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(11) | EP 0 606 470 B1 |
| (12) | EUROPEAN PATENT SPECIFICATION |
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| (54) |
PLAY MEDIUM FLOW CONTROL SYSTEM UMLAUFKONTROLLSYSTEM FÜR SPIELMEDIEN SYSTEME DE CONTROLE CONCERNANT L'ACHEMINEMENT DE JETONS DE JEU |
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| Note: Within nine months from the publication of the mention of the grant of the European patent, any person may give notice to the European Patent Office of opposition to the European patent granted. Notice of opposition shall be filed in a written reasoned statement. It shall not be deemed to have been filed until the opposition fee has been paid. (Art. 99(1) European Patent Convention). |
[0001] This invention relates to a game medium circulation control system, and more particularly to a slot-machine game apparatus which enables an automatic and effective control of medal circulation in units of islands each consisting of a number of parallel arranged slot machines.
[0002] In this type of conventional slot-machine game apparatus, it is common practice for individual customers to bring medals gained from slot machines for prizes to an adjustment corner for adjustment and for these collected medals to be returned to the individual slot machines after being polished by a medal polishing machine.
[0003] However, it is inconvenient to individual customers to bring a lot of medals, which are heavy, to the adjustment corner. If it is crowded at the adjustment corner, the customers will have a long wait for adjustments. Further, it is laborious and time-consuming to return the adjusted and collected medals to the individual slot machines after polishing.
[0004] A coin collecting/supplying device to be used for a coin ruminant slot machine is disclosed in US-A-4 342 384. The device is provided at each of a plurality of slot machines to collect coins from each of the slot machines and also to supply coins to each of the slot machines. The device is used, where coins put into the slot machine by the game players for the game play are overflowing from a hopper provided in the slot machine, to collect the overflowing coins. Therefore, the device does not collect the coins obtained by the player as a game prize. Further, the game mediums thus obtained as a prize are not reused for the game.
[0005] With the foregoing problems in view, it is an object of this invention to provide a game apparatus which enables an automatic and effective game medium or medal circulation control in units of islands. To this end, the invention relates to a game medium circulation control system according to claim 1.
[0006] The game medium counter may be unitized with a printer or a card read/writer or may be equipped with a disburse button to be used in dispensing the game mediums after they are counted.
[0007] Therefore the medals gained from the individual game machines such as slot machines can be counted by the medal counter in units of islands and the value resulting from this counting can be indicated on the counting display. In the case where a printer or a card read/writer is connected to the medal counter, a premium coupon or a gift card is dispensed so that a customer can exchange it for a prize. To return the counted medals for reuse in a game, the disburse button is depressed so that the medals counted by the medal counter are conveyed, together with the spent medals discharged from the slot machines, to the medal polishing machine where the medals are polished and then successively conveyed to the upper medal reservoir. From the medal reservoir, the medals can be supplied to the individual slot machines by the supply conveyer. Thus it is possible to circulate game medals within a closed system, substantially without letting them out of the island.
[0008] The invention should be better understood upon reading the following description, with reference to the attached drawing, wherein
FIG. 1 is a fragmentary front view showing an island of slot machines in which a game apparatus according to one embodiment of this invention is incorporated;
FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a medal counter to be used in this invention;
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a printer or a card read/writer to be used in this invention;
FIG. 4 is a fragmentary front view showing an island of slot machines in which a game apparatus according to another embodiment of this invention is incorporated;
FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4; and
FIG. 6 is a modified medal counter to be used in this invention.
[0010] FIG. 1 shows a portion of an island consisting of a number of parallel arranged slot machines, there being a medal dispenser D equipped between each pair of adjacent slot machines A, A so that an amount of game medals corresponding to the value of paper currency inserted can be dispensed. A supply conveyer 1, extending from an upper medal reservoir 2 disposed at an upper central portion of the island communicates with the individual slot machines A and the individual medal dispensers D via respective medal distributors 20. Above each slot machine A, a button switch 7 is disposed. Under each slot machine A, a medal counter B, which is equipped with a hopper 8, a counting display 3, an adjustment button 9, a counting start button 10 and a disburse button 6, is disposed. Under each medal dispenser D, a printer or a card read/writer C, which is equipped with a status display 11, a premium coupon outlet or a gift card outlet 12 and a card-reading-direction selecting switch 13, is disposed, communicating with the lower portion of the individual slot machine A via a conveyer. Under each medal counter B, a lower medal reservoir 14 is provided communicating with the medal counter B via a collecting conveyer 4. A medal polishing machine 5 is disposed between the upper and lower medal reservoirs 2, 14 for raising medals from the lower medal reservoir 14 to the upper medal reservoir 2 while polishing. Also between the upper and lower medal reservoirs 2, 14, a main reservoir 15 is disposed which is equipped at its lower portion with a quantitative disburse device 16.
[0011] In the case where it is unnecessary to issue a premium coupon for the adjustment of medals, the printer for issuing premium coupons may be omitted.
[0012] FIGS. 4 and 5 shows another embodiment which is identical with the previous embodiment except for the following. In this embodiment, above each medal dispenser D there are disposed a medal counter B, which is equipped with two counting displays 3, two adjustment buttons 9, two disburse buttons 6, two card-reading-direction selecting switches 13 and two premium coupon or a gift card outlets 12, and a printer or a card read/writer C, which is unitized with the medal counter B.
[0013] FIG. 6 shows a modified medal counter B which is equipped with, in addition to a counting display 3, an adjustment button 9 and two disburse buttons 6, a game machine number 19, a switch 17 and a call lamp 18.
[0014] When the medals gained from a slot machine A are put into the hopper 8, they are counted by the medal counter B and the result of this counting is indicated on the counting display 3. At that time, when the adjustment button 9 is depressed, a premium coupon or a gift card is dispensed from the outlet 12 of the printer or card read/writer C so that the customer may bring it to the adjustment corner for exchange with a premium or prize. To return the counted medals for reuse in the game, the disburse button 6 is simply depressed. The medals counted by the medal counter B are conveyed by the collecting conveyer 4 and are then polished and raised to the upper medal reservoir 2 by the medal polishing machine 5. Upon issuance of a supply request signal from the individual slot machine A or the medal dispenser D, the medals stored in the medal reservoir 2 are supplied to the slot machine A or the medal dispenser D by the supply conveyer 1, and keep being supplied until the signal is canceled. When the medal reservoir 2 is filled up with medals, the overflowing medals are conveyed to the main reservoir 15 from an overflow circuit. When the level in the medal reservoir 2 is lowered to activate a level sensor, the quantitative disburse device 16 acts to supply medals into the lower part of the medal polishing machine 5. The medals used by a customer are supplied to the hopper in the slot machine A. When the hopper is filled with the medals, the overflowing medals are conveyed to the collecting conveyer 4. On the contrary, when the level of the medals in the hopper is lowered to activate a level sensor, a medal supplier and the supply conveyer 1 are activated to continue the supply of medals until the signal is canceled. Also upon issuance of a supply request signal from the hopper of the medal dispenser D, the medal supplier and the supply conveyer 1 are activated to continue the supply of medals until the signal is canceled.
[0015] Thus the circulation of medals can be controlled in such a manner that medals are circulated within the island, and the need to remove them from the island is substantially obviated.
[0016] This invention can also applied to pachinko game machines. In such a case, it is possible to circulate pachinko balls as game mediums within a closed system, substantially without letting them be removed from the island.
[0017] According to this invention, game mediums such as medals gained from individual game machines such as slot machines are counted in units of islands by the medal counter, and the medals counted by the medal counter are circulated, together with the spent medals discharged from the slot machines, while being polished by the medal polishing machine. Thus it is possible to circulate medals in the island efficiently, substantially free of letting them be removed from the island, so that the medals can be conveniently used by customers, thus realizing a game machine system such as a slot machine game apparatus having a good operativity. In the case where a premium coupon or a gift card corresponding to the number of gained medals is to be dispensed after counting, the customer may bring only it to the adjustment corner for exchange with a premium or prize. To return the counted medals for reuse in game, the disburse button is simply depressed.
a game medium counter (B) is provided in each of said plurality of game machines (A) ;
each of said game medium counters (B) comprising a game medium receiving means (8) for receiving game mediums, each of said game medium counters (B) counting said game mediums put into said game medium receiving means (8), and outputting a result of counting, and passing the game mediums so counted to said distributing/collecting means (4).
a game medium reservoir (2) for storing game mediums which are used commonly in said plurality of game machines (A) ;
a supply conveyer (1) connected to said game medium reservoir (2) for conveying game mediums for supply from said game medium reservoir (2) ;
a game medium distributor (20) for supplying game mediums conveyed by said supply conveyer (1) to each of said plurality of game machines (A) ;
a collecting conveyer (4) for collecting the game mediums counted by said game medium counter (B) ; and
a game medium polishing machine (5) which communicates with said collecting conveyer (4) and said game medium reservoir (2) so as to supply said game mediums to said game medium reservoir (2).
said outputting means provided to said game medium dispenser being connected to the game medium counters (B) provided respectively at said two of game machines (A) between which said game medium dispenser (D) is located, and said outputting means receiving and outputting the numbers of the game mediums outputted from said game medium counters.
said game medium counter (B) dispenses the game mediums supplied to a game medium distributor (20) when said disburse button (6) is depressed.
dadurch gekennzeichnet,
daß ein Spielmittelzähler (B) in jeder von der Vielzahl von Spielmaschinen (A) vorgesehen ist;
daß jeder von den Spielmittelzählern (B) eine Spielmittel-Aufnahmeeinrichtung (8) aufweist, um die Spielmittel aufzunehmen, wobei jeder von den Spielmittelzählern (B) die Spielmittel zählt, die in die Spielmittel-Aufnahmeeinrichtung (8) eingegeben werden, und ein Zählergebnis abgibt, und um die derart gezählten Spielmittel zu der Verteiler/Sammel-Einrichtung (4) weiterzuführen.
wobei die Verteiler/Sammel-Einrichtung (4) folgendes aufweist:
- ein Spielmittelreservoir (2) zum Speichern von Spielmitteln, die gemeinsam in der Vielzahl von Spielmaschinen (A) verwendet werden;
- einen Zuführungsförderer (1), der an das Spielmittelreservoir (2) angeschlossen ist, um Spielmittel für die Zuführung von dem Spielmittelreservoir (2) zu fördern;
- einen Spielmittelverteiler (20), um die von dem Zuführungsförderer (1) geförderten Spielmittel zu jedem von der Vielzahl von Spielmaschinen (A) zuzuführen;
- einen Sammelförderer (4), um die von dem Spielmittelzähler (B) gezählten Spielmittel zu sammeln; und
- eine Spielmittel-Poliermaschine (5), die mit dem Sammelförderer (4) und dem Spielmittelreservoir (2) in Verbindung steht, um die Spielmittel dem Spielmittelreservoir (2) zuzuführen.
die ferner eine Spielmittel-Abgabeeinrichtung (D) aufweist, wobei jeweils eine für
zwei der Spielmaschinen (A) vorgesehen und zwischen den zwei Spielmaschinen (A) angeordnet
ist, um die Spielmittel abzugeben, die dem Spielmittelverteiler (20) zugeführt werden,
wobei die Spielmittel-Abgabeeinrichtung (D) eine Ausgabeeinrichtung aufweist, die
zumindest eine Komponente von einem Drucker und einem Karten-Leser/Schreiber (C) aufweist,
wobei die Ausgabeeinrichtung, die für die SpielmittelAbgabeeinrichtung vorgesehen
ist, an die Spielmittelzähler (B) angeschlossen ist, die jeweils an den zwei Spielmaschinen
(A) vorgesehen sind, zwischen denen die Spielmittel-Abgabeeinrichtung (D) angeordnet
ist, und wobei die Ausgabeeinrichtung die Anzahl von Spielmitteln erhält und ausgibt,
die von den Spielmittelzählern ausgegeben werden.
das ferner eine Zählanzeigeeinheit (3) zum Anzeigen eines auszugebenden Zählresultates
und einen Ausgabeknopf (6) aufweist, um die gezählten Spielmittel abzugeben;
wobei der Spielmittelzähler (B) die einem Spielmittelverteiler (20) zugeführten Spielmittel
abgibt, wenn der Ausgabeknopf (6) gedrückt wird.
wobei der Spielmittelzähler (B) mindestens eine Komponente von einem Drucker und einem Karten-Leser/Schreiber (C) aufweist, um die Anzahl von gezählten Spielmitteln auszugeben.
wobei der Spielmittelzähler (B) eine Zählanzeigeeinheit (3) aufweist, um ein auszugebendes Zählresultat anzuzeigen.
un compteur de moyens de jeu (B) est prévu dans chacune de ladite pluralité de machines de jeu (A),
chacun des compteurs de moyens de jeu (B) comprenant des moyens de réception de moyens de jeu (8) pour recevoir des moyens de jeu, comptant les moyens de jeu introduits dans lesdits moyens de réception (8) et émettant un résultat de comptage et transmettant les moyens de jeu ainsi comptés auxdits moyens de distribution/collecte (4).
un réservoir de moyens de jeu (2) pour l'emmagasinage de moyens de jeu qui sont utilisés couramment dans les machines de jeu (A),
un transporteur d'alimentation (1) relié au réservoir de moyens de jeu (2) pour le transport de moyens de jeu pour alimentation à partir du réservoir (2),
un dispositif de distribution de moyens de jeu (20) pour la fourniture de moyens de jeu transportés par ledit transporteur d'alimentation (1) à chacune des machines de jeu (A),
un transporteur collecteur (4) pour la collecte des moyens de jeu comptés par le compteur (B), et
une machine à polir les moyens de jeu (5) qui communique avec ledit transporteur collecteur (4) et le réservoir de moyens de jeu (2) afin de fournir les moyens de jeu au réservoir (2).
les moyens de sortie du distributeur de moyens de jeu étant reliés aux compteurs de moyens de jeu (B) prévus respectivement sur les deux machines de jeu (A) entre lesquelles est placé le distributeur de moyens de jeu (D), et les moyens de sortie recevant et émettant les nombres de moyens de jeu émis par les compteurs de moyens de jeu.
le compteur de moyens de jeu (B) délivre les moyens de jeu fournis à un dispositif de distribution de moyens de jeu (20) lorsqu'on appuie sur le bouton de déboursement (6).