EP1533763A1 - Gaming machine - Google Patents

Abstract

A gaming machine includes: a variable display means forproducing variable display of a plurality of symbols; a symbolcombination determination means for determining a symbolcombination; a plurality of operation means for a player to stopthe variable display of the variable display means; a stop controlmeans for performing stop control of the variable displayoperation of the variable display means based on thedetermination result of the symbol combination determinationmeans and operating the operation means; a game medium payoutmeans for paying out game play media to the player if the stopstate of the variable display means stopped by the stop controlmeans is a predetermined stop state; a front display means beingprovided in front of the variable display means for enabling theplayer to see symbols on the variable display means through thefront display means; and a front display moving means configuredto move the front display means.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention
• The present invention relates to a gaming machine such asa slot machine or a Japanese pinball machine (a so-called"pachinko machine", which will be simply referred to as "pinballmachine") including a variable display means for variablydisplaying various symbols provided for playing a game andcontrol means such as a microcomputer for controlling thevariable display.
Description of the Related Art
• Hitherto, as a conventional gaming machine of the abovedescribed type, for example, a slot machine including stoppingmeans has been known (a so-called "pinball slot machine" or aso-called "Pachi-Slot machine" in Japan). FIG. 38 shows aconventional pinball slot machine X.
• The pinball slot machine X has a variable display meanshaving the configuration wherein three rotation reels 104 to 106for producing variable display of a plurality of symbols aredisposed indisplay windows 101 to 103 provided in afront panel 100 andreel stop buttons 107 to 109 for stopping the rotationreels 104 to 106 are provided. When a predetermined symbolcombination becomes complete through the variable display means,the player gains a prize.
• Printed on the front of thefront panel 100 are a one-medalpay line 111 at the middle stage which becomes activated withone medal inserted, two two-medal pay lines 112a an 112b whichbecome activated with two medals inserted, and two three-medalpay lines 113a an 113b which become activated with three medalsinserted for nine symbols (three columns X three rows) displayedthrough thedisplay windows 101 to 103. In the figure,numeral114 denotes a game medium (medal, coin, or the like) slot andnumeral 115 denotes a start lever for starting a game. Inaddition to the above-described variable display means havingthe mechanical configuration using the rotation reels 104 to 106,a variable display means having a screen such as a liquid crystalscreen on which variable display of symbols can be produced isalso available.
• As a gaming method, first, playing a game is started asthe player inserts game medium into thegame medium slot 114.As the player handles thestart lever 115, control means controlsthe variable display means for rotating the reels 104 to 106,thereby producing variable display of symbols.
• For the symbols variably displayed, the rotating reels 104to 106 are stopped in order automatically in a given time or asthe player operates thereel stop buttons 107 to 109. At thistime, if the symbols on the reels 104 to 106 appearing in thedisplay windows 101 to 103 become a specific combination (winningsymbol combination), game play media are payout to the playeras the prize of the win.
• The pinball slot machine X has different winning gamestates. Particularly, in some pinball slot machines, when thewinning game of a predetermined winning combination is complete,the player is placed in a game state in which the player is givena better condition than the usual state for a predetermined timeperiod in addition to paying out a predetermined number of medals.Such winning combinations include a winning combination forallowing the player to play a predetermined number of games givinga relatively large prize to the player, which will be hereinafterreferred to as big bonus (BB), and a winning combination forallowing the player to play a predetermined number of games givinga relatively small prize to the player, which will be hereinafterreferred to as regular bonus (RB).
• In the pinball slot machine X, internal lottery processing(simply, internal lottery) is performed and the symbol combination stopped and displayed along the line of the pay lines111 to 113 made activated, which will be hereinafter referredto as activated line, is determined based on the lottery resultand the stop operation timing of thereel stop buttons 107 to109 by the player. That is, to complete a winning game for payingout medals or coins to the player, it is required that the winningcombination be won according to the internal lottery processing,which will be hereinafter referred to as internal winning, andthat the player perform stop operation at the timing at whichthe symbol combination indicating completion of the winging gameof the winning combination gaining the internal winning, whichwill be hereinafter referred to as symbol combination, can bestopped on the activated line.
• That is, even if the internal winning is accepted, if theplayer cannot perform the stop operation at the good timing, theplayer cannot complete the winning game. Thus, the gamingmachines requiring that the player have a technique forperforming the stop operation at the good timing (the relativeimportance of intervention of the technique called "observationpush" is high) are mainstream at present.
• In such gaming machines, recently, various arts fordesigning thefront panel 100 and displaying the pay lines 111to 113 and symbols have been proposed to enhance the game amusement and easily determine a winning game.
• For example, in a gaming machine described inJP-A-2000-350805, an optically transparent information displaypanel including a matrix display unit that can display a dotpattern with a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns ofdots is provided at the rear of a front panel or in the proximityof the rear of the front panel and moreover the informationdisplay panel is implemented as a transparent EL(electroluminescent) panel for displaying optically transparentcharacters and symbols in dot patterns.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
• In the gaming machine disclosed in JP-A-2000-350805, whichincludes the information display panel, it is made possible toproduce extensive display containing an effect image. However,because of the optically transparent panel, the symbols on thereels are always seen through the dot patterns and incompletedisplay of the effortful effect image and the symbols on the reelseasily results; sharp contrast is not provided between the effectimage and the symbols on the reels is alwaystransparent-displayed and it is feared that the player may gettired of playing games on the gaming machine.
• It is therefore an object of the invention to provide agaming machine for providing sharp contrast between symbols onreels and an effect image displayed on front display means placedin front of the reels as the front display means is moved.
• According to the invention, there is provided a gamingmachine including: variable display means for variablydisplaying a plurality of symbols; symbol combinationdetermination means configured to determine a symbolcombination; stop control means configured to stop at least oneof the symbols of the variable display means based on thedetermination result of the symbol combination determinationmeans; game medium payout means configured to pay out a gamemedium to a player in a case where a stop state of the variabledisplay means stopped by the stop control means corresponds toa predetermined stop state; front display means provided in frontof the variable display means and configured to enable the playerto see at least one of the symbols of the variable display meanstherethrough, and to display various images; and front displaymoving means configured to move the front display means.
• The front display means may be able to be moved in the backand forth direction with respect to the variable display means.
• The front display means may be able to be moved in the up and down direction with respect to the variable display means.
• The front display means may be able to be switched betweena position where the player can visually recognize the frontdisplay means and a position where the player cannot visuallyrecognize the front display means.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
• In the accompanying drawings:
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view to show the appearance of aslot machine according to an embodiment of the invention;
• FIG. 2 is a front view to show the appearance of the slotmachine according to the embodiment of the invention;
• FIG. 3 is a block diagram to show the configuration of anelectric circuit of the slot machine according to the embodimentof the invention;
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram to show the configuration of asub-control circuit of the slot machine according to theembodiment of the invention;
• FIG. 5 is a drawing to show symbol rows arranged on reels;
• FIG. 6 is a drawing to show winning combinations and numbersof payout medals corresponding to winning symbol combinations;
• FIG. 7 is a drawing to show an example of a ceilingindication meter;
• FIGS. 8A through 8C are drawings to show an example of images for notifying the player of stop order;
• FIGS. 9A and 9B are drawings to show probability lotterytables;
• FIG. 10 is a drawing to show a stop control table numbersection table;
• FIG. 11 is a drawing to show the relationship between thestop button push order and completion/incompletion of winninggame for each stop table number;
• FIG. 12 is a drawing to show an example of a stop controltable;
• FIG. 13 is a drawing to show an example of a stop controltable;
• FIG. 14 is a drawing to show an example of a stop controltable;
• FIG. 15A is a drawing to show a ceiling-number-of-AT-timesselection table and FIG. 15B is a drawing to show an AT activationlottery table;
• FIG. 16A is a drawing to show a ceiling activation valueselection table and FIG. 16B is a drawing to show a ceiling metershift selection table;
• FIG. 17 is a drawing to show examples of commandstransmitted from a main control circuit to the sub-controlcircuit;
• FIG. 18 is a drawing to show examples of commandstransmitted from the main control circuit to the sub-control circuit;
• FIG. 19 is a flowchart to show processing of the main controlcircuit;
• FIG. 20 is a flowchart to show processing of the main controlcircuit;
• FIG. 21 is a flowchart to show processing of the main controlcircuit;
• FIG. 22 is a flowchart to show processing of the main controlcircuit;
• FIG. 23 is a flowchart to show processing of the main controlcircuit;
• FIG. 24 is a flowchart to show processing of the main controlcircuit;
• FIG. 25 is a flowchart to show stop control table selectionprocessing;
• FIG. 26 is a flowchart to show processing of the sub-controlcircuit;
• FIG. 27 is a flowchart to show processing of the sub-controlcircuit;
• FIGS. 28A through 28D are flowcharts to shownumber-of-inserted-medals update processing,number-of-bet-medals determination processing,total-number-of-bet-medals update processing, and thetotal-number-of-payout-medals update processing;
• FIG. 29 is a flowchart to show ceiling meter indication processing;
• FIG. 30 is a flowchart to show ceiling AT activation checkprocessing;
• FIG. 31 is a flowchart to show ceiling activation valueselection processing;
• FIG. 32 is a flowchart to show AT execution processing;
• FIG. 33 is a flowchart to show push order notificationprocessing;
• FIG. 34 is a flowchart to show AT activation lotteryprocessing;
• FIG. 35 is a schematic representation to show thedisposition state of a panel display unit;FIG- 36 is a schematic representation of the panel display unit;
• FIG. 37 is a schematic representation to show thedisposition state of another panel display unit; and
• FIG. 38 is a schematic representation to show an exampleof a gaming machine in a related art.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
• A gaming machine of the invention has variable displaymeans for producing variable display of a plurality of symbols,front display means being provided in front of the variabledisplay means for enabling the player to see symbols on thevariable display means through the front display means, symbol combination determination means for determining a symbolcombination, a plurality of operation means for the player tostop the variable display of the variable display means, stopcontrol means for performing stop control of the variable displayoperation of the variable display means based on thedetermination result of the symbol combination determinationmeans and operation input to the operation means, and game mediumpayout means for paying out game play media to the player if thestop state of the variable display means stopped by the stopcontrol means is a predetermined stop state, wherein the frontdisplay means can be moved.
• By moving the front display means, sharp contrast can beprovided between the effect produced by the variable displaymeans and the effect produced by the front display means. Forexample, when the effect is produced by the variable display means,the front display means is moved to a position where the playercannot visually recognize the front display means, so thatplayer's interest can be excited in the effect produced by thevariable display means. When the effect is produced by the frontdisplay means, the front display means can be moved to the aheadposition of the variable display means for exciting player'sinterest in the effect produced by combining the effect producedby the front display means and the effect produced by the variabledisplay means. Moreover, when the effect is produced by combining the effect produced by the front display means and theeffect produced by the variable display means, the front displaymeans can also be moved up and down, from side to side, or backand forth, whereby change can be given to the effect and player'sinterest can be still more excited in the effect.
• Particularly, if the front display means is moved forwardrelative to the variable display means (if the front display meansand the variable display means are brought away from each other) ,the player can select the effect produced by the front displaymeans or the effect produced by the variable display means forvisually checking the effect with the accent put on the effectproduced by either means, whereby the player can be made to enjoythe effect produced by either means with the accent put thereon.On the other hand, if the front display means is moved backwardrelative to the variable display means (if the front display meansand the variable display means are brought close to each other) ,the player can visually check the effect produced by the frontdisplay means and the effect produced by the variable displaymeans at the same time, whereby the player can be made to enjoythe effect produced by combining the effects of both of the means.
• If the front display means is moved in the up and downdirection relative to the variable display means, thesuperposition state of the effect produced by the front display means and the effect produced by the variable display meanschanges and change can be given to the effect produced bycombining the effects of both of the means, making the playerenjoy the effect.
• If the front display means is moved to a position wherethe player can visibly recognize the front display means, theplayer can visually check the effect produced by the front displaymeans and the effect produced by the variable display means atthe same time, and can be made to enjoy the effect produced bycombining the effects of both of the means. On the other hand,if the front display means is moved to a position where the playercannot visibly recognize the front display means, the effectproduced by the variable display means becomes easy to see andthe player can be made to enj oy the effect produced by the variabledisplay means.
• A gaming machine according to an embodiment of theinvention will be discussed more specifically with reference tothe accompanying drawings.
• FIG. 1 is a perspective view to show the appearance of agaming machine 1 of a first embodiment according to the invention.FIG. 2 is a front view of thegaming machine 1 of a first embodimentaccording to the invention.
• Thegaming machine 1 is a so-called "pinball slot machine"including three rotation reels for producing variable displayof symbols and allows the player to play a game using game playmedia such as a card storing information of the game play valuegiven to the player as well as coins, medals or tokens. In thedescription that follows, it is assumed that the player usesmedals.
• Apanel display unit 5 of a liquid crystal display isprovided at the front of acabinet 2 forming the whole of thegaming machine 1.
• In thecabinet 2, threerotation reels 3L, 3C, and 3R eachwith a symbol row made up of different types of symbols drawnon the outer peripheral surface are provided in a row for rotationfor providing variable display means. The player can observethe symbols on the reels throughdisplay windows 4L, 4C, and 4Rseen through thepanel display unit 5. Each reel rotates at aconstant speed (for example, 80 revolutions per minute).
• Although the configuration of thepanel display unit 5 isdescribed later in detail, thepanel display unit 5 is providedfully with ascreen 5a for forming front display means throughwhich therotation reels 3L, 3C, and 3R can be seen. When viewed from the player, the following components appear.
• The vertically orientedrectangular display windows 4L,4C, and 4R are seen at the center of thedisplay screen 5a, andacenter line 8a, atop line 8b, and abottom line 8c in thehorizontal direction and a cross downline 8d and cross upline8e in the slanting directions as pay lines are visible in thedisplay windows 4L, 4C, and 4R. As the pay lines, one, three,or five lines are made activated as the player operates a 1-BETswitch 11, a 2-BET switch 12, or a MAX-BET switch 13 (describedlater) or inserts medals into amedal insertion slot 22. Whichpay lines are made activated is indicated as the correspondinglines are lighted and aBET lamp 9a, 9b, or 9c (described below)is lighted.
• The 1-BET lamp 9a, the 2-BET lamp 9b, the MAX-BET lamp 9c,and a deposited-number-of-game-play-medals display unit 19 areprovided on the left of thedisplay windows 4L, 4C, and 4R. The1-BET lamp 9a, the 2-BET lamp 9b, or the MAX-BET lamp 9c is lightedin response to the number of medals bet to play one game, whichwill be hereinafter referred to as the BET count. In theembodiment, one game is over when all reels stop or when gameplay media have been payout if game play media are payout. Whenthe BET count is 1 and one pay line is made activated, the 1-BETlamp 9a is lighted; when the BET count is 2 and three pay lines are made activated, the 2-BET lamp 9b is lighted; and when theBET count is 3 and all the five pay lines are made activated,the MAX-BET lamp 9c is lighted. A game play startindicator lamp25 provided below theSET lamps 9a, 9b, and 9c is lighted whenat least one pay line is made activated. Further, thedeposited-number-of-game-play-medals display unit 19 displaysthe deposited number of medals.
• AWIN lamp 17, apayout display unit 18, and a game playmedal insertion lamp 24 are provided on the right of thedisplaywindows 4L, 4C, and 4R. TheWIN lamp 17 is lighted at apredetermined probability when the internal winning is acceptedas BB or RB. TheWIN lamp 17 is also lighted when the winninggame of BB or RB is complete. Thepayout display unit 18 is madeup of seven-segment LEDs for displaying the number of medalspayout when the winning game is complete. The game playmedalinsertion lamp 24 is blinked when insertion of game play medalscan be accepted.
• A number-of-bonus-game-operation-times display unit 20 isprovided in the upper right corner of thedisplay screen 5a. Thenumber-of-bonus-game-operation-times display unit 20 displaysthe number of RB games that can be played, and the possible numberof winning games of RB (described later).
• A game play stop indicator 31, areplay indicator 32, anRB operation indicator 33, and aBB operation indicator 34 areprovided in a row in the upper left corner of thedisplay screen5a. The game play stop indicator 31 is lighted when the timeinterval between the preceding drum rotation and the current drumrotation is less than a predetermined time (in the embodiment,4.1 seconds). Thereplay indicator 32 is lighted when replayis operated. TheRB operation indicator 33 is lighted duringthe RB operation. TheBB operation indicator 34 is lightedduring the BB operation.
• Thedisplay screen 5a also displays the "stop order"required for realizing completion of the winning game when theinternal winning of "small prize of bell" is accepted in "stopoperation assistance time period" (described later).
• Afrontward projection portion 10 of a horizontal planeis formed below thedisplay windows 4L, 4C, and 4R seen throughthedisplay screen 5a, and anindication section 2a for indicatinginformation concerning thegaming machine 1 is provided betweenthefrontward projection portion 10 and thedisplay windows 4L,4C, and 4R.
• Amedal insertion slot 22 is provided on the right of theindication section 2a, and the 1-BET switch 11, the 2-BET switch 12, and the MAX-BET switch 13 are provided at the lower positionto the left of theindication section 2a. Across button 26,a "O"button 27, and a "X"button 28 are provided at the upperposition to the left of theindication section 2a.
• The 1-BET switch 11 enables the player to bet one of thecredited medals by one push operation on a game. The 2-BET switch12 enables the player to bet two of the credited medals by onepush operation on a game. The MAX-BET switch 13 enables theplayer to bet as many medals as the maximum number of medals thatcan be bet on a game by one push operation. As the player operatesany of the BET switches, the corresponding pay lines are madeactivated as described above.
• The player can switch thedisplay screen 5a and make entryby operating thecross button 26, the "O"button 27, and the "X"button 28.
• A depositedmedal adjusting switch 14 for the player toswitch between credit and payout of the medals obtained by playinggames by pushbutton operation is provided on the left of the frontof thefrontward projection portion 10. As the depositedmedaladjusting switch 14 is switched, medals are payout from a gameplaymedal payout opening 15 in a lower part of the front andare stored in a gameplay medal tray 16. On the right of thedepositedmedal adjusting switch 14, astart lever 6 for rotatingthe reels for starting variable display of symbols in thedisplaywindows 4L, 4C, and 4R (starting a game) as the player operatesthestart lever 6 is attached so that it can be turned in apredetermined angle range.
• A door opening/closing andclosing release device 29 isprovided to the right of the front of thefrontward projectionportion 10. As the door opening/closing andclosing releasedevice 29 is turned to the right with a predetermined key, thefront door is opened/closed; as thedevice 29 is turned to theleft, closing is released.
• Speakers 21L and 21R are provided on the upper left andright of thecabinet 2, and apayout table panel 23 for displayingwinning symbol combination, the number of payout medals, and thelike is provided between the twospeakers 21L and 21R. Threestop buttons 7L, 7C, and 7R for stopping rotation of the threerotation reels 3L, 3C, and 3R are provided at the center of thefront of thefrontward projection portion 10 and below theindication section 2a.
• As shown in FIG. 35, thepanel display unit 5 is attachedto afront opening 2b of thecabinet 2 so as to face from theback of thefront opening 2b, and the portion exposed from thecabinet 2 forms thedisplay screen 5a.
• Thepanel display unit 5 is attached to the rear of thecabinet 2 so that it can move in the back and forth directionrelative to therotation reels 3L, 3C, and 3R through a motorizedcylinder 2c. In the figure, numeral 2d denotes a guide.
• Thepanel display unit 5 is implemented as a multi-layerpanel body 5' clamped and held by arectangular frame 505, asshown in FIG. 36.
• The multi-layer panel body 5' has a multi-layer structuremade up of, from the outermost side (front), transparentprotective glass 500 and aliquid crystal panel 501 substantiallymaking up the front display means, alight guide plate 503 madeof an acrylic material having a predetermined thickness forminga part of a backlight structure, and a diffuser panel 504 madeof a plastic film put on the rear of thelight guide plate 503.The diffuser panel 504 is formed on the surface with asperitiesfor irregularly reflecting and diffusing light. A transparentacrylic plate may be used in place of theprotective glass 500.
• A backlight is disposed between the front display meansand the variable display means for applying backlight to thesymbols on the variable display means. That is, a cold-cathode tube 2e for functioning as the backlight of theliquid crystalpanel 501 and being capable of applying light to the symbols ontherotation reels 3L, 3C, and 3R is disposed between themulti-layer panel body 5' and therotation reels 3L, 3C, and 3Rand at a lower position of the multi-layer panel body 5'.
• The cold-cathode tube 2e is faced to the lower end partof thelight guide plate 503 and theframe 505 is formed withanotch 505a for allowing light to pass through, so that lightcan pass through the end part of thelight guide plate 503 tothe whole and can be diffused forward by the diffuser panel 504for the cold-cathode tube 2e to function as the backlight of theliquid crystal panel 501 and a liquid crystal shutter 502.
• A part of light of the cold-cathode tube 2e is applied totherotation reels 3L, 3C, and 3R disposed at the rear of themulti-layer panel body 5'. In the figure, numeral 2f denotesa reflection cover disposed so as to involve the cold-cathodetube 2e. Thereflection cover 2f is bent roughly like a letterU in cross section and is fastened to a lower panel mounting boss2c' together with the multi-layer panel body 5'.
• In the embodiment, thepanel display unit 5 is attachedmovably in the back and forth direction, but the invention isnot limited to it. As shown in FIG. 37, thepanel display unit 5 may be attached movably in the up and down direction. Thepaneldisplay unit 5 shown in FIG. 37 is attached to apanel supportbody 5c loosely fitted intorotation shafts 5b of therotationreels 3L, 3C, and 3R for rotation. Adrive gear 5f of anelectricmotor 5e is operatively connected to a drivengear 5d joined tothe base end part of thepanel support body 5c and as themotor5e is rotated, thepanel display unit 5 moves up and down.Moreover, if thepanel display unit 5 moves down, it is positionedbetween thefront opening 2b of thecabinet 2 and therotationreels 3L, 3C, and 3R, enabling the user to visually recognizethepanel display unit 5; on the other hand, if thepanel displayunit 5 moves up, it is positioned above thefront opening 2b ofthecabinet 2, making it impossible for the user to visuallyrecognize thepanel display unit 5.
• As described above, in the embodiment, the front displaymeans can be moved and as the front display means is moved, sharpcontrast can be provided between the effect produced by thevariable display means and the effect produced by the frontdisplay means.
• Particularly, if the front display means is moved forwardrelative to the variable display means (if the front display meansand the variable display means are brought away from each other) ,the player can select the effect produced by the front display means or the effect produced by the variable display means forvisually checking the effect with the accent put on the effectproduced by either means, whereby the player can be made to enjoythe effect produced by either means with the accent put thereon.On the other hand, if the front display means is moved backwardrelative to the variable display means (if the front display meansand the variable display means are brought close to each other) ,the player can visually check the effect produced by the frontdisplay means and the effect produced by the variable displaymeans at the same time, whereby the player can be made to enjoythe effect produced by combining the effects of both of the means.
• If the front display means is moved in the up and downdirection relative to the variable display means, thesuperposition state of the effect produced by the front displaymeans and the effect produced by the variable display meanschanges and change can be given to the effect produced bycombining the effects of both of the means, making the playerenjoy the effect.
• If the front display means is moved to a position wherethe player can visibly recognize the front display means, theplayer can visually check the effect produced by the front displaymeans and the effect produced by the variable display means atthe same time, and can be made to enjoy the effect produced by combining the effects of both of the means. On the other hand,if the front display means is moved to a position where the playercannot visibly recognize the front display means, the effectproduced by the variable display means becomes easy to see andthe player can be made to enjoy the effect produced by the variabledisplay means.
• In the embodiment, the backlight is provided for the frontdisplay means and backlight is applied to the symbols on thevariable display means. Thus, the backlight is applied not onlyto the front display means, but also to the symbols on the variabledisplay means, making it possible to clearly display both thesymbols on the variable display means and the effect imagedisplayed on the front display means placed in front of thevariable display means, so that not only the effect displayproduced by the front display means, but also the symbols on thevariable display means become easy to see, enabling the playerto enjoy playing a game.
• Particularly, if the backlight is disposed between thefront display means and the variable display means, the internalspace of the gaming machine can be used effectively as theinstallation place of the backlight, and the backlight can beplaced in the gaming machine without upsizing the gaming machine.
• If the front display means is configured to providepredetermined indications and displays (various lampindications (1-BET lamp 9a, 2-BET lamp 9b, MAX-BET lamp 9c, andWIN lamp 17) and various display units (payout display unit 18,deposited-number-of-game-play-medals display unit 19, andnumber-of-bonus-game-operation-times display unit 20)) in thesurroundings of the variable display means, various lampindications (1-BET lamp 9a, 2-SET lamp 9b, MAX-BET lamp 9c, andWIN lamp 17) and various display units (payout display unit 18,deposited-number-of-game-play-medals display unit 19, andnumber-of-bonus-game-operation-times display unit 20) providedon the front panel in the gaming machine in the related art canbe displayed on the front display means. Thus, the need forproviding the various lamps on the front panel is eliminated,the number of components of the gaming machine can be decreased,and the manufacturing cost of the gaming machine can be reduced.
• Thegaming machine 1 is configured as described above.Operation of the player for operating thestart lever 6 forrotating the threereels 3L, 3C, and 3R and operating the threestop buttons 7L, 7C, and 7R for stopping rotation of thereels3L, 3C, and 3R will be discussed below.
• Here, the stop operation performed when allreels 3L, 3C,and 3R rotate is called "first stop operation, " the stop operation next performed is called "second stop operation," and the stopoperation performed following the second stop operation iscalled "third stop operation." Operating theleft stop button7L as the first stop operation is called "forward push."Operating thecenter stop button 7C as the first stop operationis called "center push." Operating theright stop button 7R asthe first stop operation is called "reverse push."
• Since thegaming machine 1 is provided with the threestopbuttons 7L, 7C, and 7R, there are six different operation ordersof the stop buttons. Then, the operation orders aredistinguished from each other as follows: Theleft stop button7L is abbreviated to "left," thecenter stop button 7C to"center," and theright stop button 7R to "right." To indicatethe stop order, the abbreviations of thestop buttons 7L, 7C,and 7R are listed from left to right in the stop operation order.For example, when the player operates theleft stop button 7Las the first stop operation, thecenter stop button 7C as thesecond stop operation, and theright stop button 7R as the thirdstop operation, the stop order is indicated as "left centerright." In the embodiment, the six different stop orders of"left center right," "left right center," "center left right,""center right left," "right left center," and "right center left"are available.
• FIG. 5 shows symbol rows each made up of 21 symbolsrepresented on eachreel 3L, 3C, 3R. The symbols are givencodenumbers 00 to 20 and are stored inROM 32 described later as adata table. The symbol rows each made up of symbols of "blue7," "red 7," "BAR," "bell," "plum," "Replay," and "cherry" arerepresented on thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R. Thereels 3L, 3C, and3R are rotated so that the symbol rows move in the arrow direction.
• A table in FIG. 6 lists the winning combinations and thenumbers of payout medals corresponding to the winning symbolcombinations in each game state.
• The game state is classified into the three states ofordinary gaming state (the mode in which the gaming machine(player) is in the state is also represented as "during ordinarygaming"), ordinary gaming state in BB (the mode in which thegaming machine (player) is in the state is also represented as"during BB operation") , and RB game state (the mode in which thegaming machine (player) is in the state is also represented as"during RB operation"). Usually, the mode in which the gamingmachine (player) is in the ordinary gaming state is representedas "during ordinary gaming, " the mode in which the gaming machine(player) is in the ordinary gaming state in BB is representedas "during BB operation, " and the mode in which the gaming machine(player) is in the RB game state is represented as "during RB operation. "
• The ordinary gaming state may be further classifieddepending on whether or not the internal winning of BB or RB isaccepted. However, the winning combinations having thepossibility of accepting internal winning are similar andtherefore the game state is classified into the three states inthe table.
• The types of winning combinations having the possibilityof accepting internal winning are determined according to aprobability lottery table (described later) and the probabilitylottery table is provided for each game state. That is, the typesof prizes having the possibility of accepting internal winningbecome the same for games in the same game state.
• As shown in FIG. 6, when "blue 7-blue 7-blue 7" or "red7-red 7-red 7" is placed in a row along the activated line inthe ordinary gaming state, a winning game of BB is complete and15 medals are payout to the player and the game state of the nextgame enters the BB gaming state.
• The RB game state occurs when the symbol combination alongthe activated line is "BAR-BAR-BAR" in the ordinary gaming stateor when the symbol combination along the activated line is "Replay-Replay-Replay" in the ordinary gaming state in BB (JACIN). At this time, 15 medals are payout to the player. The RBgame state is a game state in which the player easily gains aprize of paying out 15 medals to the player with completion ofthe predetermined symbol combination "Replay-Replay-Replay" asthe player bets one medal. The maximum number of games that canbe played by the player in one RB game state (the number of RBgames that can be played) is 12. The number of winning gamesthat can be gained in the RB game state (the possible number ofwinning games of RB) is up to eight. That is, the RB game stateexits if the number of games reaches 12 or if the number of winninggames reaches eight. When the RB game state exits, a transitionto the ordinary gaming state is made.
• One BB exits if the player has played 30 games in theordinary gaming state in BB or if a transition to the RB gamestate is made three times and the third RB exits. When the BBgaming state exits, a transition to the ordinary gaming stateis made.
• When the symbol combination along the activated line is"Replay-Replay-Replay" in the ordinary gaming state, a winninggame of replay is complete. When a winning game of replay iscomplete, as many medals as the number of inserted medals areautomatically inserted, so that the player can play a game without consuming medals.
• As symbol combination "bell-bell-bell" is placed in a rowalong the activated line in the ordinary gaming state or theordinary gaming state in BB, a winning game of small prize ofbell is complete. When the internal winning of small prize ofbell is accepted, whether or not the winning game is completeis determined by the table number (described later) and the stoporder of thestop buttons 7L, 7C, and 7R by the player.Specifically, the symbol combination "bell-bell-bell" is placedin a row along the activated line and the winning game of smallprize of bell is complete only if the player operates thestopbuttons 7L, 7C, and 7R in the stop order of the six stop orderscorresponding to the table number. If the player operates thestop buttons 7L, 7C, and 7R in any order other than the stop ordercorresponding to the table number, the winning game of small prizeof bell becomes incomplete.
• It is possible to realize completion of winning games of"small prize of cherry," and "small prize of plum," in theordinary gaming state or the ordinary gaming state in BB. Thenumbers of medals payout to the player are as shown in the figure.
• In the ordinary gaming state, "stop operation assistancetime period (AT described later)" is provided for notifying the player of the stop order for realizing completion of a winninggame when the internal winning of small prize of bell is accepted.When the internal winning of small prize of bell is accepted inthe time period, the player can surely realize completion of awinning game.
• FIG. 7 is a drawing to describe an example of "ceilingindication meter" of indication means for indicating theprogress until a relief measure occurs. The scale shown in thefigure indicates the difference between the total number ofmedals used for playing games and the total number of payoutmedals. That is, usually, the number of used medals is greaterthan the number of payout medals during the ordinary gaming andthus the scale of the meter grows until a bonus is won. The scaleof the meter starts at 1 when BB exits, and when the scale reaches8, a relief measure called ceiling is activated.
• Next, the images (stop order notification images)displayed on thedisplay screen 5a when the internal winning ofsmall prize of bell is accepted in the assistance time periodwill be discussed with reference to FIGS. 8A through 8C. In FIG.8, the stop order required for a winning game is "left rightcenter."
• FIG. 8A shows the image displayed at the game start time. The symbol of a bell is displayed in the left symbol display areaof the image, indicating that the internal winning of small prizeof bell is accepted. Further, a message of "=LEFT= PUSH!" isdisplayed below the symbol of the bell, notifying the player thatthe stop operation required for a winning game is to operate theleft stop button 7L as the first stop operation.
• FIG. 8B shows the image displayed after the player performsthe first stop operation. Another symbol of a bell is displayedin the right symbol display area of the image and a message of"=RIGHT= PUSH!" is displayed below the symbol of the bell,notifying the player that the player is to operate theright stopbutton 7R as the second stop operation.
• FIG. 8C shows the image displayed after the player performsthe second stop operation. Another symbol of a bell is displayedin the center symbol display area of the image and a message of"=CENTER= PUSH!" is displayed below the symbol of the bell,notifying the player that the player is to operate thecenterstop button 7C as the third stop operation. If the playerperforms the first stop operation and the second stop operationresponsive to the messages displayed on thedisplay screen 5a,"bell-bell-bell" is placed in a row along the activated line andthe winning game of small prize of bell is complete after theplayer performs the third stop operation.
• In FIGS. 8A through 8C, the player is notified of the stopbutton to next operate in order as the stop order notificationmode, but the player may be notified of the stop order at a timeat the game start time. For example, the stop order can alsobe displayed as "left right center" on thedisplay screen 5a.
• FIG. 3 shows the circuit configuration including amaincontrol circuit 81 for controlling the game processing operationof thegaming machine 1, peripherals (actuators) electricallyconnected to themain control circuit 81, and asub-controlcircuit 82 for controlling thepanel display unit 5 of liquidcrystal display and thespeakers 21L and 21R based on a controlcommand transmitted from themain control circuit 81.
• Themain control circuit 81 is made up of themicrocomputer40 placed on the circuit board as the main component and a randomnumber sampling circuit. Themicrocomputer 40 includes a CPU41 for performing the control operation in accordance with apreset program, andROM 42 andRAM 43, both of which are providedas a storage.
• Connected to the CPU 41 are a clockpulse generation circuit44 for generating a reference clock pulse, afrequency divider45, arandom number generator 46 for generating sampled random numbers, and asampling circuit 47. For sampling random numbers,random number sampling may be executed in themicrocomputer 40,namely, the operation program of the CPU 41. In this case, therandom number generator 46 and thesampling circuit 47 can beomitted or can also be left for backup of the random numbersampling operation.
• TheROM 42 of themicrocomputer 40 stores probabilitylottery tables used to determine random number samplingperformed each time the player operates the start lever 6 (startoperation), stop control tables for determining the reel stopstate in response to operation of the stop buttons, variouscontrol commands to be transmitted to thesub-control circuit82, and the like. The commands include a demonstration displaycommand, a start command, an all reel stop command, a winningsymbol combination (prize) command, and the like. The commandswill be discussed later. Thesub-control circuit 82 does notinput commands and information to themain control circuit 81and one-way communications are conducted from themain controlcircuit 81 to thesub-control circuit 82.
• In the circuitry shown in FIG. 3, the actuators whoseoperation is controlled by a control signal from themicrocomputer 40 include a hopper (containing a drive sectionfor paying out medals) 50 as game play value giving means for storing medals and paying out a predetermined number of medalsaccording to an instruction of ahopper drive circuit 51, andsteppingmotors 59L, 59C, and 59R for rotating thereels 3L, 3C,and 3R.
• Further, a motor drive circuit 59 for driving andcontrolling thestepping motors 59L, 59C, and 59R, ahopper drivecircuit 51 for driving and controlling thehopper 50, alamp drivecircuit 55 for driving and controlling the various lamps, anda individual displayunit drive circuit 58 for driving andcontrolling the various display units are connected to the outputsection of the CPU 41 through an I/O port 48. Each of these drivecircuits receives a control signal such as a drive command outputfrom the CPU 41 and controls the operation of the correspondingactuator.
• The main input signal generation means for generating aninput signal required for generating a control command by themicrocomputer 40 include astart switch 6S, the 1-BET switch 11,the 2-BET switch 12, the MAX-BET switch 13, the depositedmedaladjusting switch 14, an insertedmedal sensor 22S, a reelstopsignal circuit 56, a reelposition detecting circuit 60, and apayoutcompletion signal circuit 61. These are also connectedto the CPU 41 through the I/O port 48.
• Thestart switch 6S detects the player operating thestartlever 6. The insertedmedal sensor 22S detects a medal insertedto themedal insertion slot 22. The reelstop signal circuit56 generates a stop signal as the player operates eachstop button7L, 7C, 7R. The reelposition detecting circuit 60 receives apulse signal from a reel rotation sensor and supplies a signalfor detecting the position of eachreel 3L, 3C, 3R to the CPU41. The payoutcompletion signal circuit 61 generates a signalfor detecting completion of medal payout when the count of amedaldetection unit 50S (the number of medals payout from the hopper50) reaches the specified number of medals.
• In the circuitry in FIG. 3, therandom number generator46 generates random numbers contained in a given numeric valuerange and thesampling circuit 47 samples one random number atthe appropriate timing after the player starts thestart lever6. The symbol combination is determined based on the randomnumber thus sampled and the probability lottery table stored intheROM 42. After the symbol combination is determined, randomnumber sampling is again performed to select a stop control table.
• After rotation of each of thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R is started,the number of drive pulses supplied to each of thestepping motors59L, 59C, and 59R and the counts are written into a predeterminedarea of theRAM 43. A reset pulse is obtained every revolution of thereel 3L, 3C, 3R and the reset pulses are input to the CPU41 through the reelposition detecting circuit 60. The drivepulse counts written in theRAM 43 are cleared to 0 accordingto the reset pulses thus obtained. Accordingly, the countscorresponding to the rotation positions of thereels 3L, 3C, and3R within the range of one revolution are stored in theRAM 43.
• A symbol table is stored in theROM 42 to relate the rotationpositions of thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R and the symbols drawn onthe outer peripheral surfaces of the reels to each other. Inthe symbol table, the code numbers given in sequence every givenrotation pitch of eachreel 3L, 3C, 3R based on the rotationposition where the reset pulse is generated and the symbol codesindicating the symbols provided in one-to-one correspondencewith the code numbers are related to each other.
• Further, a winning symbol combination table is stored intheROM 42. The winning symbol combination table lists thesymbol combinations of winning games, the numbers of payoutmedals for the winning games, and the winning game determinationcodes representing the winning games in association with eachother. The winning symbol combination table is referenced atthe stop control time of theleft reel 3L, thecenter reel 3C,theright reel 3R and when the winning game is confirmed afterall reels are stopped.
• If the internal winning is accepted according to lotteryprocessing based on the random number sampling (probabilitylottery processing), the CPU 41 sends the stop control signalof thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R to themotor drive circuit 49 basedon the operation signal sent from the reelstop signal circuit56 at the timing at which the player operates thestop buttons7L, 7C, and 7R, and the selected stop control table.
• In the stop state indicating completion of the winning gameof symbol combination, the CPU 41 supplies a payout command signalto thehopper drive circuit 51 for paying out a predeterminednumber of medals to the player from thehopper 50. At the time,themedal detection unit 50S counts the number of medals payoutfrom thehopper 50. When the count reaches the specified numberof medals, a medal payout completion signal is input to the CPU41, which then stops driving thehopper 50 through thehopperdrive circuit 51 and terminates the medal payout processing.
• FIG. 4 is a block diagram to show the configuration of thesub-control circuit 82. Thesub-control circuit 82 performsdisplay control of various lamp indications (1-BET lamp 9a, 2-BETlamp 9b, MAX-BET lamp 9c, and WIN lamp 17), various display units(payout display unit 18, deposited-number-of-game-play-medalsdisplay unit 19, and number-of-bonus-game-operation-times display unit 20) , and other extensive images, on thepanel displayunit 5 and output control of sound from thespeakers 21L and 21Rbased on the control commands from themain control circuit 81.
• Thesub-control circuit 82, which is implemented on aseparate circuit board from the circuit board implementing themain control circuit 81, is made up of a microcomputer(sub-microcomputer) 83 as the main component, animage controlcircuit 91 as display control means of thepanel display unit5, asound source IC 88 for controlling sound output from thespeakers 21L and 21R, and apower amplifier 89.
• The sub-microcomputer 83 includes a sub-CPU 84 forperforming the control operation following a control commandtransmitted from themain control circuit 81,program ROM 85 asstorage means, and workRAM 86. Thesub-control circuit 82 doesnot include a clock pulse generation circuit, a frequency divider,a random number generator, or a sampling circuit, but executesrandom number sampling in an operation program of the sub-CPU84.
• The sub-microcomputer 83 includes anumber-of-notification-times counter and a number-of-AT-timesstock counter in a predetermined storage area. Thenumber-of-notification-times counter stores the remaining number of notification times of the push order in the stopoperation assistance time period. when the value of the counteris "1" or more, the gaming machine (player) is in the stopoperation assistance time period. The number-of-AT-times stockcounter stores information concerning the remaining number oftimes of occurrence of the sto p operation assistance time period.
• Theprogram ROM 85 stores a control program executed inthe sub-CPU 84. Thework RAM 86 is used as temporary storagemeans for the sub-CPU 84 to execute the control program.
• Theimage control circuit 91 is made up of animage controlCPU 92, an imagecontrol work RAM 93, imagecontrol program ROM94,image ROM 96,video RAM 97, and animage control IC 98. Theimage control CPU 92 determines the display contents on thepaneldisplay unit 5 in accordance with an image control program storedin the imagecontrol program ROM 94 based on the parameters setin the sub-microcomputer 83. The imagecontrol program ROM 94stores the image control program involved in display on thepaneldisplay unit 5 and various selection tables. The imagecontrolwork RAM 93 is used as temporary storage means for theimagecontrol CPU 92 to execute the image control program. Theimagecontrol IC 98 forms an image responsive to the display contentsdetermined by theimage control CPU 92 and outputs the image tothepanel display unit 5. Theimage ROM 96 stores dot data for forming an image. Thevideo RAM 97 is used as temporary storagemeans for theimage control IC 98 to form an image.
• Hereinafter, the probability lottery tables will bediscussed with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B.
• The probability lottery tables are referenced inprobability lottery processing. FIG. 9A shows the probabilitylottery table used during ordinary gaming and FIG. 9B shows theprobability lottery table used during ordinary gaming in BB fordetermining the symbol combination of each game.
• In each table, the random number range is "0" to "16383"and one extracted from the numeric values in the range is usedto determine the symbol combination.
• For example, if the extracted random number is "2851"during ordinary gaming, the symbol combination of the gamebecomes "bell. " If the extracted random number lies in the rangeof "11036" to "16383" during ordinary gaming, the symbolcombination of the game becomes "blank."
• Hereinafter, the stop control tables used when the internalwinning of small prize of bell is accepted will be discussed withreference to FIGS. 10 through 14.
• A stop control table number section table shown in FIG.10 is a table for determining the stop control table referencedfor performing stop control of thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R if theinternal winning of small prize of bell is accepted. That is,if the internal winning of small prize of bell is accepted, anyone of the six stop control tables is referenced and stop controlis performed based on the stop control table.
• FIG. 11 shows the relationship between the stop controlorder of thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R in each table selected in FIG.10 and completion/incompletion of winning game. For example,when the table number selected according to the stop control tablenumber section table in FIG. 10 is "1", if the stop order is "leftcenter right," the player wins the game of bell. However, ifthe stop order is not "left center right," the player loses thegame of bell. That is, to win the game of bell, the symbolcombination needs to be bell and the player needs to stop thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R in the stop order corresponding to the stopcontrol order in the corresponding table number.
• Specific stop control of thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R when thesymbol combination is bell will be discussed with reference toFIGS. 12 through 14.
• The stop control table lists the stop operation positionsand the stop control positions of thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R. Thestop operation position represents the code number of the symbolpositioned on thecenter line 8a (specifically, the symbol whosecenter is positioned above thecenter line 8a and is nearest tothe position of thecenter line 8a) when the player operates thestop button 7L, 7C, 7R provided corresponding to thereel 3L,3C, 3R. The stop control position represents the code numberof the symbol stopped and displayed at the position of thecenterline 8a when each of the reels stopped by the player actuallystops. In the embodiment, the number of slide frames is fourat the maximum. For example, when "cherry" withcode number 12arrives at the position of thecenter line 8a while therightreel 3R is rotating, if the player operates thestop button 7R,stop control of theright reel 3R can be performed so as to stopand display "blue 7" withcode number 08 at the position of thecenter line 8a.
• FIG. 12 shows a winning stop control table. This table isused when stop control of the reels is performed so that"bell-bell-bell" is placed in a row along the activated line andthe winning game of small prize of bell is complete after theinternal winning of small prize of bell is accepted.
• In FIG. 12, the stop control position of theleft reel 3L is any of code number "03", "08", "11", "15", or "19" and thesymbols corresponding to these code numbers are bell.
• In FIG. 12, the stop control position of thecenter reel3C is any of code number "03", "07", "11", "15", or "19" and thesymbols corresponding to these code numbers are bell.
• In FIG. 12, the stop control position of theright reel3R is any of code number "01", "05", "10", "14", or "18" and thesymbols corresponding to these code numbers are bell.
• If the winning stop control table shown in FIG. 12 is thusused for stop control of thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R,"bell-bell-bell" is stopped and displayed at the position of thecenter line 8a, namely, at the centers of thedisplay windows4L, 4C, and 4R, and the winning game is complete.
• FIG. 13 shows a forward push, center push losing stopcontrol table. This table is used when stop control of the reelsis performed so that "bell-bell-bell" is not placed in a row alongthe activated line (the winning game of small prize of bell isincomplete) after the internal winning of small prize of bellis accepted. The stop control positions corresponding to thestop operation positions of theleft reel 3L and thecenter reel3C are the same as those shown in FIG. 11.
• In FIG. 13, the stop control position of theright reel3R is any of code number "02", "06", "11", "15", or "19" and thesymbols corresponding to these code numbers are "Replay."
• If the forward push, center push losing stop control tableshown in FIG. 13 is thus used for stop control of thereels 3L,3C, and 3R, "bell-bell" is stopped and displayed at the centersof thedisplay windows 4L and 4C, and "Replay" is stopped anddisplayed at the center of thedisplay window 4R and thus thewinning game of small prize of bell becomes incomplete.
• FIG. 14 shows a reverse push losing stop control table.This table is used when stop control of the reels is performedso that "bell-bell-bell" is not placed in a row along theactivated line (the winning game of small prize of bell isincomplete) after the internal winning of small prize of bellis accepted. The stop control positions corresponding to thestop operation positions of thecenter reel 3C and theright reel3R are the same as those shown in FIG. 11.
• In FIG. 14, the stop control position of theleft reel 3Lis any of code number "04", "09", "12", "17", or "20" and thesymbols corresponding to these code numbers are "Replay."
• If the reverse push losing stop control table shown in FIG.14 is thus used for stop control of thereels 3L, 3C, and 3R,"Replay" is stopped and displayed at the center of theleftdisplay window 4L and "bell-bell" is stopped and displayed atthe centers of thedisplay windows 4C and 4R, and thus the winninggame of small prize of bell becomes incomplete.
• In the embodiment, the six different stop orders areadopted and only when the player performs stop operation in anyone of the six stop orders, "bell-bell-bell" is placed in a rowalong the activated line and the winning game is complete. Thus,whether or not "bell-bell-bell" is placed in a row along theactivated line may be determined when the player performs thesecond stop operation. This case applies, for example, if thetable number "1" (the corresponding stop order is "left centerright") is adopted and the player operates theleft reel 3L asthe first stop operation. That is, if the player performs thefirst stop operation, whether or not "bell-bell-bell" is placedin a row along the activated line may be not necessarily clear.In the embodiment, "bell-bell-bell" is always placed in a rowalong thecenter line 8a. Then, in the embodiment, the two losingstop control tables are used as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. Ifthe table number is "2", "3", "4", "5", or "6", as the playerperforms stop operation in the stop order of "left right center, ""center left right," "center right left," "right left center," or "right center left," the winning game of small prize of bellbecomes complete.
• A ceiling-number-of-AT-times selection table and an ATactivation lottery table will be discussed with reference to FIGS.15A and 15B. The random number range is "0" to "0495" for theceiling-number-of-AT-times selection table and "0" to "255" forthe AT activation lottery table.
• One AT corresponds to 10 games. Theceiling-number-of-AT-times selection table is used to determinehow many times the AT is to be generated. The number of AT timesselected in one AT lottery is any of one, two, five, 10, or 30.
• In the table, the lottery value is subtracted from theextracted random number in order from the top row to the bottomrow and the value in the row where the result becomes minus isadopted as the number of AT times. For example, if the extractedrandom number is "4021", first, "2356" of the lottery value inthe first row is subtracted from "4021" and "1665" is obtained.Since this value is plus, further "1512" of the lottery valuein the second row is subtracted from "1665" and "153" is obtained.Since this value is plus, further "196" of the lottery value inthe third row is subtracted from "153" and "-43" is obtained.Here, the minus value results and thus the number of AT times becomes five.
• The AT activation lottery table is used to determinewhether or not one AT is to be activated. The random number rangeis "0" to "255". Here, if activation is selected, the numberof stop button push order notification times is set to 10 (games) .That is, here the AT is started. The lottery method is similarto that with the ceiling-number-of-AT-times selection tabledescribed above.
• A ceiling activation selection table and a ceiling metershift selection table will be discussed with reference to FIGS.16A and 16B. The random number range is "0" to "255" for theceiling activation selection table. The numeric values listedin the ceiling meter shift selection table are the numeric valueseach indicating the difference between the total number of medalsused for playing games and the total number of payout medals,which will be hereinafter referred to as the medal numberdifference value, used as the reference for determining whetheror not the scale of the meter is to be shifted.
• To begin with, the ceiling activation selection table isused after BB exits for determining the medal number differencevalue to activate the next ceiling. If "1200" in the table isselected, when the difference between the total number of medals used for playing games and the total number of payout medalsreaches "1200", the ceiling AT of a relief measure is activated.Likewise, if "1500" is selected, the difference reaches "1500",the ceiling AT is activated; if "1800" is selected, the differencereaches "1800", the ceiling AT is activated.
• Next, the ceiling meter shift selection table is used todetermine indication of the ceiling meter level based on theselected medal number difference value to activate the ceilingAT and the current medal number difference value. As a specificindication method, the level in the row of the value closest tothe current medal number difference value and not exceeding itamong the numeric values under the column of the current selectedmedal number difference value to activate the ceiling AT isindicated. For example, if the current selected medal numberdifference value to activate the ceiling AT is "1200" and thecurrent medal number difference value is "821",level 5 isindicated. Here, if the medal number difference value reaches"900", the meter indication shifts tolevel 6.
• The commands will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 17and 18. The commands are transmitted only in one way from themain control circuit 81 to thesub-control circuit 82. Themaincontrol circuit 81 and thesub-control circuit 82 are connectedby 16 data signal lines and one signal line. Each command is made up of two, four, or six bytes; to transmit the command overthe 16 data signal lines, the command is transmitted in one, two,or three sequences as one command.
• Among the commands, a start command will be discussed. Thetype of symbol combination of the game and the game state andthe stop control table number selected if the symbol combinationis bell are transmitted as one command. Other commands aresimilar to the start command. FIGS. 17 and 18 show the commandsby way of example; in addition to the commands, informationrequired for thesub-control circuit 82 to perform control istransmitted.
• Hereinafter, the control operation of the CPU 41 of themain control circuit 81 will be discussed with reference to mainflowcharts of FIGS. 19 through 25.
• To begin with, power is turned on (step (ST) 1) and theCPU 41 initializes all output ports (ST2). Subsequently,whether or not a power down error occurs is determined (ST3).If a power down error occurs, the process proceeds to ST2; ifa power down error does not occur, the process proceeds to ST4.At ST4, the CPU 41 is initialized. Subsequently, whether or nota RAM error occurs is determined (ST5). If a RAM error occurs,the RAM error is indicated. Specifically, "rr" is indicated on medal payout indicator made up of seven-segment LEDs. The RAMerror is an error in which RAM 78 cannot normally be written orread.
• If a RAM error does not occur, whether or not a settingkey switch is on is determined (ST6) . If the setting key switchis on, six-stage setting processing is performed and then theprocess goes to ST12. If the setting key switch is off, theprocess goes to ST8. At ST8, whether or not battery backup isnormal is determined. If battery backup is normal, the returnaddress and the unused area of the RAM 78 are cleared and thenall registers are restored to the output state at the powershutdown time (ST9) and an input port is updated to the stateat the power restoration time and the state returns to the stateat the power shutdown time (ST10).
• If battery backup is not normal, the setup values areinitialized (ST11). Subsequently, all areas of the RAM 78 arecleared (ST12) . ST12 and the later steps are also executed afterthe six-stage setting processing is performed if it is determinedat ST6 that the setting key switch is on. Subsequently, the setupvalues are stored (ST13) and communication data is initialized(ST14). Then, the CPU 41 clears the RAM 78 at the game over time(ST15). Subsequently, whether or not a request forautomatically inserted medals exists is determined (ST16) . The case where a request for automatically inserted medals existsis when a winning game of replay is complete in the precedinggame play. If a request for automatically inserted medals exists,as many medals as requested are automatically inserted (ST17)and a game play medal insertion command is transmitted to thesub-control circuit 82 and then the process proceeds to ST20.If a request for automatically inserted medals does not exist,medal inserted from the medal insertion slot and the BET buttonis accepted (ST19) and the process proceeds to ST20.
• At ST20, whether or not the start lever is on is determined.If the start lever is on, whether or not a time of 4.1 secondshas elapsed since the preceding game play is determined (ST21) .Specifically, whether or not the time has elapsed is determinedbased on the value of a one-play monitor timer set at ST24described later. If the time of 4.1 seconds has not elapsed sincethe preceding game play, the game start wait time is consumed(ST22) and the process proceeds to ST23.
• At ST23, the CPU 41 extracts a random number for lottery.Specifically, the CPU 41 extracts one from the random numbersranging from "0" to "16383". Subsequently, the one-play monitortimer is set (ST24) and game state monitor processing fordetermining the current game state is performed (ST25). Next,probability lottery processing is performed (ST26). In the probability lottery processing, the symbol combination isdetermined based on the random number extracted at ST23 and theprobability lottery table corresponding to the current gamestate determined in the game state monitor processing. In theprobability lottery table, the random numbers corresponding tointernal winning are predetermined for each winning combinationas described above.
• Next, the CPU 41 performs winning indicator lamp lightinglottery processing (ST27) and performs stop control tableselection processing (described later in detail) (ST28). Astransmission processing at the game play start time, a startcommand is transmitted to the sub-control circuit 82 (ST29) forinitializing to start reel rotation (ST30).
• Next, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the stop buttonis on (ST31). If the stop button is on, the process proceedsto ST33; if the stop button is off, the process proceeds to ST32.At ST32, whether or not the value of an automatic stop timer is0 is determined. If the value of the automatic stop timer is0, the process proceeds to ST33; if the value of the automaticstop timer is not 0, the process proceeds to ST31. At ST33, thenumber of slide frames is determined from winning request (symbolcombination), the symbol position (rotation position of reel atthe stop operation time) and the selected stop control table.
• The reel is rotated for as many frames as the number ofslide frames determined at ST33 (ST34). Next, a request forstopping the reel is set (ST35) and a reel stop command istransmitted the sub-control circuit 82 (ST36).
• Whether all reels stop is determined (ST37) . If all reelsstop, the process proceeds to ST38; if not all reels stop, theprocess proceeds to ST31. Effect processing at the game overtime is performed (ST38) and then winning game retrieval isexecuted (ST39). Subsequently, whether or not a winning gameflag is normal is determined (ST40). If the winning game flagis normal, the process proceeds to ST42; if the winning game flagis not normal, an illegal error is indicated (ST41).
• Next, whether or not the number of medals payout for thewinning game is 0 is determined (ST42). Specifically, whetheror not the winning game of prize (except replay) is complete isdetermined. If the winning game is complete, medals aredeposited or payout in response to the state (during BB operationor during RB operation) and the winning combination (ST43).
• Next, the CPU 41 determines whether or not the state isduring BB or RB operation (ST44). If the state is during BB orRB operation, the process proceeds to ST45; if the state is not during BB or RB operation, the process proceeds to ST48. At ST45,the number of BB, RB games are checked. Whether or not BB exitsis determined (ST46). When BB exits, a BB exit command istransmitted and then the RAM at the BB exit time is cleared (ST47)and the process proceeds toST 49. If it is not determined atST46 that BB exits, the process proceeds to ST49. If it is notdetermined at ST44 that the state is during BB or RB operation,BB, RB winning game check processing is performed (ST48) and theprocess proceeds to ST49. At ST49, bonus 7SEG control processingis performed and the process proceeds to ST15.
• Next, the stop control table selection processingperformed at ST28 will be discussed. To begin with, the CPU 41determines whether or not the symbol combination of the game isbell is determined (ST50) . If the symbol combination of the gameis bell, the process proceeds to ST51; if the symbol combinationof the game is not bell, the process proceeds to ST52. At ST51,a random number is extracted and one stop control table isselected based on the stop control table selection table. AtST52, the stop control table predetermined for each symbolcombination is selected.
• Hereinafter, control processing of thesub-control circuit82 will be discussed with reference to FIGS. 26 through 34.
• To begin with, an outline of the control processing of thesub-control circuit 82 will be discussed with reference to FIGS.26 and 27. First, the sub-CPU 84 determines whether or not agame play medal insertion command is received, namely, whetheror not game play medals used for playing one game have beeninserted (ST101). The game play medal insertion commandcontains information indicating the number of inserted game playmedals. When the game play medal insertion command is received,the process proceeds to ST102. At ST102, the number of insertedmedals changed during the start lever acceptance state is updated.Then, the process returns to ST101.
• If a game play medal insertion command is not received,whether or not a start command is received, namely, whether ornot one game is started is determined (ST 103) . If a start commandis received, the number of bet medals on the game (the numberof used game play media) is determined (ST104) and then the totalnumber of bet medals is updated (ST105). Next, processingconcerning ceiling meter indication is performed (ST106),whether or not ceiling AT is to be activated is checked (ST107),and AT execution processing, namely, processing concerning pushorder notification is performed (ST108). Then, the processreturns to ST101.
• If it is not determined at ST103 that a start command is received, whether or not a winning game command is received,namely, whether or not a predetermined winning combination iswon is determined (ST109) . If a winning game command is received,the total number of payout medals is updated (ST110) . Then, theprocess returns to ST101.
• If it is not determined at ST109 that a winning game commandis received, whether or not a BB exit command is received, namely,whether or not BB exits in the game is determined (ST111) . Ifa BE exit command is received, the total number of bet medalsand the total number of payout medals stored in the RAM are clearedand the scale of the ceiling meter is set to 1 for indication(ST112) . As the total number of bet medals and the total numberof payout medals are cleared, determination as to whether or notthe relief measure is to be activated can be started after BB.
• Ceiling activation value selection processing is performedfor determining the next ceiling activation value (ST113). Ifit is not determined at ST111 that a BB exit command is received,ST112 and ST113 are skipped and the process returns to ST101.
• FIGS. 28A through 28D describe thenumber-of-inserted-medals update processing at ST102, thenumber-of-bet-medals determination processing at ST104, thetotal-number-of-bet-medals update processing at ST105, and the total-number-of-payout-medals update processing at ST110.
• The number-of-inserted-medals update processing shown inFIG. 28A is to once store the transmitted number of insertedmedals in a predetermined area of the RAM (ST110). Thenumber-of-bet-medals determination processing shown in FIG. 28Bis to determine that the number of inserted medals stored in theRAM at ST110 is the number of bet medals on the game and storethe number of medals in the RAM (ST111). The reason why the numberof inserted medals is monitored in the number-of-inserted-medalsupdate processing and the number of bet medals is determined afterthe start command is received is that if the player operates the1-BET switch 11, the 2-BET switch 12, or the MAX-BET switch 13and inserts game play medals, the number of inserted medals canbe changed before the player operates the start lever andtherefore the number of bet medals must be determined when theplayer operates the start lever.
• In the total-number-of-bet-medals update processing shownin FIG. 28C, the number of bet medals on the game determined atST111 is added to the total number of bet medals (the number ofused game play media) . For example, if the number of bet medalson the game is three, three is added. This processing isperformed for each game, whereby it is made possible to calculatethe total number of bet medals. In the total-number-of-payout-medals update processing shown in FIG.28D, when medals are payout, the number of payout medals is addedto the total number of payout medals. For example, if the winningcombination of plum is won, six is added; if the player does notwin any games, 0 is added. This processing is performed for eachgame, whereby it is made possible to calculate the total numberof payout medals.
• FIG. 29 shows the ceiling meter indication processing atST1O6. In the processing, first the indication level of theceiling meter is determined based on the number of medals at eachlevel corresponding to the setup ceiling number of medals basedon the ceiling meter shift selection table and the current medalnumber difference value (ST118). Whether or not the currentindicated level is to be shifted is determined (ST119) . If thelevel is to be shifted, the current level is incremented by onefor indicating the meter level (ST120); if the level is not tobe shifted, the process is returned to the main routine.
• FIG. 30 shows the ceiling AT activation check processingat ST107. The ceiling AT refers to the stop operation assistancetime period activated as a relief measure. The representationof "ceiling" is used because it is activated when a predeterminedvalue (setup ceiling value) is reached. The predetermined valueis determined in the ceiling activation value selection processing performed after BB exits; it is any of "1200", "1500",or "1800".
• In the ceiling AT activation check processing, firstwhether or not the internal winning of BB is accepted in the gameor whether or not the current game state is during BB internalwinning is determined (ST121). If the internal winning of BBis accepted in the game or the current game state is during BBinternal winning, the total number of bet medals and the totalnumber of payout medals stored in the RAM are cleared (ST122)and the process is returned to the main routine. In doing so,once the internal winning of BB is accepted, unless the BB exits,the relief measure is not activated.
• If the internal winning of BB is not accepted in the gameand the current game state is not during BB internal winning,whether or not the current medal number difference value reachesthe setup ceiling value is determined (ST123). If the currentmedal number difference value is equal to or greater than thesetup ceiling value, the ceiling-number-of-AT-times selectiontable is set (ST124), random number lottery is executed basedon the table (ST125), and the value selected by the lottery isadded to the number-of-AT-times stock counter (ST126). If itis determined at ST123 that the current medal number differencevalue is less than the setup ceiling value, the process is returned to the main routine.
• FIG. 31 shows the ceiling activation value selectionprocessing at ST113. This processing is performed after BB exitsfor determining the number of games activated by the next reliefmeasure, namely, the ceiling value. In the processing, a randomnumber lottery is held based on the ceiling activation valueselection table, any value of "1200", "1500", or "1800" isselected, and the selected value is held in the RAM until thenext BB exits and a new ceiling value is selected. The ceilingvalue is thus selected and determined, whereby the ceiling valueis not fixed, making the player hard to determine when the nextrelieve measure will be activated.
• FIG. 32 shows the AT execution processing at ST108.
• First, whether or not the value of thenumber-of-notification-times counter is 1 or more is determined(ST201) . If the number-of-notification-times counter is "1" ormore, push order notification processing is performed (ST204).If the number-of-notification-times counter is less than "1",whether or not the value of the number-of-AT-times stock counteris "1" or more is determined (ST202) . If the value of thenumber-of-AT-times stock counter is less than "1", the processis returned to the main routine; if the value of the number-of-AT-times stock counter is "1" or more, AT activationlottery processing is performed (ST203).
• If the number-of-notification-times counter is "1" or more,it means that the gaming machine (player) is in the AT. If thevalue of the number-of-AT-times stock counter is "1" or more,it means that the AT is concealed.
• FIG. 33 shows the push order notification processing atST204. First, the number-of-push-order-notification-timescounter is decremented by one (ST205) . Whether or not the symbolcombination of the game is bell is determined (ST206) . If thesymbol combination of the game is not bell, the process isreturned to the main routine. If the symbol combination of thegame is bell, the player is notified of information to completethe winning game of bell based on the selected stop order controltable number (ST207) and the process is returned to the mainroutine.
• FIG. 34 shows the AT activation lottery processing atST203.
• First, a random number lottery is held based on the ATactivation lottery table (ST208). Whether or not AT activationis accepted is determined as the result of the lottery (ST209) . If AT activation is not accepted, the process is returned to themain routine. If AT activation is accepted, a value of 10 isadded to the number-of-push-order-notification-times counter(ST210), the value of the number-of-AT-times stock counter isdecremented by one (ST211), and the process is returned to themain routine.
• The invention has been described as related to theembodiments, but is not limited to the specific embodiments. Inthe embodiment, the total number of payout medals and the totalnumber of bet medals are cleared when the internal winning ofBB is accepted, during the internal winning of BB, or when thewinning combination of BE is won. However, the timing can beset arbitrarily and the step of clearing the total number ofpayout medals and the total number of bet medals may be skipped.
• In the embodiment, the stop operation assistance timeperiod is activated each time the medal number difference valuereaches the predetermined number of medals. However, the reliefmeasure may be activated a predetermined number of times (forexample, only once) after BB exits.
• In the AT, the player is notified of the push order forthe game whose winning is complete or incomplete depending onthe push order. In addition, AT in which the player is notified of symbol combination may be adopted. Further, as theadvantageous situation for the user such as BB and RB as wellas AT can also be adopted if it enables the player to gain a largenumber of game play media.
• Further, the invention can be applied not only to pinballslot machines as in the embodiments, but also to other types ofgaming machines such as a pinball machine.
• As described above, according to the invention, the frontdisplay means is moved, whereby sharp contrast can be providedbetween the effect produced by the variable display means andthe effect produced by the front display means, enabling theplayer to enjoy playing a game.
• Although only some exemplary embodiments of the inventionhave been described in detail above, those skilled in the artwill readily appreciate that many modifications are possible inthe exemplary embodiments without materially departing from thenovel teachings and advantages of the invention. Accordingly,all such modifications are intended to be included within thescope of the invention.
• In the above description, it is described of the pinballslot machines that have a plurality of stop buttons. However, the present invention can be applied to other gaming apparatusthat is configured without a stop button and is featured so thatthe reels start spinning by activation of a start lever or a startbutton and stop automatically after a prescribed time elapsed.

Claims (5)

1. A gaming machine comprising:

   variable display means for variably displaying a pluralityof symbols;

   symbol combination determination means configured todetermine a symbol combination;

   stop control means configured to stop at least one of thesymbols of the variable display means based on the determinationresult of the symbol combination determination means;

   game medium payout means configured to pay out a game mediumto a player in a case where a stop state of the variable displaymeans stopped by the stop control means corresponds to apredetermined stop state;

   front display means provided in front of the variabledisplay means and configured to enable the player to see thesymbols of the variable display means therethrough, and todisplay various images; and

   front display moving means configured to move the frontdisplay means.
2. The gaming machine as claimed in claim 1, wherein the frontdisplay moving means moves the front display means in a back andforth direction with respect to the variable display means.
3. The gaming machine as claimed in either one of claims 1and 2, wherein the front display moving means moves the frontdisplay means in an up and down direction with respect to the display means.
4. The gaming machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 through3, wherein the front display moving means moves the front displaymeans between a position where the player is able to visuallyrecognize the front display means and a position where the playeris unable to visually recognize the front display means.
5. The gaming machine as claimed in any one of claims 1 through4 further comprising a plurality of operation means with whichthe player stops at least one of the symbols,
      wherein the stop control means is configured to stop atleast one of the symbols based on the determination result ofthe symbol combination determination means and on a stopoperation of each of the operation means.

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