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Gaming machine comprising a relay unitRelated Patent Categories: Amusement Devices: Games, Including Means For Processing Electronic Data (e.g., Computer/video Game, Etc.)Gaming machine comprising a relay unit description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20050266905, Gaming machine comprising a relay unit. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] 1. Technical Field [0002] The present invention relates to a gaming machine including a main board that performs a game process that influences a game result and a peripheral board that performs an auxiliary process of the game process upon receipt of a control signal from the main board. [0003] 2. Related Art [0004] Conventionally, as such a gaming machine, for example, there is a slot machine. In a slot machine disclosed in Related Art 1 described below, a main board including a main control circuit performs a probability lottery process that influences a game result, and determines an internal winning prize. And, the main board performs reel stop control so that a winning symbol combination of the internally won prize is established in a display window. Besides, upon receipt of a control signal from the main board, a peripheral board including a sub-control circuit performs a game effect process as an auxiliary process of a game process that is performed by the main board. The game effect is performed by displaying animation on a liquid crystal display device and outputting a sound from a speaker, and an effect pattern thereof is determined by the peripheral board. [0005] Generally, transmission of the control signal from the main board to the peripheral board is performed by serial communication, and the peripheral board converts the control signal received in serial form into a parallel signal, thus performing a control process. Besides, during this communication, an error of communication data is checked by the peripheral board, using a communication check command BCC (Block Check Character), etc. Besides, the main board and the peripheral board are separately supplied with operation power from a power supply. [0006] JP-A-2001-314550 is an example of Related Art 1. See Paragraphs [0039] to [0054] and FIG. 3. [0007] However, in the related art slot machine, a transmission line of the control signal to be transmitted from the main board to the peripheral board is trailed long inside the machine and thereby twisted to form a helically wound portion, so that inductance (L) occurs in some cases. In such a case, this inductance causes an error in the time required for the control signal to reach the peripheral board from the main board. Thus, there is the risk that the timing of executing the effect process, etc. performed by the peripheral board falls out of the original timing. [0008] In such a slot machine as aforesaid, generally, only one-way communication from the main board to the peripheral board is performed, and the main board sends the control signal to the peripheral board, estimating a process time required by the peripheral board without receiving a reply signal from the peripheral board. Accordingly, in the related art slot machine where bidirectional communication is not performed between the main board and the peripheral board, such a gap in timing as aforesaid is difficult to prevent, and the effectiveness of the effect process, etc. performed by the peripheral board is reduced when there occurs the phenomenon in which the timing is off. SUMMARY [0009] The invention has been made to address such problems and, according to an aspect of the invention, a gaming machine comprises: a main board that performs a game process that influences a game result; a peripheral board that performs an auxiliary process of the game process upon receipt of a control signal from the main board; and a relay unit that, disposed between the main board and the peripheral board, relays the control signal to be transmitted from the main board to the peripheral board (e.g., a relay terminal board that connects wirings in the gaming machine to each other and a specific peripheral board that performs, as an auxiliary process, the process of relaying the control signal to be transmitted from the main board to the peripheral board). [0010] According to this configuration, a transmission line of the control signal extended from the main board to the peripheral board is divided by the relay unit. Accordingly, the transmission line extended from the main board to the relay unit and the transmission line extended from the relay unit to the peripheral board are each made shorter than the related art transmission line connected from the main board to the peripheral board. Therefore, the transmission line of the control signal becomes difficult to twist when wired inside the machine, so that a helically wound portion becomes difficult to form, thus making it difficult for inductance to occur. This eliminates the following risk: as is conventional, an error occurs in the time required for the control signal to reach the peripheral board from the main board, and the timing of executing the effect process, etc. performed by the peripheral board falls out of the original timing. Resultingly, the effect process, etc. of the peripheral board are performed with proper timing, thus eliminating a decrease in the effectiveness of the processes. [0011] According to another aspect of the invention, the peripheral board has the function of inputting a signal from the external in addition to the function of inputting the control signal from the relay unit. [0012] According to this configuration, the peripheral board is configured to perform the signal input from the external, whereas the relay unit, which inputs the control signal from the main board, is configured not to perform the signal input from the external. Thereby, security is improved, thus providing the sound gaming machine. [0013] According to a further aspect of the invention, the peripheral board has the function of outputting a signal to a peripheral board that is other than itself. [0014] According to this configuration, it becomes possible to make up a circuit configuration for outputting the signal from the peripheral board, which receives the control signal from the relay unit, further to another peripheral board. [0015] According to a still further aspect of the invention, the relay unit has a predetermined additional function in addition to the function of relaying the control signal to be transmitted from the main board to the peripheral board. [0016] According to this configuration, the relay unit is allowed to have the predetermined additional function, thereby increasing the added value of the relay unit. [0017] According to a still further aspect of the invention, the predetermined additional function is the function of determining the pattern of a game effect to be performed by the peripheral board. [0018] According to this configuration, the process of determining the pattern of the game effect is performed by the relay unit. Therefore, a process load on the peripheral board is reduced and the functions are placed at dispersed locations. The process load on the peripheral board is reduced, thereby increasing the process speed of the peripheral board, so that an image display process, etc. are rapidly performed, thus enhancing the effectiveness of the displayed game effect. Besides, the process load on the peripheral board is reduced, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the peripheral board. [0019] According to a still further aspect of the invention, the predetermined additional function is the function of checking an error of the control signal to be transmitted to the peripheral board. [0020] According to this configuration, the process of checking an error of the control signal to be transmitted to the peripheral board is performed by the relay unit. Therefore, the process load on the peripheral board is reduced and the functions are placed at dispersed locations. Besides, according to this configuration as well, the process load on the peripheral board is reduced, thereby increasing the process speed of the peripheral board and also reducing the manufacturing cost of the peripheral board. [0021] According to a still further aspect of the invention, the predetermined additional function is the function of converting a serial control signal received from the main board into a parallel control signal and transmitting the parallel control signal to the peripheral board. [0022] According to this configuration, the process of converting a serial control signal received from the main board into a parallel control signal is performed by the relay unit. Therefore, the process load on the peripheral board is reduced and the functions are placed at dispersed locations. Besides, according to this configuration as well, the process load on the peripheral board is reduced, thereby increasing the process speed of the peripheral board and also reducing the manufacturing cost of the peripheral board. Continue reading about Gaming machine comprising a relay unit... Full patent description for Gaming machine comprising a relay unit Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Gaming machine comprising a relay unit patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. 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