to create presentations related to winning and lotteries, and other presentation units that create audio presentations using speakers (not shown). For example, first presentation unit 12 can notify the player by displaying the results of the lottery process for a jackpot that occurs when a ball wins a prize in a prize slot on game board 10. There are no particular restrictions on the presentation units or presentation content of presentation device 1b, and other combinations are also possible.

Referring also to Figure 3, the main frame 5, to which the gaming device main body 1a and the presentation device 1b are attached, is a frame body with a roughly rectangular cross section in front view that conforms to the outer frame 2. The main frame 5 has an upper cross beam 5a and a lower cross beam 5c at its upper and lower ends, respectively, with a central cross beam 5b between them. An upper hinge 11a and a lower hinge 11c are provided at the left ends of the upper cross beam 5a and the lower cross beam 5c, respectively. When assembled to the outer frame 2, the upper hinge 11a and the lower hinge 11c allow the main frame 5 to rotate freely relative to the outer frame 2, with the left end serving as the rotation axis A1. In addition, a middle hinge 11b is provided near the left side of the central cross beam 5b, and the gaming device main body 1a can be assembled so that it can rotate freely around a vertical axis A2 between the lower hinge 11c and the central cross beam 5b.

The gaming device main body 1a is housed in the lower space 22 between the lower cross beam 5c and the central cross beam 5b inside the main body frame 5, and the presentation device 1b is housed in the upper space 21 between the central cross beam 5b and the upper cross beam 5a. In other words, the gaming device main body 1a can be freely opened and closed relative to the main body frame 5, and the gaming machine 1 including the gaming device main body 1a and presentation device 1b can be opened and closed together with the main body frame 5 relative to the outer frame 2. Note that the cross section of the main body frame 5, together with the outer frame 2, can also be elliptical or have other shapes when viewed from the front.

Referring to Figures 4 and 5 together, the front portion of presentation device 1b is larger in the left-right and upward directions than the rear portion, and is housed in the main body frame 5 by sliding it from the front to the rear. In other words, presentation device 1b is detachable from the front (front side) of the main body frame 5. Presentation device 1b is held together by a common frame 30 (see Figure 5 in particular) that integrates the first presentation unit 12, second presentation unit 4, etc., and is attached to the main body frame 5 by engaging the common frame 30. This allows presentation device 1b to be separated as a unit from the gaming device main body 1a. Presentation device 1b is located so that it protrudes forward from the top of the front door 3 when the gaming device main body 1a is closed. Furthermore, the gaming device main body 1a is also integrated with the housing 15, and is detachable from the main body frame 5.

As described above, in gaming machine 1, gaming device main body 1a and presentation device 1b are housed in separate compartments. This allows presentation device 1b to be separated as a single unit from gaming device main body 1a, and presentation device 1b can be designed outside of gaming device main body 1a, which is separated by cabinet 15. As a result, mutual interference between gaming device main body 1a and presentation device 1b is effectively eliminated, and the game board can be designed separately regardless of changes to presentation device 1b. Furthermore, by locating both gaming device main body 1a and presentation device 1b inside outer frame 2 and main body frame 5, the machine can be easily installed in existing amusement facilities.

It is also preferable that the gaming device main body 1a be a circulation-type gaming machine that can circulate gaming balls inside the cabinet to allow continuous play. In this case, there is no need for a gaming ball passage to guide gaming balls from the island equipment, and the gaming device main body 1a and the presentation device 1b can be completely separated, increasing design freedom.

Although the present invention has been described above with reference to examples and variations thereof, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these examples. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will be able to identify various alternative embodiments and modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention or the scope of the appended claims.

1 Gaming machine 1a Gaming device main body 1b Performance device 2 Outer frame 5 Main body frame 10 Gaming board

Claims (4)

A pachinko game machine including a performance device that operates based on the game content on a game board that rolls a game ball,
The gaming device main body, including the gaming board that handles the gaming balls and progresses the game, as well as a handle that is operated to launch the gaming balls, is provided inside the cabinet and is then installed inside an outer frame that is a frame body with a roughly rectangular parallelepiped cross section when viewed from the front and is attached to an island facility in the gaming parlor , and the presentation device, which is an LCD display device, a presentation section that uses LEDs to present effects related to winning and lotteries, and a presentation section that produces audio presentations using speakers, and which integrates all of the presentation sections that operate based on the game content on the gaming device main body, is located outside the cabinet and is installed in a separate compartment when viewed from the front of the gaming device main body and the outer frame .
A pachinko gaming machine characterized in that the cabinet is attached to a main frame that is a frame body stacked along the outer frame and can be rotated toward the user on a rotation axis along the front-view side end, and the performance device is housed and attached in a manner that allows it to be freely attached and detached from the front of the main frame. 2. The pachinko gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the gaming device main body and the performance device do not overlap when the outer frame is viewed from the front. A pachinko gaming machine as described in claim 2, characterized in that it includes a common frame that integrates the performance device. A pachinko gaming machine as described in any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the gaming device main body is capable of circulating the gaming balls within the cabinet, allowing continuous play.