JP2001037948A - Structure for protecting door sensor for detecting opening door in game machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a structure for protecting a door sensor for detecting opening a door in a game machine for preventing an unfair practice against the door sensor itself as a part of a preventing counterplan of the unfair practice to the door sensor assembled to a side section of an opening side of the door or a frame section of the game machine opposing to the side section. SOLUTION: In a game machine, a door 1 constituting a game surface is openably assembled to a frame section 2 in such a way that one side section of the door is rotatable at a rotary shaft such as a binge, and a door sensor 41 for detecting an opening condition of the door is provided at a side section of an opening side of the door or at a part of the frame section opposing to this side section. A cover member 43 for covering at least a periphery of the door sensor 41 is assembled to the side section of the opening side of the door or to the frame section along positions contacting the side section of the opening side with the frame side in the opening condition of the door. Preferably, the cover member is provided to seal an interval between the side section of the opening side and the frame section even when the door is opened in unsensitive area of the door sensor.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a structure for protecting a door sensor for detecting a door opening mounted on a game machine such as a slot machine and a pachinko machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a slot machine, a front door having a display unit such as a reel display window and an operation unit is provided on a left side of a front opening of a housing for accommodating a reel device and a control box. The door is openable and closable as a hinge side, and a locking device is provided on the front door to prevent anyone other than the administrator from opening the door. Also,
In pachinko machines, a front panel equipped with a game board and operation handles is attached to the machine frame so that it can be opened and closed, and a glass door that covers the game board on the top board is attached to the front board so that it can be opened and closed. A lock device is also provided on the top plate and the glass door (see Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 3-67686).

[0003] However, the front door of the slot machine or the door constituting the gaming surface of the gaming machine, such as the front panel of a pachinko machine or a glass door, is opened without permission even if a locking device is provided for unauthorized purposes. In order to prevent this, it has been proposed for a long time to equip a fraudulent alarm device separately from the locking device, and it has been put to practical use. For example, Japanese Utility Model Publication Nos. 39-7581 and 40-9157 disclose a machine frame corresponding to a hinge side which is on the left side of the top plate of a pachinko machine or an open side which is on the right side. A door sensor is provided at the front edge of the game machine.When the front panel is detected by the door sensor, an alarm device such as a buzzer or a pilot lamp provided in the game machine itself or a control room of the game arcade is activated, and a sound or sound is generated. An apparatus which emits a warning by light is disclosed.

[0004]

A door sensor generally used for detecting the opening of a door of a gaming machine is comprised of a push-type sensor or an optical sensor having a predetermined operating stroke, and the door is opened from a closed state by a predetermined amount. Since it has a dead zone that does not operate until it is mounted, there is the following problem in relation to its mounting position.

That is, the door sensor is attached to the side of the door on the hinge side or to the frame of the gaming machine facing the door (eg, the front opening of the housing of the slot machine or the front edge of the machine frame of the pachinko machine). When the door is open, the door sensor cannot detect the open state of the door unless the degree of opening of the door is relatively large.

On the other hand, when the door sensor is mounted on the side of the door on the open side or on the frame of the gaming machine facing the door, there is an advantage that the open state can be detected even if the degree of opening of the door is small. However, there is a risk that the door sensor itself is exposed to the target of cheating. Also in this case, the door is pryed open to the limit of the dead zone of the door sensor, and a plate-like object or wire is inserted through a slight gap between the door and the internal switch or sensor of the gaming machine (for example, a medal detection sensor for a slot machine, etc.). In the case of a pachinko machine, there is a risk that a wrong operation such as a ball winning sensor of a game board) may be malfunctioned or a setting may be changed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has a problem to be solved particularly when the door sensor is mounted at the latter position, that is, when the door sensor is located at the side of the door on the open side or in a game opposing thereto. An object of the present invention is to provide a door sensor protection structure for detecting a door opening of a gaming machine, which can prevent an illegal act of a door sensor itself, as a part of a measure for preventing illegal acts when the door sensor is attached to a frame portion of the machine.

[0008]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, a door constituting a game surface is provided at one side of a door around a pivot shaft such as a hinge with respect to a frame. In a gaming machine provided with a door sensor for detecting an open state of the door at an open side of the door or a frame portion opposed to the side, the door is closed. In this state, a cover member that covers at least the periphery of the door sensor is attached to the open side of the door or the frame along a portion where the open side and the frame abut.
In this configuration, in the closed state of the door, the periphery of the door sensor is covered by a cover member provided along a portion where the open side and the frame come into contact with each other. become.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an embodiment in which the cover member can be used to prevent illegal acts on internal switches and sensors of the gaming machine. That is, when the door sensor has a dead zone that does not operate until the door is opened by a predetermined amount from the closed state, even when the door is opened in the dead zone of the door sensor, the open side and the frame are opened. The cover member is provided so as to close the gap with the part. With this configuration, even if the door is opened to the limit of the dead zone of the door sensor, the gap between the open side of the door and the frame is closed by the cover member. Not
It is also possible to prevent illegal acts on the internal switches and sensors of the gaming machine.

The invention according to claim 3 specifically shows a use form of the output signal of the door sensor. That is, when the door sensor detects the open state of the door,
A notification device provided in the gaming machine itself or another place in the game hall is operated to notify the open state of the door. here,
The notification device is, for example, an optical notification device such as a tower mounted lamp such as an upper lamp of a game machine or an island lamp, or an audio notification device such as a speaker of a game machine.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show a slot machine A as a gaming machine provided with a door sensor protection structure for detecting a door opening according to an embodiment of the present invention. This slot machine A has a front door 1 constituting a gaming surface.
Is located around a hinge axis via a hinge 3 (see FIG. 3) on a left side portion of the housing 2 that accommodates devices (not shown) such as a reel device and a hopper device. It is attached to open and close freely.

On the front side of the front door 1, three reel display windows 6, 6, 6, a credit number display section 7, a payout number display section 8, a winning number display section 9, a medal slot 10, a start lever 11, three stop buttons 12a, 12b, 1
2c, 1 bet button 13, 2 bet button 14, 3 bet button 15, medal return button 16, checkout switch 17, door locking device 18, medal payout port 19 and medal tray 20, speaker hole group 21, upper lamp 22, upper A panel 23, a lower panel 24, and the like are provided.

In the three reel display windows 6, 6, 6 and the periphery thereof, a total of five pay lines L1 of three horizontal and two oblique lines are provided.
When the number of medals inserted into the medal insertion slot 10 is one, only the central winning line L1 is displayed. When the number of medals is two, three horizontal winning lines L1 to L3 are displayed.
If there are three, all five pay lines L1 to L5 are activated respectively. From these reel display windows 6, 6, 6, three reels 26a, 2 of the reel device on the housing side are provided.
6b and 26c can be seen. A plurality of symbols (not shown) are drawn on the outer peripheral surface of each of the spinning reels 26a to 26c. When the reels are stopped, symbols for three frames of each spinning reel are aligned on each of the winning lines L1 to L5. They are lined up.

The start lever 11 starts the rotation of the three rotating reels 26a to 26c simultaneously.
The three stop buttons 12a to 12c individually stop the rotation of the corresponding rotating reels 26a to 26c. When a predetermined combination of symbols is arranged on the pay lines L1 to L5 activated according to the number of inserted medals as described above, the number of acquired coins according to the combination is displayed on the payout number display section 8, and the number of acquired coins is displayed. Is paid out from the medal payout port 19 to the medal tray 20.

The slot machine A is of a so-called credit type in which a plurality of medals are inserted in advance from the medal insertion slot 10 and deposited, and the game can be played while consuming the deposited medals. The display unit 7 displays the number of deposited medals. When the 1 bet button 13 is pressed prior to the operation of the start lever 11, one medal is obtained.
When the three medals are pressed by pressing the 3 bet button 15, the winning lines L1 to L1 are set in the same manner as when three medals are inserted.
L5 is activated. The settlement switch 17 is used to settle the deposited medals and to pay out the medals from the medal payout exit 19 to the medal tray 20.

On the other hand, on the back side of the front door 1, as shown in FIG. 3, various substrates such as an upper lamp substrate 31 and an intermediate lamp substrate 32, a fluorescent lamp 33 for reel illumination, a selector unit 34 and a speaker 35 are provided. Is provided. The selector unit 34 inspects the medals inserted from the medal insertion slot 10 and then collects the medals into the hopper device on the housing 2 side, and guides the medals supplied from the hopper device to the medal payout port 19 to pay out. A medal detection sensor 36 for detecting inserted medals is provided in an upper portion of the selector unit 34 (that is, at a position near the medal insertion slot 10).

The door locking device 18 is for preventing a person other than the administrator from opening the front door 1 without permission. However, separately from the door locking device 18, the front door 1 can be opened without permission. In order to prevent this, a door sensor 41 for detecting the open state of the front door 1 is provided on the upper side of the open side (the right side in FIG. 1), which is the side opposite to the hinge side of the front door 1, and A notifying device (not shown) that operates in response to a detection signal of the door sensor 41 is provided.

The door sensor 41 comprises a push-type switch as shown in FIGS.
The switch button 41b projecting up to about 5 mm from the inside of the switch case 41a is attached to the rear surface of the front door 1 via a mounting bracket (not shown) with the switch button 41b facing the front end surface of the housing 2. When the front door 1 is in the closed state, the switch button 41b is set to the switch case 41 as shown in FIG.
a, the front door 1 is opened by a predetermined amount as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5B from this closed state.
The switch button 41b is 2
It does not switch to OFF until it protrudes by about mm, that is, has a dead zone region in which a signal indicating that the front door 1 is open is not output. A notifying device that receives the output signal of the door sensor 41 is not shown, but as an optical notifying means, a tower mounted lamp or an island lamp such as an upper lamp 22 of the slot machine A itself or a fluorescent lamp 33 for reel illumination is used. The front door 1 is informed by lighting or blinking, or the speaker 35 of the slot machine A is used as an audible notification means by means of an alarm sound such as a buzzer sound or a human voice sound. And so on.

A feature of the present invention is that when the front door 1 is in the closed state, the door sensor 41 extends along the portion where the open side of the front door 1 and the front opening as the frame of the housing 2 abut.
A cover member 43 that covers a wide range from the upper part to the lower part of the front door 1 located on the side of the front door 1 is attached to the right side wall of the front opening of the housing 2. The cover member 43 is fixed to the inner side surface of the right side wall portion of the housing 2 by a screw or the like and fixed from the front edge of the fixed portion 43a to the front end surface of the right side wall portion of the housing 2. The contact button 43b of the door sensor 41 has a contact portion 43b bent at a right angle along the same direction, and a projection 43c bent at a right angle from the outer edge of the contact portion 43b and protruding forward. Abuts on the contact portion 43b. The projection 43c of the cover member 43 is located outside the door sensor 41, and the door sensor 41
Even when the front door 1 is opened in the dead zone area, the width (projection dimension) is set to be sufficient to close the gap between the open side and the right side wall of the housing 2.

Therefore, in the above embodiment, the front door 1
In the closed state, the side of the door sensor 41 is covered by a cover member 43 provided along a place where the open side and the front opening of the housing 2 come into contact with each other. Fraud can be prevented. In addition, even when the front door 1 is opened in the dead zone area of the door sensor 41, the gap between the open side of the front door 1 located on the side of the door sensor 41 and the right side wall of the housing 2 is as described above. Since the door sensor 41 is closed by the cover member 43, it is possible to more reliably prevent the door sensor 41 from being fraudulently acted.

When the front door 1 is opened in the dead zone of the door sensor 41, the cover member 43 is provided not only from the side of the door sensor 41 but also from the upper part to the lower part of the front door 1 located on the side of the door sensor 41. Front door 1 over a wide area up to
To close the gap between the open side and the right side wall of the housing 2, not only the illegal action on the door sensor 41 but also the medal detection sensor 36 of the slot machine A
It is also possible to prevent illegal acts on internal switches and sensors such as the above, which is very effective in preventing illegal acts.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various other forms.
For example, in the above embodiment, the door sensor 41 is provided on the open side of the front door 1, and the cover member 43 is attached to the right side wall of the housing 2 facing the open side of the front door 1. The invention is different from this embodiment in that the door sensor is provided on the right side wall of the housing 2 and the cover member is attached to the open side of the front door 1, or both the door sensor and the cover member are connected to the front door. 1 may be provided on the open side or on the right side wall of the housing 2 facing the open side.

In the above embodiment, the door sensor 41
Is closed by the cover member 43 between the open side of the front door 1 located on the side of the front door and the right side wall of the housing 2. 1
The gap between the upper side of the housing 2 and the top plate of the housing 2 may be closed by an integral or separate cover member.

Further, the present invention can be similarly applied to the case where other sensors such as an optical sensor are used as well as the push-type switch as in the embodiment as the door sensor. It is effective to apply the present invention to a door sensor having a dead zone region which does not operate until the door sensor is opened by a predetermined distance from. Further, the present invention can be applied not only as a protection structure of the door sensor for detecting the front door opening of the slot machine A but also as a protection structure for the door sensor of the pachinko machine or the door sensor for detecting the glass door opening. It is.

[0025]

As described above, according to the door sensor protection structure for detecting the opening of a door of a gaming machine according to the present invention, when the door is closed, the door is provided on the side of the opening or on the frame portion facing the opening. Since the periphery of the door sensor is covered by the cover member, it is possible to prevent the door sensor itself from being fraudulent, which is an effective measure for preventing the illegal operation of the gaming machine.

In particular, in the invention according to claim 2, even if the door is pry open to the limit of the dead zone area of the door sensor, the gap between the open side of the door and the frame is closed by the cover member. Therefore, it is possible to prevent not only an illegal act on the door sensor but also an illegal act on the internal switch and the sensor of the gaming machine, which is very effective in preventing illegal acts.

[Brief description of the drawings]

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

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the slot machine with the front door removed, as viewed from the back side.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of the vicinity of a door sensor mounting portion in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX of FIG. 4;
Shows a door closed state, and (b) shows a door open state.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a door sensor, (a) is a side view,
(B) is a front view.

[Explanation of symbols]

 A slot machine (game machine) 1 front door 2 housing 3 hinge 41 door sensor 43 cover member

Claims (3)

[Claims] A door constituting a game surface is attached to one side of the frame so as to be openable and closable about a rotation axis with respect to a frame, and a door sensor for detecting an open state of the door is provided on an opening side of the door. In a gaming machine provided at a side portion or a frame portion opposed to the side portion, at least the door sensor is provided along a portion where the open side portion and the frame portion come into contact with each other when the door is closed. A door sensor protection structure for a door opening detection of a gaming machine, wherein a cover member covering the periphery of the door is attached to an opening side or a frame of the door. 2. The door sensor has a dead zone that does not operate until the door is opened from a closed state by a predetermined amount. The cover member opens the door even when the door is opened in the dead zone of the door sensor. 2. The door sensor protection structure for detecting a door opening of a gaming machine according to claim 1, wherein the door sensor is provided so as to close a gap between the side portion and the frame portion. 3. When the door sensor detects the open state of the door, a notifying device provided at the gaming machine itself or at another place in the game hall operates to notify the door open state. 3. A door sensor protection structure for detecting a door opening of a gaming machine according to 1 or 2.