Amusement ride system and method

• US 8,021,236 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2009
• Issued: 09/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Blammo, LLC
• Original Assignee: Blammo, LLC
• Inventors: Yeh, Bing, Bloom, Philip Stephen
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIEN T
• Application Number:
  US12/612,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20100248850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 472/13, 472/43, 472/117, 472/128, 463/2, 463/5, 463/7, 273/317, 273/459, 124/1, 124/41.1, 124/79
• US Class Current: 472/43
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 9/02 Shooting or hurling games throwing-implements for sports or recreational use A63B65/00; throwing or projecting toys per se A63H33/18; gun simulators F41A33/00, e.g. light- or radiation-emitting guns F41A33/02; practice apparatus for gun-aiming F41G3/26, e.g. using a light-emitting device F41G3/2616; targets, target ranges, bullet catchers F41J, photo-electric hit-detector systems F41J5/02
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 33/00 Devices allowing competitions between several persons, not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 5/00 Games on roundabouts
• CPC Class Codes: F41J 11/00 Target ranges timetables, lists or forms for shooter enlistment B42D15/0066

Abstract

An amusement ride system includes: a shooting device adapted to shoot a projectile; an aiming facility operable by a user to aim the shooting device; and a triggering device operable by the user to fire the shooting device. The user rides the vehicle, aims the shooting device, and fires the device to shoot the projectile. A method for a ride includes: providing a shooting device; providing a plurality of projectiles; and aiming and shooting the projectiles utilizing the shooting device.

Claims

1. A ride system utilizing a vehicle, a user riding the vehicle, and a projectile, the ride system comprising:

a shooting device adapted to shoot the projectile;

an aiming facility operable by the user to aim the shooting device;

a triggering device operable by the user to fire the shooting device;

a repository to store a plurality of projectiles; and

a feeder mechanism to feed each of said projectiles from the repository to the shooting device;

wherein the user rides the vehicle, aims the shooting device, and fires the device to shoot the projectile, the repository is a bin located above the vehicle, the feeder mechanism is a tube, and each said projectile is transported by gravity down the tube to the shooting device.

2. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the projectile is a dry media made of generally soft, impact-safe material.

3. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the aiming facility and triggering device are fixed to the vehicle in a location generally in front of the user, thereby allowing the user to aim and fire the shooting device.

4. The ride system of claim 1, wherein the shooting device is rotatably attached to the vehicle, and the aiming facility is a handle on the shooting device allowing the user to rotate the shooting device, thereby aiming the shooing device.

5. The ride system of claim 4, wherein the triggering device is located on or adjacent to the handle, thereby allowing the user to simultaneously operate the handle and the triggering device.

6. The ride system of claim 1, further comprising:

a mechanism to collect the projectile after the device shoots the projectile and deliver the projectile to the ride system.

7. The ride system of claim 1, further comprising:

targets that transition from a first observable state to a second observable state in response to impact by the projectile.

8. A ride system utilizing a vehicle, a user riding the vehicle, and a plurality of projectiles, the ride system comprising:

a bin located above the vehicle to store the plurality of projectiles;

a shooting device to shoot each projectile;

a feeder tube to transport each projectile by gravity from the bin to the shooting device;

an aiming facility for the user to aim the shooting device; and

a triggering device for the user to fire the shooting device.