Monitoring system, game machine and device management system

• US 20050116049A1
• Filed: 08/08/2003
• Published: 06/02/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyomaru Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Toyomaru Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kobayashi, Hitoshi
• Granted Patent: US 7,780,524 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/552 involving long-term monitoring or reporting
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/86 Secure or tamper-resistant housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0875 Itemisation or classification of parts, supplies or services, e.g. bill of materials

Abstract

A board box 80 includes an upper lid portion 80a made of transparent resin, and a lower lid portion 80c made of transparent resin. A main control board 41 for performing main control to a pachinko game machine 1 is provided on the lower lid portion 80c. A thin and rectangular IC tag 86 is provided at the backside of the upper lid portion 80a. A coil-shaped antenna 68 for making RF transmission and reception with the IC tag 86 is provided at the lower right end portion of the main control board 41. The distance between the antenna 68 and the IC tag 86 is set to about 3 mm in the state that the upper lid portion 80a and the lower lid portion 80c are assembled. A R/W unit always polls the IC tag 86 via the antenna 68. If the upper lid portion 80a is opened and the distance between the antenna 68 and the IC tag 86 exceeds about 5 mm, the communication becomes unavailable and a fact that the upper lid portion 80a has been opened is immediately detected.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising an IC tag, and an IC tag monitoring device that makes communication with the IC tag, wherein said IC tag stores identification data that is used for distinguishing the IC tag from other IC tags, and said IC tag monitoring device includes a transmission circuit that transmits a calling wave for calling said IC tag, a reception circuit that receives a reflected wave returned from said IC tag, an antenna that is connected to said transmission circuit and said reception circuit, and determination means for determining that an abnormality has occurred if said reception circuit does not receive the reflected wave within a specified period of time since said transmission circuit transmits the calling wave and the communication becomes unavailable, or if said identification data contained in said reflected wave differs from registered data that is registered beforehand.

2. A monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said reception circuit cannot receive said reflected wave if a distance between said IC tag and said antenna changes to a value exceeding a specified threshold value.

3. A monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said IC tag monitoring device includes storage means for storing a result of determination made by said determination means, or for storing monitoring history data containing at least one of the time of disappearance that is the point of time at which the communication available state in which said reception circuit can receive said reflected wave has changed into the communication unavailable state in which said reception circuit cannot receive said reflected wave, or the time of recovery that is the point of time at which the communication unavailable state has changed into said communication available state, and the time of ID abnormality that is the point of time at which identification data different from the registered data that has been registered beforehand has received.

4. A monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein said storage means does not store said determination result and said monitoring history data when the result of the determination made by said determination means is normal continuously from the previous time, and when the result of the determination made by said determination means is abnormal continuously from the previous time.

5. A monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein said transmission circuit transmits the calling wave to said IC tag, and transmits the calling wave to said IC tag again immediately after said determination means has made determination and said storage means has made storage.

6. A monitoring system according to claim 3, wherein said IC tag comprises output means for outputting stored details that said storage means has stored to the outside.

7. A monitoring system according to claim 1, wherein said IC tag monitoring device includes output means for outputting to the outside a result of determination made by said determination means, or monitoring history data containing at least one of the time of disappearance that is the point of time at which the communication available state in which said reception circuit can receive said reflected wave has changed into the communication unavailable state in which said reception circuit cannot receive said reflected wave, or the time of recovery that is the point of time at which the communication unavailable state has changed into said communication available state, and the time of ID abnormality that is the point of time at which identification data different from the registered data that has been registered beforehand has received.

8. A monitoring system according to claim 7, wherein said output means does not output said determination result and said monitoring history data when the result of the determination made by said determination means is normal continuously from the previous time, and when the result of the determination made by said determination means is abnormal continuously from the previous time.

9. A monitoring system according to claim 6, wherein said transmission circuit transmits the calling wave to said IC tag, and transmits the calling wave to said IC tag again immediately after said determination means has made determination and said output means has made output.

10. A game machine comprising a monitoring system according claim 1.

11. A game machine according to claim 10, comprising an encapsulating member that encapsulates a board including a control element that controls the game machine thereon, and includes a main body member and a covering member detachable from the main body member, wherein one of said IC tag and said antenna is provided to said main body member and the other is provided to said covering member, and both of said IC tag and said antenna are encapsulated in said encapsulating member in the state that said main body member and said covering member are assembled.

12. A game machine according to claim 10, comprising a movable member that operates when specified conditions are established, wherein either one of said IC tag and said antenna is provided to said movable member, and in its vicinity where communication is available, the other is provided.

13. A device management system in which a device that includes the monitoring system according to claim 6 is connected with a management machine that manages the device via a network,

wherein said management machine comprises monitoring history data reception means for receiving said result of determination that is outputted from said output means or for receiving said monitoring history data.

14. A device management system according to claim 13, wherein said management machine comprises monitoring history data storage means for storing said result of determination that said monitoring history data reception means has received or said monitoring history data.

15. A device management system according to claim 13, wherein said management machine comprises monitoring history data output means for outputting said result of determination that said monitoring history data reception means has received or said monitoring history data.