Patent ID: 6325720
Filing Date: 2001-12-04
Classification: G07F

Abstract:
A game machine for allowing a player to play a game through the steps of: determining a betting condition including a betting point and a prize-winning line under which said game is executed to evaluate a result of playing said game; starting to change an arrangement of different symbols at random; stopping changing said arrangement of said symbols; and evaluating said result of playing said game on the basis of said arrangement of said symbols and said determined betting condition to award a winning prize point to said player, comprising:a housing having a front panel having a plurality of windows each displaying said symbols arranged thereon and changed at random at predetermined intervals;a control unit for executing said game to perform a betting operation for accepting said betting condition under which said game is executed to evaluate the result of playing said game, to perform a start operation for starting to display through said windows said symbols changed at random and to perform a stop operation for stopping changing said symbols displayed through said windows to evaluate said result of playing said game on the basis of said betting condition to award said winning prize point to said player by judging whether said symbols on said prize-winning line are identical with each other or not;a lever arm including a rod portion having a front half section extending outwardly of said housing and a rear half section extending inwardly of said housing, an axle portion integrally formed with the longitudinally intermediate portion of said rod portion and having a center axis substantially perpendicular to the center axis of said rod portion, said axle portion being pivotally supported on said housing and pivotal about said center axis thereof, a handle portion integrally formed with the front end of said rod portion and movable to assume three different positions consisting of neutral, first and second positions, said first and second positions substantially opposite to each other, said neutral position located between said first and second positions, and a sensor actuating portion integrally formed with the rear end of said rod portion, said rod portion being pivotable around said center axis of said axle portion to cause said rod portion to be rockable about said center axis of said axle portion to ensure that said handle portion is movable to said first and second positions from said neutral position;a resiliently urging member for resiliently urging said rod portion of said lever arm toward said neutral position from said first and second positions; andfirst and second optical sensors each including a light source for projecting a light on a light path substantially perpendicular to said center axis of said rod portion of said lever arm and a light detector for detecting the light projected from said light source, said first and second optical sensors being spaced apart from each other to have said light paths substantially parallel with each other, said first optical sensor being positioned to have said projected light intercepted by said sensor actuating portion of said lever arm when said rod portion of said lever arm is located at said first position, and said second optical sensor being positioned to have said projected light intercepted by said sensor actuating portion of said lever arm when said rod portion of said lever arm is located at said second position, said first and second optical sensors being operated to issue first and second instructions to said control unit when said lights are intercepted from said light sources of said first and second optical sensors, respectively, by said sensor actuating portion of said lever arm, andwherein said control unit is operable to selectively perform said betting operation and said start operation in response to said first and second instructions received from said first and second optical sensors, respectively.