JP7466035B2 - Each machine and game management method - Google Patents

Description

This invention relates to a gaming machine that uses gaming media and has individual machine devices that perform processing related to the gaming media, and a gaming management method.

Conventionally, gaming establishments offer games that involve gaming media. For example, in pachinko games, gaming balls are used as gaming media, and the game is played by shooting the gaming balls into the gaming board. The gaming board is provided with a number of winning areas (winning holes), and a predetermined number of gaming balls are awarded as prize balls based on the passing of a gaming ball through a winning area. In this way, the number of gaming media increases or decreases depending on the outcome of the game, and players can exchange the gaming media they have won for prizes.

It is common for gaming machines to be equipped with individual machine devices. Each machine device accepts deposits and performs a process of lending out gaming media. In addition, each machine device manages the number of gaming media acquired through play as the number of owned gaming media, and performs a replay process in which the number of owned gaming media is subtracted and gaming media is paid out (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

When a player finishes playing, he or she presses the return button on the gaming machine, and each machine associates the number of gaming media held by that machine with the card and then dispenses it. By presenting this card at a prize counter, the player can exchange it for a prize corresponding to the associated number of gaming media held. The card is also associated with a value that can be used to lend out gaming media. Any remaining value at the end of the game can be settled at the settlement machine.

JP 2011-131037 A

However, with conventional technology, when entering a store and starting play for the first time, a customer had to deposit cash into each machine and receive valuable material that could be used to rent gaming media. As various cashless payment methods become more widely used, it is inconvenient for users to be required to provide cash to start playing, and so there is a demand for the ability to start playing using cashless payment that does not require cash.

However, gaming establishments are equipped with many individual machines, and configuring each machine to handle cashless payments individually would be a heavy burden for the establishment.

Given these circumstances, an important issue was how to realize a gaming management system and gaming management method that could accommodate cashless payments while minimizing the burden on gaming establishments.

The present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide individual machines and a gaming management method that can accommodate cashless payments while minimizing the burden on gaming facilities.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the object, the present invention provides a machine device that is attached to a gaming machine for playing games using a gaming medium and performs processing related to the gaming medium, the machine device comprising: a payment information acquisition means for acquiring payment information indicating information related to payment from a terminal device carried by a player; a matching means for matching identification information that identifies each of the machine devices with the payment information; and an association means for, when payment processing is performed based on the payment information, associating a value related to the gaming medium with a storage medium being used by each of the machine devices based on the corresponding identification information, the association means being characterized in that, when the upper limit of the value that can be associated with the storage medium is exceeded, the association means ejects the storage medium without associating the value processed for payment to the storage medium .
The present invention also relates to a machine device that is attached to a gaming machine for playing games using a gaming medium and performs processing related to the gaming medium, the machine device comprising: a payment information acquisition means for acquiring payment information indicating information related to payment from a terminal device carried by a player; a matching means for matching identification information that identifies the machine device with the payment information; and an association means for, when payment processing is performed based on the payment information, associating a value related to the gaming medium with a storage medium being used by the machine device based on the corresponding identification information, the association means being characterized in that, when associating the value processed for payment with the storage medium , if there is a value associated with the storage medium, the association means ejects the storage medium without associating the value processed for payment with the storage medium .

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the above invention, the payment information acquisition means acquires the payment information by optically reading and decoding the code displayed by the terminal device.

The present invention, in the above invention, further includes a restriction means for restricting the operation of the player, and the restriction means is characterized in that it releases the restriction on the condition that the code is read.

The present invention also provides a game management method for each machine device that is attached to a gaming machine for playing games using a gaming medium and performs processing related to the gaming medium, the method including a payment information acquisition step for acquiring payment information indicating information related to payment from a terminal device carried by a player, a matching step for matching the payment information with identification information that identifies each machine device, and an association step for, when payment processing is performed based on the payment information , associating a value related to the gaming medium with a storage medium being used by each machine device based on the corresponding identification information, the association step being characterized in that, when the upper limit of the value that can be associated with the storage medium is exceeded, the storage medium is ejected without associating the value processed for payment to the storage medium .
The present invention also provides a game management method for each machine device that is attached to a gaming machine for playing games using a gaming medium and performs processing related to the gaming medium, the method including a payment information acquisition step of acquiring payment information indicating information related to payment from a terminal device carried by a player, a matching step of matching identification information that identifies each machine device with the payment information, and an association step of associating a value related to the gaming medium with a storage medium being used by each machine device based on the corresponding identification information when payment processing is performed based on the payment information, the association step being characterized in that when associating the value processed for payment with the storage medium , if there is a value associated with the storage medium, the storage medium is ejected without associating a value based on the payment processing to the storage medium .

The present invention makes it possible to accommodate cashless payments while reducing the burden on gaming establishments.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the concept of a game management system according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an amusement arcade. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the inter-machine card processing machine. FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the memory unit of the inter-machine card processing machine. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device shown in FIG. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the card management device shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the storage unit of the card management device. FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the storage unit of the card management device. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure related to cashless payment. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of a refund process by cashless payment. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the provision of prepaid value.

Below, we will explain in detail preferred embodiments of each machine device and game management method according to the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

In this specification, retained balls refer to data indicating game media or the number of game media acquired by a player in a game, which can be used again for play only on that day (before closing time). Saved balls refer to data indicating game media or the number of game media acquired by a player in a game, which can be used again for play on the following day (after closing time). Retained balls can be used by both general players and member players, and are used when the gaming machine used for play is changed (so-called machine transfer). Saved balls are usually only available to member players, and are used when acquired game media are used for play on the following day or later. A specified fee may be charged for the use of saved balls.

First, the concept of the gaming management system according to this embodiment will be explained. FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram of the concept of the gaming management system according to this embodiment. A gaming establishment is equipped with multiple gaming machines 20, and each gaming machine 20 is equipped with an inter-machine card processing machine 10, which is an individual machine device.

Based on the player's operation, the between-machine card processing machine 10 performs various processes related to game balls, such as the lending process of game balls, the replay process of held and saved balls, and the counting process of counting acquired game balls and adding them to the held balls. When the player finishes playing and operates the return button on the gaming machine, the between-machine card processing machine 10 associates the number of held balls managed by the machine with the card and then ejects it.

The card management device 40 can communicate with multiple inter-machine card processing machines 10 in the gaming facility, and manages cards by associating them with balls held and prepaid value. Prepaid value is a valuable value that can be used to lend game balls, and is added when a player deposits money and subtracted when a ball is lent.

Specifically, when the inter-machine card processing device 10 accepts the insertion of a bill, it transmits deposit notification data including the amount of the bill to the card management device 40, and causes the card management device 40 to add a number corresponding to the amount to the prepaid value managed by the card management device 40. Then, when a specified ball lending operation is performed, it transmits a ball lending request to the card management device 40, subtracts the prepaid value managed by the card management device 40, and performs a payout process for the number of game balls corresponding to the subtracted prepaid value.

Furthermore, in the gaming management system shown in FIG. 1, prepaid value can be added through cashless payment. First, the terminal device 110 carried by the player determines the payment amount based on the player's operation, generates information necessary for payment such as the payment amount and the account to be used for payment as payment data, and encodes the payment data into a two-dimensional code and displays it (s1).

When the two-dimensional code displayed by the terminal device 110 is held up to the camera of the inter-machine card processing device 10, the inter-machine card processing device 10 decodes the two-dimensional code and obtains the payment data (s2). The inter-machine card processing device 10 associates the device ID that identifies its own device with the obtained payment data as machine data (s3) and transmits the data to the card management device 40 (s4).

The card management device 40 stores the payment data and machine data received from the inter-machine card processing device 10 (s5), and performs payment processing by transmitting the payment data to a payment device 100 installed outside the gaming facility (s6).

The payment device 100 executes the payment by subtracting the payment amount from the account indicated in the received payment data, and sends a notification of payment completion to the card management device 40 (s7). Upon receiving the notification of payment completion, the card management device 40 identifies the inter-machine card processing device 10 using the machine data corresponding to the sent payment data, performs a deposit process for the payment amount to the inter-machine card processing device 10, grants prepaid value (s8), and notifies the inter-machine card processing device 10 of the completion of the deposit and the granting of the prepaid value (s9).

It is also possible to notify the terminal device 110 of the completion of the deposit (s10). For example, by including the address of the terminal device 110 in the payment data, it is possible to notify the terminal device 110 when the payment device 100 completes the payment. Similarly, the card management device 40 can read out the address of the terminal device 110 included in the payment data and notify it.

In this way, the inter-machine card processing machine 10, which is each machine device attached to the gaming machine 20, obtains payment data indicating information related to payment from the terminal device 110 carried by the player, and associates the machine data identifying each machine device with the payment data. The card management device 40 then executes payment processing based on the payment data, and grants prepaid value based on the corresponding machine data. With this configuration, rather than each inter-machine card processing machine 10 performing cashless payment, the card management device 40 can integrate and manage the cashless payments and granting of prepaid value in multiple inter-machine card processing machines 10. This makes it possible to accommodate cashless payments while reducing the burden on gaming establishments.

Next, the system configuration of an amusement store will be described. Figure 2 is a diagram showing the system configuration of an amusement store. As shown in Figure 2, amusement stores are equipped with multiple gaming machines 20 and inter-machine card processing machines 10 provided corresponding to each gaming machine 20. The inter-machine card processing machines 10 are connected to a communication line, which is a network within the store, via an island controller 30. The island controller 30, card management device 40, member management device 50, prize management device 60, and settlement machine 80 are connected to the communication line.

The gaming machine 20 is a device for playing games by shooting gaming balls into the gaming board. The gaming board of this gaming machine 20 is provided with a plurality of winning areas (winning holes), and a predetermined number of gaming balls are awarded as prize balls based on the passing of the gaming balls through the winning areas. In addition, the gaming board is provided with a predetermined number of starting areas (starting holes), and a predetermined lottery is held based on the passing of the gaming balls through the starting areas. If the lottery is a big win, a predetermined movable member or the like is operated to increase the probability of the gaming ball passing through the winning areas or other starting areas, and other operations that are advantageous in the game are performed. The result of the lottery based on the passing of the balls through the starting holes is displayed on a special pattern display device that displays the result of the lottery. The display of the lottery result on this special pattern display device is performed in a manner that displays a fixed result after a predetermined period of variable display. The game board is also provided with a decorative pattern display device that variably displays decorative patterns such as predetermined numbers based on the results of the lottery, and when the lottery results in a jackpot, a matching pattern such as (7, 7, 7) is displayed to notify the player. It is also possible to provide an area that serves both as a starting area and a winning area.

The winning area is provided with a winning sensor for detecting the passage of a game ball into the winning area, and this winning sensor detects the passage (winning) of a game ball shot into the winning area. In addition, the control unit of the gaming machine 20 has a prize ball memory that stores the number of game balls to be awarded as prize balls for each winning area.

Therefore, when the winning sensor detects the passage of a inserted game ball into a specific winning area, the gaming machine 20 can determine the number of prize balls to be awarded based on the contents of the prize ball memory and the number of game balls that have passed through the winning area, and perform a payout process for the determined number of prize balls. In addition, the inserted game balls are ultimately ejected from the back of the gaming board to the outside of the gaming machine, regardless of whether they have passed through the winning area or not. The game balls ejected to the outside of the gaming machine are detected by an out ball detection device attached to each gaming machine.

The inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts deposits, lends game balls, and communicates with the card management device 40. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts a bill inserted by a player, it transmits deposit notification data including the amount of the bill to the card management device 40, and adds a number corresponding to the amount to the prepaid value managed by the card management device 40. Then, when a specified ball lending operation is performed, it transmits a ball lending request to the card management device 40, subtracts the prepaid value managed by the card management device 40, and performs a payout process of the number of game balls corresponding to the subtracted prepaid value.

When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts the insertion of a card, it sends card insertion notification data to the card management device 40. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives data including the prepaid value, number of held balls, and number of saved balls from the card management device 40, it stores the received prepaid value, number of held balls, and number of saved balls. Then, once the number of held balls has been stored, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 clears the number of held balls managed by the card management device 40 to zero by sending held ball subtraction request data to the card management device 40.

When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives a held ball replay operation, it subtracts a predetermined number from the held ball count stored in its own machine, and performs a payout process for the number of game balls corresponding to the subtracted held ball count. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives a saved ball replay operation, it sends saved ball replay request data to the card management device 40, thereby subtracting a predetermined number from the saved ball count managed by the member management device 50, and performs a payout process for the number of game balls corresponding to the subtracted saved ball count.

When the inter-machine card processing device 10 accepts a card return operation, it transmits held ball addition request data, including the number of held balls managed by the device, to the card management device 40, and after having the card management device 40 add the number of held balls, it transmits card ejection notification data to the card management device 40 and controls the ejection of the card.

The island controller 30 is a relay device that ties together a group of gaming machines 20 and inter-machine card processing machines 10 installed on the gaming island.

The card management device 40 is a device that manages the prepaid value and number of balls held of the card as card data. When the card management device 40 receives card insertion notification data from the inter-machine card processing device 10, it manages the card ID of the inserted card in association with the device ID of the inter-machine card processing device 10, and transmits the prepaid value and number of balls associated with the card ID to the inter-machine card processing device 10. Furthermore, if the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification data is the card ID of a member card, the card management device 40 transmits the card insertion notification data to the member management device 50, and transmits the saved ball replay data received from the member management device 50 to the inter-machine card processing device 10.

When the card management device 40 receives held ball subtraction request data from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it clears the number of held balls to zero. When the card management device 40 receives held ball addition request data from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it adds the held ball number included in the held ball addition request data to the held ball number managed by the card management device 40.

When the card management device 40 receives ball loan request data from the machine-to-machine card processing device 10, it subtracts a predetermined value from the prepaid value associated with the card ID and transmits ball loan permission data to the machine-to-machine card processing device 10. When the card management device 40 receives saved ball replay request data, it transmits the saved ball replay request data to the member management device 50, and when the member management device 50 outputs saved ball replay data, it transmits the saved ball replay data to the machine-to-machine card processing device 10.

When the card management device 40 receives a card ID from the prize management device 60, it notifies the prize management device 60 of the number of balls held that is associated with this card ID. Furthermore, when the card management device 40 receives a card ID from the settlement machine 80, it notifies the settlement machine 80 of the prepaid value that is associated with this card ID.

The member management device 50 is a management device that manages the member management data of members who are registered with the gaming establishment. Specifically, it manages the number of balls, points, PIN number, name, etc., associated with the member card ID issued to the member.

When the member management device 50 receives card insertion notification data from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it transmits stored ball replay data including the number of stored balls and the PIN number associated with the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification data to the inter-machine card processing machine 10. When the member management device 50 receives stored ball replay request data from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it subtracts a predetermined number from the number of stored balls associated with the card ID indicated in the stored ball replay request data, and transmits stored ball replay data including the number of stored balls after subtraction to the inter-machine card processing machine 10. Note that communication between the inter-machine card processing machine 10 and the member management device 50 is performed via the card management device 40.

In addition, when the member management device 50 receives an inquiry about the number of balls stored from the prize management device 60, it notifies the prize management device 60 of the number of balls stored corresponding to the specified card ID.

The prize management device 60 is a terminal device for prize exchange that is attached to the prize exchange counter in the gaming facility, and performs the prize exchange process of exchanging acquired balls, number of saved balls, and number of held balls for prizes. A card reader that reads the card ID from the card, and a prize payout device that pays out prizes are connected to this prize management device 60. When the prize management device 60 reads the card ID from a general card or a member card (or when it reads identification data corresponding to the card ID from a mobile terminal, etc.), it sends the card ID to the card management device 40 and requests the number of held balls for that card ID. In addition, when the number of saved balls is to be exchanged for a prize, it requests the number of saved balls from the member management device 50.

When a card associated with a prepaid value is inserted, the settlement machine 80 transmits the card ID of the card to the card management device 40 and receives the response data, thereby obtaining the prepaid value associated with the card and dispensing money according to the obtained prepaid value.

Next, the ball lending process of the gaming system shown in Figure 2 will be explained. When a player performs a ball lending operation on the inter-machine card processing machine 10, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 transmits ball lending request data to the card management device 40. This ball lending request data includes the card ID of the card inserted in the inter-machine card processing machine 10, and an address or any identification data that identifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 that is the sender.

When the card management device 40 receives the ball lending request data, it subtracts a predetermined value from the prepaid value associated with the card ID in the ball lending request data. The card management device 40 then transmits the ball lending permission data to the inter-machine card processing device 10 that sent the data. The inter-machine card processing device 10 that has received the ball lending permission data performs a payout process for the number of game balls that corresponds to the subtracted prepaid value.

Next, the held ball replay process when holding balls are replayed in the gaming system shown in Figure 2 will be explained. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts the insertion of a general card or a membership card, it transmits card insertion notification data to the card management device 40. This card insertion notification data includes the card ID of the card inserted into the inter-machine card processing machine 10, an address or any identification data that identifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 that is the sender, and data for identifying the rate of the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

When the card management device 40 receives card insertion notification data from the inter-machine card processing device 10, it notifies the inter-machine card processing device 10 of the number of balls held for each rate associated with the card ID in the card insertion notification data.

The inter-machine card processing machine 10 stores the number of held balls received from the card management device 40. It then transmits to the card management device 40 the card ID, data specifying the rate, and held ball subtraction request data indicating that the number of held balls should be cleared to zero. When the card management device 40 receives the held ball subtraction request data, it clears to zero the number of held balls for each rate specified by the card ID. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts a held ball replay operation and performs held ball replay, it subtracts a predetermined number from the stored held ball number and performs a payout process for the corresponding number of game balls. When performing a payout process, it performs a payout process by sending a payout command to the gaming machine for a multiple of the unit that the gaming machine can payout (e.g., 25 balls), and performs a payout process for the remainder (e.g., less than 25 balls) by paying out from the nozzle unit 18a of its own machine.

When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts the card return operation, it transmits held ball addition request data to the card management device 40. This held ball addition request data includes the card ID of the card to be returned, an address or any identification data that identifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 that sent the data, and the number of held balls for each rate.

When the card management device 40 receives the ball addition request data, it adds the number of balls contained in the ball addition request data to the number of balls for each rate associated with the card ID. After that, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 sends card ejection notification data to the card management device 40 and controls the ejection of the card.

Next, the stored ball replay process in the gaming system shown in Figure 2 will be explained. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 reads the card ID from a membership card or a mobile terminal that can be used as a membership card, it transmits card insertion notification data to the card management device 40. This card insertion notification data includes the card ID of the card inserted into the inter-machine card processing machine 10, an address or any identification data that identifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 that is the sender, and data for identifying the rate of the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

The card management device 40 transmits the card insertion notification data received from the machine-to-machine card processing device 10 to the member management device 50. When the member management device 50 receives the card insertion notification data, it transmits the stored ball replay data including the PIN associated with the card ID in the card insertion notification data, the number of stored balls at the rate specified by the card insertion notification data, and the possible number of stored ball replays to the machine-to-machine card processing device 10. The possible number of stored ball replays indicates the number of balls that can be replayed. This possible number of stored ball replays is a multiple of the number of payout units of game balls in the stored ball replay. If an upper limit is set for the stored ball replay, the maximum value within the range of the number of stored balls and the upper limit becomes the possible number of stored ball replays. Note that the possible number of times stored ball replays can be performed may be used as the number of stored ball replays instead of the possible number of stored ball replays. The number of stored ball replays is the quotient obtained by dividing the number of stored balls by the number of payout units of game balls in the stored ball replay. However, if a limit is set for the number of times you can replay saved balls, this limit will limit the number of times you can replay saved balls.

The inter-machine card processing device 10 stores the received saved ball replay data, and if the number of saved ball replays possible indicated in the saved ball replay data is 1 or more, it becomes capable of accepting a saved ball replay operation.

When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives the first saved ball replay operation after storing the saved ball replay data, it asks the player to input a PIN number and determines whether the input PIN number matches the PIN number shown in the saved ball replay data.

If the PIN numbers match, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 transmits saved ball replay request data to the card management device 40. This saved ball replay request data includes the card ID of the card inserted into the inter-machine card processing machine 10, an address or any identification data that identifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 that sent the data, and data for identifying the rate of the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

The card management device 40 transmits the saved ball replay request data to the member management device 50. When the member management device 50 receives the saved ball replay request data, it subtracts a predetermined value from the balance of saved balls at the rate specified by the message among the saved balls associated with the card ID in the saved ball replay request data, and recalculates the number of saved balls that can be replayed. It then transmits saved ball replay data including the balance after subtraction and the number of saved balls that can be replayed to the machine-to-machine card processing device 10.

The inter-machine card processing machine 10 updates the number of stored balls stored and performs a payout process for the number of game balls equal to the payout unit number of the stored ball replay. It also determines whether the updated number of possible stored ball replays is 1 or more. If the number of possible stored ball replays is 0, the stored ball replay operation cannot be accepted. If the updated number of possible stored ball replays is 1 or more, the stored ball replay operation can be accepted again. For the second and subsequent stored ball replays, it is not necessary to confirm the PIN. Note that the PIN may be confirmed each time. In addition, here, an example is given of the case where the member management device 50 subtracts the balance of the stored balls and then the inter-machine card processing machine 10 performs the payout process for the game balls, but the balance of the stored balls may be subtracted after the payout process for the game balls is performed based on the stored ball replay request. This is because the number of possible stored ball replays is indicated in the stored ball replay data before the stored ball replay request, and a situation in which a balance shortage is found after the stored ball replay request is accepted does not occur.

Next, the transition from held balls to saved balls during the store closing process will be explained. The card management device 40 checks the number of held balls in the card management data during store closing process, and if a record exists that is associated with a number of held balls greater than zero, it notifies the member management device 50 of the number of held balls in that record along with the card ID and rate. The member management device 50 adds the number of held balls notified by the card management device 40 to the number of saved balls specified by the card ID and rate. The card management device 40 then clears the number of held balls to zero.

Next, the external appearance of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 shown in Figure 2 will be described. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the external appearance of the inter-machine card processing machine 10. Note that in Figure 3, the external appearance of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 connected to the gaming machine 20 is shown as the inter-machine card processing machine 10. The gaming machine 20 that is attached to it is also shown with a dashed line. Also, while Figure 3 shows an inter-machine card processing machine 10 that only accepts paper money, it is also possible to provide a unit that has the function of accepting electronic money and coins associated with a mobile terminal or a card.

As shown in FIG. 3, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 has a status display unit 11, a bill insertion slot 12a, a display operation unit 13, a card insertion slot 14a, a card holder unit 14b, a nozzle unit 18a, and a counting unit 18b.

The status display unit 11 is, for example, composed of a multi-color LED, and displays the device status of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 by lighting or blinking a predetermined color. The bill insertion slot 12a is an insertion slot for various bills required for lending game balls. The display operation unit 13 is, for example, composed of a full-color touch panel type liquid crystal display, and is a device that displays operation buttons and accepts input operations via the operation buttons. Although detailed illustration of the display operation unit 13 is omitted in Figure 3, it has a flat shape with the long side on the corresponding gaming machine 20 side pivoted and attached to the inter-machine card processing machine 10, and is configured so that the angle between the front panel of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 and the display surface of the display operation unit 13 can be changed.

The card insertion slot 14a is an insertion slot for a card held by a player. The holding section 14b is a section for holding a mobile terminal used for membership registration. When the mobile terminal is held over the holding section 14b, data such as the mobile terminal's unique ID (e.g., IDm) is read from the mobile terminal. The nozzle unit 18a is a mechanism for dispensing game balls into the gaming machine 20. The nozzle unit 18a is composed of a cylindrical nozzle that is horizontally rotatably provided on the front side of the inter-machine card processing machine 10, and the tip of the nozzle can be positioned in the storage section of the gaming machine. The nozzle is supplied with game media from a ball supply device in the inter-machine card processing machine that receives game media from a supply mechanism in the island where the inter-machine card processing machine 10 is installed. The counting unit 18b is a mechanism for counting game balls dropped from the lower tray of the gaming machine 20. The counting unit 18b consists of a tray that receives game balls, a counting section that is located at the bottom of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 and counts the game balls using a counting sensor, and a counting passage section that passes the game media from the tray to the counting section. The tray and counting passage section can be removed as a unit from the inter-machine card processing machine 10 based on a predetermined operation (for example, an employee's remote control operation). The counting section has a unit structure, and by removing the counting section, tray, and counting passage section, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 can be operated without the counting function.

Furthermore, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 has a camera 13a as a characteristic feature of this embodiment. In FIG. 3, the camera 13a is disposed under the shading section 14b. The camera 13a is used to capture an image of the two-dimensional code displayed by the terminal device 110.

Next, the configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 shown in Figure 2 will be described. Figure 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 shown in Figure 2. As shown in Figure 4, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 has a banknote transport unit 12, a display operation unit 13, a camera 13a, a reader/writer 14, a holding unit 14b, a communication unit 15, a memory unit 16, a control unit 17, a nozzle unit 18a, and a counting unit 18b.

The bill transport unit 12 is a transport unit that transports bills inserted from the bill insertion slot 12a to a bill storage unit (not shown) while determining the denomination and authenticity of the bills. The display operation unit 13 is an input/output device such as a touch panel type liquid crystal display that has the function of identifying and displaying various information such as the prepaid value, number of balls held, and number of stored balls that can be used for ball lending from the received card, the function of displaying other information not related to the card, and the function of accepting various operations such as ball lending operations. In addition to the above-mentioned displays, the display operation unit 13 also has the function of displaying the surplus or shortage of the number of cards stored and the communication status with the higher-level device (online, offline, etc.).

The reader/writer 14 is a device that reads the card ID from the card inserted into the card insertion slot 14a. The card inserted into the card insertion slot 14a is stored in a card storage section (not shown) through the reader/writer 14. The holding section 14b is an interface section that reads various information such as the unique ID (e.g., IDm) of the mobile terminal by short-range wireless communication when a mobile terminal or the like is held over it. The reader/writer 14 also has the function of associating value data such as the balls held and prepaid value shown in the card data 16b with the card stored in the card storage section in response to the player's return operation, and issuing it as a new card. However, if the prepaid value shown in the card data 16b is 0 and the number of balls held is less than a certain number (minimum number of balls held), the card is controlled not to be returned even if a return operation is performed. This is a control to prevent losses to the amusement facility caused by discarding cards associated with a small number of balls, and applies not only to cards stored inside in advance, but also to cards received from outside (excluding membership cards). The fixed number can be set, for example, so that the value of the card or the lowest priced prize in the amusement facility is the number of balls held multiplied by the rental price per ball, but it is not limited to this and can be freely set according to the policy of the amusement facility. Also, when controlling so that the card is not returned even if a return operation is performed, the stored balls can be paid out, but a message may be displayed to the effect that the card cannot be returned and/or a message urging the user to replay the balls held.

The communication unit 15 is an interface unit for performing data communication between the gaming machine 20 and the island controller 30. The nozzle unit 18a is used to pay out some or all of the gaming balls when they are paid out through ball lending or replay. The counting unit 18b is a unit that counts the gaming balls.

The memory unit 16 is a storage device consisting of a hard disk drive, non-volatile memory, etc. The memory unit 16 stores device status data 16a, card data 16b, and payment data 16c.

The own device status data 16a is data indicating the status of the inter-machine card processing machine 10. This own device status data 16a includes the device ID of the inter-machine card processing machine and the game type setting. The device ID of the inter-machine card processing machine is identification data for uniquely identifying the inter-machine card processing machine 10 within the game establishment. The game type setting is data indicating the game type set in the inter-machine card processing machine 10. When game balls of multiple rates are handled within the game establishment, a game type name is set and managed for each rate, such as "Ball 1" for game balls with a 4 yen rate, "Ball 2" for game balls with a 2 yen rate, and "Ball 3" for game balls with a 1 yen rate. The inter-machine card processing machine 10 selects the rate to be used for the game from these game types and stores it as the game type setting.

Card data 16b is data related to the card being used by the player. Card data 16b includes the card ID, prepaid value, held balls, saved balls, the number of saved balls that can be replayed, etc. Data on held balls and saved balls exists for each type of game (rate). The card ID is the card ID read by the reader/writer 14. When a card is transported from a card storage section (not shown) to the card insertion port 14a and then ejected, the card data 16b is updated with the card ID read by the reader/writer 14 during this transport. Also, when a card is transported from the card insertion port 14a to a card storage section (not shown), the card data 16b is updated with the card ID read by the reader/writer 14 during this transport.

Payment data 16c is data acquired from terminal device 110 and stored. Specifically, it indicates various information (information necessary for payment, such as payment ID, payment amount, and account used for payment) obtained by decoding the two-dimensional code captured by camera 13a.

The control unit 17 is a control unit that controls the entire inter-machine card processing machine 10, and has a data management unit 17a, a counting processing unit 17b, a payment data acquisition unit 17c, a matching processing unit 17d, a restriction processing unit 17e, and a refund processing unit 17f.

When a card is inserted, the data management unit 17a transmits card insertion notification data including the device ID of the device status data 16a and the card ID of the card data 16b to the card management device 40. When the data management unit 17a receives data including value data (at least one of the prepaid value, the number of held balls, and the number of saved balls) from the card management device 40, it updates the card data 16b with the received value data. The data management unit 17a appropriately controls the display of the prepaid value, the number of held balls, and the number of saved balls indicated in the card data 16b on the display operation unit 13.

When a bill is inserted into the bill insertion slot 12a, the data management unit 17a transmits deposit notification data, including the amount of the inserted bill, the card ID, and the inter-machine card processing machine ID, to the card management device 40.

When a ball lending operation is performed by a player, the data management unit 17a transmits ball lending request data including the card ID and device ID to the card management device 40. If ball lending permission data is received in response to this ball lending request data, the data management unit 17a performs a payout process for a predetermined number of game balls.

In addition, when a player performs an operation to replay held balls, the data management unit 17a subtracts a predetermined number from the number of held balls indicated in the card data 16b and performs a payout process for the corresponding number of game balls.

When the number of possible saved ball replays indicated in the card data 16b is 1 or more, the data management unit 17a displays a saved ball replay button on the display operation unit 13, and allows the saved ball replay operation to be accepted. When a saved ball replay operation is performed by a player, the data management unit 17a transmits saved ball replay request data including the card ID and the machine-to-machine card processing machine ID to the member management device 50. When saved ball replay data is received as a response to this saved ball replay request data, the number of saved balls in the card data 16b is updated, and a payout process is performed for the number of game balls to be paid out for the saved ball replay. When a saved ball replay operation is performed for the first time, the data management unit 17a requests the input of a PIN number, and transmits the saved ball replay request data on the condition that the PIN number matches the PIN number indicated in the card data 16b.

In addition, when a player performs a card return operation, the data management unit 17a sends held ball addition request data, including the card ID, device ID, and number of held balls, to the card management device 40, clears the number of held balls in the card data 16b to zero, and then sends card ejection notification data to the card management device 40 and ejects the card.

In addition, when a player performs a ball transfer operation with a member card inserted, the data management unit 17a subtracts the number of balls held indicated in the card data 16b and transfers the held balls to the saved balls by sending saved ball addition request data to the member management unit 50 via the card management unit 40. It should be noted that saved ball transfer can also be performed using a mobile terminal instead of a member card. Specifically, when the number of balls held is equal to or greater than a predetermined number and the mobile terminal is held over the holding unit 14b after a predetermined operation, the data management unit 17a subtracts the number of balls held indicated in the card data 16b and transfers the held balls to the saved balls by sending saved ball addition request data including the IDm read by the holding unit 14b.

The data management unit 17a can also perform processing related to the wagon service. The wagon service is a service in which an amusement store clerk places products such as drinks and cigarettes in a wagon and travels around the amusement store to sell them to players who are playing. In such a wagon service, payment can be made with owned balls or saved balls in addition to payment with cash or the like. When paying for the wagon service with owned balls or saved balls, the amusement store clerk issues instructions to the inter-machine card processing machine 10 through a store clerk terminal (e.g., a remote control terminal) to make the inter-machine card processing machine 10 in a state where the wagon service can be paid for. Then, information that can identify the number of owned balls or saved balls to be subtracted as compensation is input to the inter-machine card processing machine 10. This input processing is performed by inputting a numerical value on the display operation unit 13 of the inter-machine card processing machine or the operation unit of the store clerk terminal. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts the input, it waits for the acceptance of an employee recording medium (e.g., a wagon card) to be used for the wagon service. When the wagon card is accepted, the data management unit 17a subtracts the input number of balls held or stored from the number indicated by the card data 16b, and discharges the balls in association with the employee recording medium. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts the employee recording medium without accepting input of information that can identify the number of balls held or stored to be subtracted as payment, it returns the employee recording medium without making a payment for the wagon service. When the inter-machine card processing machine 10 accepts input of information that can identify the number of balls held or stored to be subtracted as payment during payment for the wagon service, if a replay operation for the held or stored balls or a return operation for the recording medium is accepted, the replay operation or return operation is rejected or the payment for the wagon service is cancelled, thereby preventing the two processes from competing with each other.

When game balls are inserted into the counting unit 18b, the counting processing unit 17b causes the counting unit 18b to count the game balls and adds the counting result to the number of balls held in the card data 16b.

The payment data acquisition unit 17c is a processing unit that, when the camera 13a captures an image of a two-dimensional code, decodes the two-dimensional code to acquire payment data. The payment data is data that indicates various information related to payment, such as a payment ID, a payment amount, and an account used for payment. The payment data acquisition unit 17c stores the various information acquired by decryption in the memory unit 16 as payment data 16c.

The matching processing unit 17d matches the machine identification information that identifies the own device with the payment data, and transmits the matched data to the card management device 40. The machine identification information may be the device ID in the own device status data 16a.

The restriction processing unit 17e performs processing to restrict the operations of players. Specifically, a PIN number or the like is required for certain operations such as returning a card, and the card can be returned on the condition that the correct PIN number is received. It is also possible to switch to a break mode in which all operations are temporarily prohibited when a player leaves the seat, and to cancel the break mode on the condition that the correct PIN number is received.

Here, the restriction processing unit 17e can also use the payment data in place of a PIN to lift the restriction. The payment data acquired by the payment data acquisition unit 17c is sent to the card management device 40 together with the machine data and is used for depositing money by cashless payment. Payment data 16c that has been used in this way cannot be used again for payment, but by leaving the used payment data 16c in the memory unit 16, the payment ID can be used in place of a PIN.

In other words, a player who displays a two-dimensional code on the terminal device 110 and makes a cashless payment by holding it over the inter-machine card processing device 10 can then return the card or cancel the break mode by holding up the same two-dimensional code.

The refund processing unit 17f is a processing unit that refunds the prepaid value by cashless payment. When the refund processing unit 17f receives a refund operation requesting a refund by cashless payment with the payment data 16c stored in the memory unit 16, it generates refund data with the amount corresponding to the prepaid value indicated in the card data 16b as the payment amount and the account indicated in the payment data 16c as the transfer destination account.

The refund processing unit 17f transmits the generated refund data to the card management device 40. The card management device 40 executes a settlement process based on the received refund data, and clears the prepaid value of the card being used in the inter-machine card processing device 10 that sent the data to zero, completing the refund.

Next, an example of data stored in the memory unit 16 of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 will be described. Figure 5 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an example of data stored in the memory unit 16 of the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

The own device status data 16a shown in FIG. 5(a) indicates that the ID of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 is "3001" and that "Ball 1" is set as the game type of the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

Card data 16b shown in FIG. 5(b) indicates that the ID of the card inserted into the inter-machine card processing machine 10 is "1001". Note that here, the first digit of the card ID indicates the type of card, with a card with the first digit "1" being a general card and a card with the first digit "2" being a membership card. Card data 16b also indicates that the prepaid value is "2000 points". Note that here, 1 point of the prepaid value is equivalent to 1 yen. Card data 16b also indicates that the number of balls held by ball 1 is "375 balls", the number of balls held by ball 2 is "500 balls", and the number of balls held by ball 3 is "2000 balls".

In addition, the card data 16b can store the PIN number, the number of replayable balls, and the number of balls for each game type as data related to the saved balls, but since FIG. 5(b) shows a state in which a general card has been accepted, these data are displayed as "-" indicating that they are not applicable. Note that, although the configuration in which the number of replayable balls is stored as the number of replays possible is shown here, the number of replays possible may also be stored as the replay frequency. In addition, although not shown, the card management device 40 stores the ON/OFF status of a "lock" flag indicating whether the card is valid or invalid in addition to the balls held, saved balls, and prepaid value in association with the card ID, and this is turned ON by an employee when the card is discovered to be stolen. These data are also stored in the card data 16b. Furthermore, this "lock" flag can be set for each function (such as "use saved balls" and "entering"), and for example, it is possible to use the "lock" flag to prevent erroneous operation by locking only the "entering" function at the request of the player. In this specification, "joining" refers to converting the number of gaming media at one rate into the number of gaming media at another rate based on the ratio of the unit price of the gaming media, and using that. As a specific example, in an inter-machine card processing device 10 associated with a 4 yen rate, the number of balls X at a 1 yen rate is used to process the payout of X x (1 yen/4 yen) = X/4. This "joining" function can be enabled/disabled by the member management device 50 according to the store's management policy.

The payment data 16c shown in FIG. 5(c) indicates that the payment ID, which is identification information that uniquely identifies the payment, is "A001", the account used for the payment is "Bank B Branch C Ordinary Account 123456", and the amount is "10,000".

Next, the configuration of the terminal device 110 shown in FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the terminal device 110 shown in FIG. 1. The terminal device 110 is, for example, a smartphone, and has a display operation unit 111, a speaker 112, a camera 113, a communication unit 114, a memory unit 115, and a control unit 116.

The display operation unit 111 is an input/output interface that performs display output and operation input, such as a touch panel display. The speaker 112 is an output interface that performs audio output. The camera 113 is an imaging device used to capture still images and videos. The communication unit 114 is a communication interface for data communication with the card management device 40, the payment device 100, etc. via a predetermined network such as the Internet.

The memory unit 115 is a storage device such as a non-volatile memory, and stores various programs as well as user data 115a, payment data 115b, etc. User data 115a is various data related to the user of the terminal device 110, and can include name, address, email address, and financial institution account. Payment data 115b indicates information necessary for payment, such as the payment amount and the account used for payment.

The control unit 116 is a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or the like, and realizes functions such as the payment data generation unit 116a and the encoding processing unit 116b by reading and executing a specific program from the memory unit 115.

The payment data generation unit 116a is a processing unit that generates the information necessary for payment as payment data 115b. The payment data 115b includes a payment ID that uniquely identifies the payment, the payment amount, the account to be used for the payment, etc. The payment ID is determined by the payment data generation unit 116a. The payment amount is determined by the operation of the player who is the operator. The account to be used for the payment is determined, for example, by accepting a selection from the accounts stored in the user data 115a. The payment data generation unit 116a stores the generated payment data 115b in the memory unit 115.

The encoding processing unit 116b encodes the payment data 115b into a two-dimensional code and controls the display on the display operation unit 111. The encoding into the two-dimensional code and display can be performed when the payment data generation unit 116a generates the payment data 115b, or at any time based on the player's operation. It is also possible to store the two-dimensional code in association with the payment data 115b and read and display it as appropriate.

Next, the configuration of the card management device 40 shown in FIG. 2 will be described. FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the card management device 40 shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 7, the card management device 40 has a display unit 41, an input unit 42, an external network communication unit 43, a store network communication unit 44, a memory unit 45, and a control unit 46.

The display unit 41 is a display device such as a liquid crystal display device. The input unit 42 is an input device such as a keyboard or a mouse. The external network communication unit 43 is an interface unit for data communication via a network outside the gaming facility. The store network communication unit 44 is an interface unit for data communication with the island controller 30, member management device 50, prize management device 60, and settlement machine 80 via a communication line within the gaming facility.

The memory unit 45 is a storage device such as a hard disk drive or non-volatile memory, and stores game type setting data 45a, card management data 45b, device management data 45c, and payment management data 45d.

The game type setting data 45a is data that associates the lending rate and display name with the game type. The card management data 45b is data that associates the prepaid value, the number of balls held for each game type, and the destination device ID that indicates the device ID of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 into which the card is inserted, with the card ID. The device management data 45c is data related to the devices installed in the gaming facility. This device management data 45c includes the device ID of the inter-machine card processing machine, the address of the inter-machine card processing machine 10, the installation location, the gaming machine ID and model data of the gaming machine installed.

Payment management data 45d is data that manages cashless payments at gaming establishments. Specifically, payment management data 45d is data that associates payment data with machine data and processing data. The processing data indicates the processing status of the payment data by, for example, the acceptance date and time when the payment data was accepted, the payment date and time when the payment processing was performed, and the grant date and time when the prepaid value was granted.

The control unit 46 is a control unit that controls the entire card management device 40, and has a game type setting management unit 46a, a card management unit 46b, a device management unit 46c, a payment processing unit 46d, a value granting unit 46e, and a completion notification unit 46f. In practice, the programs corresponding to these functional units are stored in a ROM or non-volatile memory (not shown), and these programs are loaded into a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and executed, thereby executing processes corresponding to the game type setting management unit 46a, the card management unit 46b, the device management unit 46c, the payment processing unit 46d, the value granting unit 46e, and the completion notification unit 46f.

The game type setting management unit 46a is a processing unit that associates the game types, rates, and display names used in the gaming establishment and manages them as game type setting data 45a.

The card management unit 46b is a processing unit that manages the card management data 45b. Specifically, when the card management unit 46b receives card insertion notification data from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it sets the destination device ID of the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification data to the device ID also indicated in the card insertion notification data. It also notifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 of the prepaid value associated with the card ID indicated in the card insertion notification data and the number of balls held for each rate as value data. In addition, if the inserted card is a member card, it transmits card insertion notification data to the member management device. When the card management unit 46b receives held ball subtraction request data from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it clears the number of balls held for the rate indicated in the held ball subtraction request data to zero.

When the card management unit 46b receives ball lending request data including a card ID from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it determines whether the prepaid value associated with the card ID is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. If the prepaid value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the card management unit 46b subtracts the predetermined value from the prepaid value stored in the card management data 45b and transmits ball lending permission data including the updated prepaid value to the inter-machine card processing machine 10. On the other hand, if the prepaid value is less than the predetermined value, the card management unit 46b notifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 of ball lending disallowance data.

In addition, when the card management unit 46b receives deposit notification data including the amount of the inserted coins, the card ID, and the device ID from the inter-machine card processing device 10, it adds the prepaid value indicated in the deposit notification to the prepaid value associated with the card ID.

When the card management unit 46b receives saved ball replay request data from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it transfers the saved ball replay request data to the member management device 50. It also transfers the response data from the member management device 50 to the saved ball replay request data to the inter-machine card processing machine 10.

When the card management unit 46b receives held ball addition request data, it adds the number of held balls included in the held ball addition request data to the number of held balls for the corresponding rate. When the card management unit 46b receives card ejection notification data, it erases the destination device ID of the card ID.

When the card management unit 46b receives a card ID from the prize management device 60, it notifies the prize management device 60 of the number of balls held for each rate associated with this card ID. When the card management unit 46b receives a card ID from the settlement machine 80, it notifies the settlement machine 80 of the prepaid value associated with this card ID.

The device management unit 46c is a processing unit that manages the device management data 45c. The device management unit 46c generates and updates the device management data 45c based on the device ID acquired from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, the address of the inter-machine card processing machine 10, the installation location, and the gaming machine ID.

The payment processing unit 46d is a processing unit that executes payment processing based on the payment data received from the inter-machine card processing machine 10. When the payment processing unit 46d receives the payment data and machine data from the inter-machine card processing machine 10, it associates the payment data with the machine data, and also associates new processing data and stores it in the memory unit 45 as payment management data 45d. The reception date and time of the new processing data is the reception date and time of the payment data and machine data, and other dates and times are left blank.

The payment processing unit 46d also performs payment processing by transmitting payment data to a payment device 100 installed outside the gaming facility. After that, when a payment completion notice is received from the payment device 100, the payment processing unit 46d updates the payment date and time of the payment management data 45d with the date and time of receipt of the payment completion notice.

The value granting unit 46e is a processing unit that grants prepaid value when the payment processing unit 46d receives a payment completion notification and the payment processing is completed. Specifically, when the payment processing is completed, the value granting unit 46e identifies the inter-machine card processing machine 10 using the corresponding machine data. Once the inter-machine card processing machine 10 is identified, the card ID in use is identified using the card management data 45b. Then, it is assumed that a deposit process for the payment amount has occurred for the identified inter-machine card processing machine 10, and the prepaid value for the payment amount is added to the prepaid value of the identified card ID, thereby granting prepaid value. When the value granting unit 46e grants prepaid value, it updates the granting date and time in the payment management data 45d with that date and time.

Although we will not go into detail here, when accumulating and managing the deposit history in the inter-machine card processing device 10, the history of deposits made via cashless payment is managed in the same way as the history of deposits made by inserting currency.

The completion notification unit 46f is a processing unit that notifies the completion of the payment process and the provision of prepaid value. When the payment process is completed and a deposit is made, the completion notification unit 46f notifies the corresponding inter-machine card processing machine 10 of the completion of the deposit. In addition, when the provision of the prepaid value is completed, the completion notification unit 46f notifies the corresponding inter-machine card processing machine 10 of the completion of the deposit. Note that if the provision of the prepaid value is completed within a specified time from the completion of the deposit, the completion of the deposit and the completion of the provision of the prepaid value may be notified together. In addition, if the address of the terminal device 110 is included in the payment data, the completion notification unit 46f can also notify the terminal device 110 of the completion of the deposit.

Next, an example of data stored in the memory unit 45 of the card management device 40 shown in FIG. 7 will be described. FIGS. 8 and 9 are explanatory diagrams for explaining an example of data stored in the memory unit 45 of the card management device 40.

The game type setting data 45a shown in FIG. 8(a) associates the game type name "Ball 1" with the rate "4 yen" and the display name "4 Pachi". The game type setting data 45a also associates the game type name "Ball 2" with the rate "2 yen" and the display name "2 Pachi". The game type setting data 45a also associates the game type name "Ball 3" with the rate "1 yen" and the display name "1 Pachi".

In the card management data 45b shown in FIG. 8(b), the card ID "1001" is associated with a prepaid value of "2500", the number of held balls for ball 1 "1500", the number of held balls for ball 2 "2300", and the number of held balls for ball 3 "0". In other words, the card with card ID "1001" is not inserted into the inter-machine card processing device 10, and the management of the held balls is performed by the card management device 40.

In addition, in the card management data 45b shown in FIG. 8(b), the card ID "1002" is associated with a prepaid value of "500", the number of balls held for each rate of "0", and the destination device ID of "3004". In other words, the card with card ID "1002" is inserted into the inter-machine card processing machine 10 with device ID "3004", and management of the number of balls held has been transferred to the inter-machine card processing machine 10. For this reason, the number of balls held for each rate is zero.

In addition, in the card management data 45b shown in FIG. 8(b), the card ID "2002" is associated with a prepaid value of "2000", the number of balls held for each rate of "0", and the destination device ID of "3001". In other words, the card with card ID "2002" is inserted into the inter-machine card processing device 10 with device ID "3001", and management of the held balls has been transferred to the inter-machine card processing device 10. For this reason, the number of balls held for each rate is zero.

The device management data 45c shown in FIG. 8(c) indicates that the network address of the inter-machine card processing device 10 with ID "3001" is "AB.CD.EF.GH", the installation location is "Island 1-1", the ID of the connected gaming machine 20 is "P001", the game type is "Ball 3", and the model of the connected gaming machine 20 is "EV01". It also indicates that this gaming machine 20 is in use.

The payment management data 45d shown in FIG. 9(d) associates payment data, machine data, and processing data. The payment data includes a payment ID, account, amount, etc. The processing data includes the acceptance date and time, payment date and time, and grant date and time.

Figure 9 (d) shows that the payment ID of the payment data is "A001", the account is "Bank B Branch C Ordinary Account 123456", and the amount is "10000". It also shows that the machine data is "Device ID: 3001", the reception date and time of the processed data is "2019/01/10 13:31", the settlement date and time of the processed data is "2019/01/10 13:32", and the grant date and time of the processed data is "2019/01/10 13:33".

Next, the processing steps related to cashless payment will be described. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing steps related to cashless payment. First, the payment data generation unit 116a of the terminal device 110 generates payment data indicating information necessary for payment (step S101), and the encoding processing unit 116b encodes the payment data into a two-dimensional code (step S102) and controls the display operation unit 111 to display it (step S103).

When the camera 13a of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 captures the two-dimensional code displayed on the display operation unit 111 of the terminal device 110, the payment data acquisition unit 17c of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 reads the two-dimensional code (step S201), decodes the read two-dimensional code (step S202), and acquires the payment data (step S203).

The matching processing unit 17d of the inter-machine card processing device 10 treats the machine ID of its own device as machine data, matches it with the acquired payment data (step S204), and transmits it to the card management device 40 (step S205).

When the payment processing unit 46d of the card management device 40 receives the payment data and the machine data from the inter-machine card processing device 10, it associates the new processing data and stores it in the memory unit 45 as payment management data 45d (step S301). In addition, the payment processing unit 46d performs payment processing by transmitting the payment data to the payment device 100 installed outside the gaming facility (step S302).

After that, when a payment completion notice is received from the payment device 100 (step S303), the value assignment unit 46e of the card management device 40 identifies the inter-machine card processing device 10 using the corresponding machine data (step S304). Then, it is determined that a deposit process for the payment amount has occurred for the identified inter-machine card processing device 10, and a prepaid value for the payment amount is assigned (step S305).

The completion notification unit 46f of the card management device 40 notifies the inter-machine card processing device 10 of the completion of the deposit and the completion of the addition of the prepaid value (step S306). Also, if the payment data includes the address of the terminal device 110, the completion notification unit 46f notifies the terminal device 110 of the completion of the deposit (step S307) and ends the process.

Next, the refund process by cashless payment will be described. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the refund process by cashless payment. When the refund processing unit 17f of the inter-machine card processing machine 10 receives a refund operation requesting a refund by cashless payment with the payment data 16c stored in the memory unit 16 (s21), it generates refund data with the amount corresponding to the prepaid value indicated in the card data 16b as the payment amount and the account indicated in the past payment data 16c as the transfer destination account (s22).

The refund processing unit 17f transmits the generated refund data to the card management device 40 (s23). The card management device 40 performs payment processing by transmitting the received refund data to the payment device 100 (s24).

The payment device 100 executes the refund by adding the payment amount to the account indicated in the received refund data, and sends a notice of payment completion to the card management device 40 (s25). Upon receiving the notice of payment completion, the card management device 40 clears the prepaid value of the card being used in the inter-machine card processing device 10 that sent the refund data to zero (s26), and notifies the inter-machine card processing device 10 of the refund completion and the clearing of the prepaid value (s27).

It is also possible to notify the terminal device 110 of the completion of the refund (s28). For example, by including the address of the terminal device 110 in the refund data, it is possible to notify the terminal device 110 when the payment device 100 completes the payment. Similarly, the card management device 40 can read out the address of the terminal device 110 included in the refund data and notify it.

Next, a modified example of the allocation of prepaid value will be described. FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of a modified example of the allocation of prepaid value. When an upper limit is set for the prepaid value that can be associated with one card, adding the prepaid value of the payment amount of the deposit may exceed the upper limit of the prepaid value.

In such a case, the value assignment unit 46e of the card management device 40 performs control based on the remaining prepaid value of the card ID currently in use, or the presence or absence of prepaid value of the card ID currently in use.

Figure 12(a) shows control based on the balance of prepaid value. In this control, if the sum of the balance of the prepaid value and the value corresponding to the deposited amount is below the upper limit (e.g. 11,000 yen), the deposited amount is added to the balance of the prepaid value of the card currently in use. On the other hand, if the sum of the balance of the prepaid value and the value corresponding to the deposited amount exceeds the upper limit (e.g. 11,000 yen), the card currently in use is ejected and the deposited amount is added to the balance of the prepaid value of the next card. Alternatively, the deposited amount may be managed by the card management device 40, and it may be waited for the balance of the prepaid value of the card currently in use to decrease and become available for addition within the upper limit.

Figure 12(b) shows control based on the presence or absence of prepaid value. In this control, if the balance of the prepaid value is "none", i.e., the balance of the prepaid value is zero, the prepaid value of the card currently in use is valued by the deposited amount. On the other hand, if the balance of the prepaid value is "present", i.e., the balance of the prepaid value is not zero, the card currently in use is discharged and the prepaid value of the next card is valued by the deposited amount. Alternatively, the deposited amount may be managed by the card management device 40, and the device may wait for the balance of the prepaid value of the card currently in use to become "none".

As described above, in this embodiment, the inter-machine card processing machine 10, which is each machine device attached to the gaming machine 20, acquires payment data indicating information related to payment from the terminal device 110 carried by the player, and associates the machine data identifying each machine device with the payment data. The card management device 40 then executes payment processing based on the payment data, and grants prepaid value based on the corresponding machine data. With this configuration, rather than each inter-machine card processing machine 10 performing cashless payment, the card management device 40 can integrate and manage the cashless payments and granting of prepaid value in multiple inter-machine card processing machines 10. This makes it possible to accommodate cashless payments while reducing the burden on gaming establishments.

In addition, the inter-machine card processing machine 10 can obtain payment data by optically reading and decrypting the code displayed by the terminal device.

The inter-machine card processing machine 10 can also restrict the player's operations, and can lift the restrictions when the code is read.

In addition, the card management device 40 and the payment device 100 can also notify the terminal device 110 of the completion of the payment process.

It is also possible for the inter-machine card processing machine 10 to hold payment data after payment processing, and to identify the refund destination based on the payment data when returning the prepaid value.

In addition, if the inter-machine card processing device 10 exceeds the upper limit of the value that can be associated with the storage medium in use, it is also possible to assign value to a new storage medium.

In addition, if the inter-machine card processing device 10 exceeds the upper limit of the value that can be associated with the storage medium in use, it is possible to put the assignment of value related to the payment process into a standby state, and execute the assignment of value in the standby state when it becomes possible to assign value to the storage medium in use within the upper limit.

In this embodiment, the configuration has been described as an example in which the inter-machine card processing device 10 associates the payment data with the machine data, but the configuration may also be such that another device, such as the card management device 40, associates the payment data with the machine data.

In addition, in this embodiment, the card management device 40 performs the payment processing, but the payment processing may be performed by another device, such as a device dedicated to payment.

In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration is illustrated in which the terminal device 110 generates the payment data and encodes it into a two-dimensional code, but the terminal device 110 may be configured to request these processes from another device, such as the payment device 100.

In addition, in this embodiment, the machine data is the device ID of the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10, but any format of machine data can be used as long as the machine-to-machine card processing machine 10 can be identified. In addition, the player may input information identifying the store and the gaming machine into the terminal device 110 to be used as the machine data.

In addition, in this embodiment, an example is given of a configuration in which the account of past payment data is used as the account to which the refund is made, but the account to which the refund is made may also be obtained anew from the terminal device 110 or may be specified by the player.

In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration in which the prepaid value is refunded through cashless payment has been exemplified, but if a refund through cashless payment cannot be made for some reason, such as a communication error, it is also possible to configure the card associated with the prepaid value to be returned and the payment to be settled at the settlement machine 80.

In addition, in this embodiment, a case where cashless payment is used to purchase prepaid value at the inter-machine card processing machine 10 has been described, but other devices may be configured to perform cashless payment. For example, a ticket vending machine that sells cards to which prepaid value has been added through currency or debit payment may be configured to support cashless payment. Also, the prize management device 60 may be configured to support cashless payment.

It is also possible to set a minimum amount for cashless payment and restrict the use of cashless payment for amounts below the minimum amount.

In addition, in this embodiment, a configuration in which a two-dimensional code is used to transfer information related to cashless payment is described as an example, but a configuration in which information related to cashless payment is transferred using short-range wireless communication, etc. may also be used.

In the above embodiment, detailed explanation of the form of the card, which is the medium to which the number of game media is associated, has been omitted, but such cards include magnetic cards, IC cards, etc. Also, for the sake of convenience, a "card" has been used as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to cases where a chip, stick, mobile terminal, etc. are used in addition to such a card.

In addition, in the above embodiment, an example was given in which game balls are used as the game medium, but the invention can also be applied to the case in which medals for slot machines are used.

In addition, each configuration shown in the figure is a functional schematic, and does not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown in the figure, and all or part of it can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc.

As described above, the individual machine devices and game management method of the present invention are suitable for supporting cashless payments while minimizing the burden on game establishments.

10 Inter-machine card processing device 11 Status display unit 12 Bill transport unit 12a Bill insertion slot 13, 111 Display operation unit 13a, 113 Camera 14 Reader/writer 14a Card insertion slot 14b Hold unit 15, 114 Communication unit 16, 45, 115 Memory unit 16a Self-machine status data 16b Card data 16c, 115b Payment data 17, 46, 116 Control unit 17a Data management unit 17b Counting processing unit 17c Payment data acquisition unit 17d Correspondence processing unit 17e Limitation processing unit 17f Refund processing unit 18a Nozzle unit 18b Counting unit 20, Gaming machine 30 Island controller 40 Card management device 41 Display unit 42 Input unit 43 External network communication unit 44 Store network communication unit 45a Game type setting data 45b Card management data 45c Device management data 45d Payment management data 46a Game type setting management section 46b Card management section 46c Device management section 46d Payment processing section 46e Value imparting section 46f Completion notification section 50 Member management device 60 Prize management device 80 Settlement machine 100 Payment device 110 Terminal device 112 Speaker 115a User data 115b Payment data 116a Payment data generation section 116b Encoding processing section

Claims (6)

A machine device that is provided in a gaming machine for playing a game using a gaming medium and performs processing related to the gaming medium,
a payment information acquiring means for acquiring payment information indicating information related to payment from a terminal device carried by a player;
Correlation means for correlating the identification information for identifying each of the machine devices with the payment information;
and an association means for associating a value of the gaming medium with a storage medium being used by each of the game machines based on corresponding identification information when a payment process is performed based on the payment information,
wherein the associating means ejects the storage medium without associating the value processed for settlement with the storage medium if the upper limit of the value that can be associated with the storage medium is exceeded. A machine device that is provided in a gaming machine for playing a game using a gaming medium and performs processing related to the gaming medium,
a payment information acquiring means for acquiring payment information indicating information related to payment from a terminal device carried by a player;
Correlation means for correlating the identification information for identifying each of the machine devices with the payment information;
and an association means for associating a value of the gaming medium with a storage medium being used by each of the game machines based on corresponding identification information when a payment process is performed based on the payment information,
Each machine device is characterized in that, when associating the value processed for payment with the storage medium, if there is value associated with the storage medium, the associating means ejects the storage medium without associating the value processed for payment with the storage medium . The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the payment information acquisition means acquires the payment information by optically reading and decoding the code displayed by the terminal device. Further comprising a limiting means for limiting the operation of the player,
4. The apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the restriction means removes the restriction on condition that the code is read. A game management method for each machine device that is provided with a gaming machine for playing a game using a gaming medium and performs processing related to the gaming medium, comprising:
a payment information acquiring step of acquiring payment information indicating information related to payment from a terminal device carried by the player;
a matching step of matching the identification information for identifying each of the machine devices with the payment information;
and an associating step of associating a value related to the gaming medium with a storage medium being used by each of the machines based on corresponding identification information when a payment process is performed based on the payment information,
The game management method according to the present invention, characterized in that the associating step, if it exceeds an upper limit of the value that can be associated with the storage medium, ejects the storage medium without associating the value processed for settlement with the storage medium . A game management method for each machine device that is provided with a gaming machine for playing a game using a gaming medium and performs processing related to the gaming medium, comprising:
a payment information acquiring step of acquiring payment information indicating information related to payment from a terminal device carried by the player;
a matching step of matching the identification information for identifying each of the machine devices with the payment information;
and an associating step of associating a value related to the gaming medium with a storage medium being used by each of the game machines based on corresponding identification information when a payment process is performed based on the payment information,
The game management method is characterized in that the associating step, when associating a value processed for payment with the storage medium , if a value associated with the storage medium exists, ejects the storage medium without associating a value based on the payment processing with the storage medium.

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