Large-audience, positionable imaging and display system for exhibiting panoramic imagery, and multimedia content featuring a circularity of action

• US 20010040671A1
• Filed: 05/12/2001
• Published: 11/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Large Audience Display Systems LLC
• Original Assignee: Darrell J. Metcalf
• Inventors: Metcalf, Darrell J.
• Granted Patent: US 6,669,346 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 353/94
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 19/18 involving the use of optical projection means, e.g. projection of images on clouds projection apparatus per se G03B

Abstract

A large-audience, positionable imaging and display system for the imaging and displaying of visual-media content, comprising a screen configured for the display of panoramic imagery having an interior surface-perimeter and an exterior surface-perimeter, wherein each of said surface-perimeters are substantially contiguous in appearance and are sized and shaped to have a display area on which, substantially contiguous panoramic visual-media content and segmented visual-media content can be imaged. The system has at least one support means for supporting the shape of a panoramic screen-display and a screen positioning means for positioning the display to at least one height relative to a viewing audience to provide circumnavigable viewing, and a multitude of vantagepoints from which to view at least one of the surface-perimeters of the panoramic display. The system also provides visual-media content exhibition means for imaging and controlling the contiguous panoramic visual-media content and the segmented visual-media content on at least one of its surface-perimeters. The system optionally provides an array of speakers that are positioned around a perimeter of the system'"'"'s screen that are driven by audio amplifiers each connected with at least one audio source to provide a sound-system, and as desired, a panning of audible sound.

Claims

1. A large-audience, positionable imaging and display system for the imaging and exhibition of visual-media content, comprising:

a.) a screen-display configured for the exhibition of panoramic imagery having an interior surface-perimeter and an exterior surface-perimeter, wherein,

each of said surface-perimeters is shaped and sized to be substantially contiguous in appearance and to have a display-surface viewing area of a panoramic type, over a wide-angle field extending up to a full 360°

of azimuth, on which, substantially contiguous panoramic visual-media content and segmented visual-media content can be imaged;

b.) at least one screen support means for supporting the shape of said screen-display;

c.) screen positioning means to position said screen-display to at least one height relative to a viewing audience to provide a multitude of vantagepoints from which to view at least one of said surface-perimeters; and

,

d.) exhibition means for imaging and controlling said contiguous panoramic visual-media content and said segmented visual-media content on at least one of said surface-perimeters.

4. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein at least one of said surface-perimeters of said screen-display is comprised of a material suitable for rear-projection and is supported by at least one of said support means in alignment with the projected fields of a plurality of projectors.

5. The screen-display of

claim 4

wherein said material suitable for rear-projection is comprised of a flexible and substantially contiguous piece of material.

6. The screen-display of

claim 4

wherein said screen is comprised of a plurality of screen segments that are sized and shaped for quick assembly and disassembly and are supportable adjacent to one another to be substantially contiguous in appearance by at least one of said screen support means.

7. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein at least one of said surface-perimeters of said display system is comprised of a transparent material having a rigidity sufficient to form a self-supporting auxiliary display support means having a surface-perimeter which coaxially receives and supports a similarly shaped rear-projection screen material.

8. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein at least one portion of said surface-perimeters of said screen-display is comprised of a material suitable for retaining one or more gases and is suitable for forming a section of a balloon or airship, and said transparent material has a strength sufficient to also be a support means for supporting the shape of the screen-display.

9. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means is comprised of panoramic imaging apparatus consisting of a ring of outward-facing projectors.

10. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means is comprised of panoramic imaging apparatus consisting of a ring of inward-facing projectors.

11. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means is comprised of panoramic imaging apparatus consisting a least one electronically-imaged display screen composed of pixel elements.

12. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means is comprised of panoramic image-capturing apparatus consisting of a ring of outward-facing cameras.

13. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means is comprised of panoramic image-capturing apparatus consisting of a ring of inward-facing cameras.

14. The screen-display, screen support means, and screen positioning means of

claim 1

, whereby said screen-display is positioned to at least one height relative to an audience to provide a multitude of dual-perspective vantagepoints each offering views of said screen-display having a circularity-of-action, such that an object that is seen to travel from left to right on a nearer exterior surface-perimeter of said display-screen will be seen travelling right to left on the further interior surface-perimeter of the same screen-display.

15. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means is comprised of at least one image-processing means.

16. The image-processing means of

claim 15

further comprising at least one CPU, at least one operating system, and at least one input-controller means, and at least one panoramic game software application which collectively render panoramic video game imagery suitable for dual-perspective imaging by said exhibition means, wherein

said image-processing means is responsive to the input from a hand-controllable interface of at least one game controller device such that hand adjustments of the device interface cause predictable outcomes to the scene elements and environments that make up a panoramic game seen on said screen-display.

17. The image-processing means of

claim 15

further comprising at least one CPU, at least one operating system, and at least one input stimulus monitoring means, which collectively monitor and respond to at least one type of input stimuli to provide image switch means that change panoramic screen-display imagery according to controllable input parameters.

18. The at least one CPU, operating system, and panoramic game software application of

claim 16

comprising software routines to seamlessly edge-match an array of video segments, including, game backgrounds, environments, moving objects and other scene elements, when any or all of such are moving from, transitioning from, or overlapping between, one panoramic portion of the screen-display of said system to another panoramic portion of the screen-display.

19. The at least one CPU, operating system, and panoramic game software application of

claim 16

comprising software routines which collectively render panoramic video game imagery suitable for dual-perspective imaging by exhibition means of said system.

20. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

further comprising at least one CPU, at least one operating system, at least one user input means, and at least one operating networking software application, which collectively are responsive to user input from a plurality of workstations and provide networked interactivity between at least one other similarly configured facility.

21. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means further comprises image-processing means suitable for transmitting a plurality of live video content signal derived from a plurality of cameras at one location via suitable transmission means to a like-numbered plurality of projectors of said display system at the same location.

22. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means further comprises image-processing means suitable for transmitting a plurality of live video content signal derived from a plurality of cameras at one location via suitable transmission means to a like-numbered plurality of projectors of said display system at least one other location.

23. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said screen-display is configured having at least one rectangular accent screen mounted in close proximity to said screen-display.

24. The positioning means of the large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

comprising at least one computer-automated stepper motor.

25. The positioning means of the large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

comprising at least one hydraulic actuatoing means.

26. The positioning means of the large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

comprising a gas-filled display apparatus.

27. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means is comprised of panoramic image-capturing apparatus consisting of an aligned array of cameras.

28. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein said exhibition means further comprises image-processing means suitable for transmitting a plurality of video content signal derived from a pre-recorded source via suitable transmission means to a like-numbered plurality of projectors of said display system.

29. The large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 1

wherein at least one of said screen-display is incorporated into an architectural structure.

2. A large-audience, positionable imaging and display system for the imaging and exhibition of visual-media content, comprising:

a.) a screen-display configured for the exhibition of panoramic imagery having an interior surface-perimeter and an exterior surface-perimeter, wherein,

each of said surface-perimeters is shaped and sized to be substantially contiguous in appearance and to have a display-surface viewing area of a panoramic type, over a wide-angle field extending up to a full 360°

of azimuth, on which, substantially contiguous panoramic visual-media content and segmented visual-media content can be imaged;

b.) at least one screen support means for supporting the shape of said screen-display;

c.) screen positioning means to position said screen-display to at least one height relative to a viewing audience to provide circumnavigable viewing of the screen-display, and to provide a multitude of vantagepoints exterior to an outermost perimeter of said display, from which to view at least one of said surface-perimeters; and

,

d.) exhibition means for imaging and controlling said contiguous panoramic visual-media content and said segmented visual-media content on at least one of said surface-perimeters.

3. A large-audience, positionable imaging and display system for the imaging and displaying of visual-media content, comprising:

a.) a panoramic arced-screen segment configured for the imaging of arced-panoramic imagery having an interior surface-perimeter and an exterior surface-perimeter, wherein

each of said surface-perimeters are substantially contiguous in appearance and are sized and shaped as a display on which, substantially contiguous arced-panoramic visual-media content and segmented visual-media content can be imaged;

b.) at least one screen support means for supporting the shape of said display;

c.) at least one screen positioning means to position said display to at least one height relative to a viewing audience to provide circumnavigable viewing of the display, and to provide a multitude of vantagepoints from which to view at least one of said surface-perimeters;

d.) visual-media content exhibition means for imaging and controlling said contiguous panoramic visual-media content and said segmented visual-media content on at least one of said surface-perimeters, and,

e.) an array of speakers that are positionable around a perimeter of said display, wherein each of said speakers are driven by an audio amplifier connected with at least one audio source to provide a sound-system.

30. The sound system of said large-audience, positionable imaging and display system of

claim 3

wherein each of said speakers are driven by an audio amplifier connected with a plurality of audio sources to provide as desired, a panning of audible sound therefrom.