THEATER ENTRANCE

• US 20170121991A1
• Filed: 12/09/2016
• Published: 05/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Dolby Laboratories Licensing Corporation (Dolby Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: OEHL, Wilhelm, HERMAN, David, VORON, Vincent, BURLOCK, Donald, SIJEN, Pascal, KUKSHTEL, Christopher Roy
• Granted Patent: US 9,938,738 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: E04F 19/02 Borders; Finishing strips, e.g. beadings; Light coves for protecting edges of plaster E04F13/06
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/00 Buildings or groups of buildings for public or similar purposes; Institutions, e.g. infirmaries or prisons
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/10 for meetings, entertainments, or sports
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/12 Tribunes, grandstands or terraces for spectators
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/22 Theatres; Concert halls; Studios for broadcasting, cinematography, television or similar purposes
• CPC Class Codes: E04H 3/30 Constructional features of auditoriums
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 21/56 Projection screens

Abstract

The present disclosure is directed to an entrance to a theater of the type normally used to show motion pictures. The motion picture theater entrance has distinctive outer walls separating a vestibule from a lobby. The vestibule has a curved image projection wall located inside said vestibule and is connected to a viewing area by a curved walkway. The entrance also may include border lighting along the upper and or lower edges of its walls.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A theater configuration, comprising:

a lobby;

a seating area;

an entrance to said seating area;

a vestibule extending between said lobby and said entrance, said vestibule having a convexly curved image projection wall, a floor and a ceiling;

said image projection wall positioned so as to be at least partially visible from said lobby;

said floor of said vestibule comprising a curved pathway that connects said lobby to said entrance; and

wherein said curved pathway is further defined by a curved inner wall and said image projection wall that are substantially parallel to each other.

26. The theater configuration set forth in claim 25, wherein said curved pathway includes border lighting.

27. The theater configuration set forth in claim 26, further comprising a walkway leading to said seating area, said walkway including additional border lighting.

28. The theater configuration set forth in claim 27, wherein said border lighting in said curved pathway and said additional border lighting in said walkway are substantially the same as each other.

29. The theater configuration set forth in claim 25, wherein said curved image projection wall obscures said entrance until said curved pathway is at least partially traversed.

30. The theater configuration set forth in claim 29, wherein said curved image projection wall has a first convex curvature that obscures a portion of the image projection wall near said entrance until said curved pathway is at least partially traversed.

31. The theater configuration set forth in claim 25, wherein said entrance comprises a door that opens in a direction into said vestibule and away from said image projection wall.

32. The theater configuration set forth in claim 25, wherein said pathway is open, being bounded only by said image projection wall, said border lighting, said curved inner wall, said floor and said ceiling.

33. The theater configuration as set forth in claim 32, wherein said pathway is free of extraneous objects.

34. The theater configuration as set forth in claim 26, wherein said image projection wall has a top edge and a bottom edge, and said border lighting is located in a recess at the bottom edge of said image projection wall.

35. The theater configuration as set forth in claim 27, wherein said border lighting includes a color scheme that is similar to said additional border lighting.