Water pinball ride with spectator interaction

• US 6,045,449 A
• Filed: 03/03/1998
• Issued: 04/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mark Aragona
• Original Assignee: Mark Aragona
• Inventors: Aragona, Mark, Larson, Fred C., Belongia, Robert F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Kien T.
• Application Number:
  US09/034,047
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• Field of Search: 472/117, 472/128, 472/13, 472/88, 472/129, 104/70, 104/73, 104/53, 104/59
• US Class Current: 472/117
• CPC Class Codes: A63B 67/007 played in water
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 21/18 Water-chutes
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/007 involving water

Abstract

A water play area having a plurality of water devices and actuators for controlling those devices located outside of the play area for selective activation by spectators observing participants within the play area. The play area is preferably laid out like a giant pinball machine in which participants are placed in groups or individually within tubes representing the balls of the pinball machine. Movement of the tubes along the play area plane can be influenced by movement inducing devices such as flippers, spinners, stationary bumpers, guides and Dutchman'"'"'s Dikes. Also included within the play area are water devices, such as whipping snakes, geysers, rain drops, shower sprayers, whirly-birds and water bomb launchers that can either be on continuously or be selectively activated to drench participants within the play area.

Claims

1. A water amusement ride for use by a participant, the ride comprising:

a sloped play area;

a thin sheet of water along said sloped play area to reduce frictional forces acting on the participant as the participant moves along a path on the sloped play area;

a plurality of movement inducing devices located within said play area for modifying the movement of the participant within the play area to a different path, at least one of said movement inducing devices having actuation means located outside of the play area for manual activation by a spectator; and

a plurality of water effects located within said play area for drenching participants within the play area, at least one of said water effects having actuation means located outside of the play area for manual activation by a different spectator,

said plurality of movement inducing devices and water effects being arranged on said play area to allow substantially free two dimensional movement of a participant along any one of a plurality of paths on the play area from one of a plurality of start positions to one of a plurality of end positions so that the participant can have a substantially different experience each time the participant uses the water ride.

2. A method for engaging spectators within an interactive water ride comprising:

directing participants within a play area down a sloped surface from an upper start area to a lower end area, said play area including a plurality of features adapted to interact with the participants;

locating spectators outside of the play area;

said spectators selectively activating at least one of the plurality of features within the play area during the step of directing the participants down the sloped surface which, by its activation, affects the participants as the participants descend toward the lower end area; and

after the spectators selectively activate at least one of the plurality of features, directing at least one of the spectators down the sloped surface.

3. The method according to claim 2, further including the step of providing a plurality of actuators outside of said play area, and coupling each of said actuators to one of said features within the play area, for selective activation of the feature by the spectator.

4. The method according to claim 3, further including the step of drenching participants within the play area responsive to the step of selectively activating at least one of the features within the play area.

5. The method according to claim 3, further including the step of redirecting the participants down the sloped surface responsive to the step of selectively activating at least one of the features within the play area.

6. The method according to claim 2, further including the step of allowing at least one of the participants to activate at least one of the plurality of features as the spectator is directed down the sloped surface.

7. An interactive amusement ride comprising:

a play area allowing substantially free two dimensional movement of a participant on the play area; and

movement inducing means located within said play area for modifying the movement of the participant within the play area, at least one of said movement inducing means having actuation means located in the play area for selective activation by the participant or a spectator.

8. A water amusement ride for participants comprising:

an upper start area having a plurality of start positions;

a lower end area;

a generally sloped play area coupled between the upper start area and lower end area allowing substantially free two-dimensional movement of the participants from the upper start area to the lower end area thereby resulting in a plurality of possible paths along the play area; and

movement inducing means for selectively modifying movement of the participants within the play area so that any one of the plurality of start positions can result in the participant exiting the play area at any one of a plurality of different lower area end positions.

9. The ride of claim 8, wherein the movement inducing means includes an elongate body adapted to contact a participant within the play area, said body being pivotable through an arc responsive to an actuator.

10. The ride of claim 8, wherein the participants are mounted within a circular vehicle adapted to traverse the play area, wherein the movement inducing device includes:

a first surface; and

a second circular surface centered about a second axis and spaced from said first surface by a distance slightly smaller than a diameter of said circular vehicle, said second circular surface adapted to impart a spin to said circular vehicle as said vehicle passes between said first and said second surfaces.

11. The ride of claim 10, wherein said first surface is circular centered about a first axis and said second surface is circular centered about a second axis, said first surface being rotated about said first axis in a first direction at a first rate and said second surface being spun about said second axis at a second rate in a second direction opposite said first direction.

12. The ride of claim 11, wherein the first rate of rotation of the first circular surface is equal to the second rate of rotation of the second circular surface.

13. The ride of claim 11, wherein the first rate of rotation of the first circular surface is different from the second rate of rotation of the second circular surface.

14. The ride of claim 8, wherein the movement inducing device includes:

a holding area adapted to admit participants from an upstream side of the device; and

a door located adjacent a downstream side of the device, said door being adapted to collect water within the holding area when the door is in a first closed position and, in a second open position, releasing said water and said participants within said holding area.

15. A water amusement ride adapted to allow spectator interaction with participants within the water ride comprising:

a play area of the water ride;

a plurality of devices located within the play area that interact with the participants within the play area;

a spectator area located outside of the play area;

a plurality of manually controlled actuators for operating the plurality of devices, said actuators being located within the spectator area in spaced apart relation to one another so that they cannot all be manually actuated simultaneously by a single person,

wherein one of said devices includes;

a rigid riser tube coupled to a water source;

a valve coupled between the riser tube and the water source; and

a flexible tube coupled to an end of the rigid riser tube.

16. A water amusement ride adapted to allow spectator interaction with participants within the water ride comprising:

a play area of the water ride;

a plurality of devices located within the play area that interact with the participants within the play area;

a spectator area located outside of the play area;

a plurality of manually controlled actuators for operating the plurality of devices, said actuators being located within the spectator area in spaced apart relation to one another so that they cannot all be manually actuated simultaneously by a single person,

wherein one of said devices includes;

a canopy suspended above the play area and coupled to a water source, said canopy including an arcuate upper surface bounded by a terminal edge; and

a valve coupled between the canopy and the water source, wherein said valve is opened when the actuator is activated by the spectator thus directing water out over the upper surface of the canopy toward the canopy terminal edge.

17. A water amusement ride adapted to allow spectator interaction with participants within the water ride comprising:

a play area of the water ride;

a plurality of devices located within the play area that interact with the participants within the play area;

a spectator area located outside of the play area;

a plurality of manually controlled actuators for operating the plurality of devices, said actuators being located within the spectator area in spaced apart relation to one another so that they cannot all be manually actuated simultaneously by a single person,

wherein one of said devices includes;

a water jet assembly capable of projecting a coherent stream of water; and

means for aiming the waterjet assembly in a direction selected by a control means operable by a spectator.

18. The water amusement ride of claim 17, wherein said means for aiming include:

a first actuator for tilting said water jet assembly upward and downward;

a turntable upon which said water jet assembly is mounted; and

a second actuator coupled to said turntable for rotating said turntable across an arc selected by said spectator using said control means.

19. A water amusement ride adapted to allow spectator interaction with participants within the water ride comprising:

a play area of the water ride;

a plurality of devices located within the play area that interact with the participants within the play area;

a spectator area located outside of the play area;

a plurality of manually controlled actuators for operating the plurality of devices, said actuators being located within the spectator area in spaced apart relation to one another so that they cannot all be manually actuated simultaneously by a single person,

wherein one of said devices includes;

a container located below a surface of the play area, said container being adapted to collect water flowing across said play area surface;

a nozzle located at a lower portion of the container; and

a valve coupled between the nozzle and a pressurized air source, wherein said valve is opened when the actuator is activated by the spectator thus directing air out of the nozzles and inducing water within the container to forcibly ejected from the container.

20. A water amusement ride adapted to allow spectator interaction with participants within the water ride comprising:

a play area of the water ride;

a plurality of devices located within the play area that interact with the participants within the play area;

a spectator area located outside of the play area;

a plurality of manually controlled actuators for operating the plurality of devices, said actuators being located within the spectator area in spaced apart relation to one another so that they cannot all be manually actuated simultaneously by a single person,

wherein one of said devices includes;

a set of nozzles pointed in a first direction mounted on a first arm;

a second set of nozzles pointed in a second direction mounted on a second arm, said first and second arm being rotatable about a common axis; and

a valve coupled between the first and second set of nozzles and a water source, wherein said arms rotated about said common axis when said valve is open.

21. A water amusement ride adapted to allow spectator interaction with participants within the water ride comprising:

a play area of the water ride;

a plurality of devices located within the play area that interact with the participants within the play area;

a spectator area located outside of the play area;

a plurality of manually controlled actuators for operating the plurality of devices, said actuators being located within the spectator area in spaced apart relation to one another so that they cannot all be manually actuated simultaneously by a single person,

wherein one of said devices includes;

a bucket suspended over the play area, said bucket being moveable between a first upright position and a second tipped position;

an actuator coupled to the bucket for moving said bucket from said first position to said second position;

a conduit for carrying water from a water supply to said bucket when the bucket is in the first upright position; and

a valve coupled between the conduit and the water supply.