Circular motion theater

• US 9,540,832 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2015
• Issued: 01/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Falcon's Beyond Brands LLC (Falcon’s Beyond Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Falcon's Treehouse LLC (Falcon’s Beyond Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Magpuri, Cecil D.
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIEN T
• Application Number:
  US14/624,235
• Publication Number:
  US 20150159390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 693 Days
• Field of Search: 472 57- 61, 472/75, 472/77, 472/730, 52 6- 8, 52/10, 52/80, 52/81
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47C 1/12 Theatre, auditorium, or similar chairs seats detachably mounted on stadium benches A47C1/16
• CPC Class Codes: A63G 31/14 with planes mounted on springs; with movable planes
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 25/00 Equipment specially adapted for cinemas cinematographic projection means G03B
• 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 21/606 for relief projection
• CPC Class Codes: G03B 37/04 with cameras or projectors providing touching or overlapping fields of view

Abstract

An entertainment structure and apparatus principally comprising a 360-degree 2D and/or 3D cinematic theater. Seating for audience members is arrangeable on a circular motion base platform. A compound curved screen may lower from above to surround the theater upon a circular motion base platform, providing seamless media. A 2D/3D projection system is oriented within the structure to provide 2D/3D images on the screen through projection overlap for edge blending. A control system is used to rotate, pitch and roll the motion base platform. The control system can be synchronized with the media presentation. The structure includes a number of variations such as a variety of seating orientations, a stationary screen, a variety of screen configurations, and modular tracking seating.

Claims

1. A theater comprising:

one or more curved rows of seats on a motion base, with the seats facing inwardly towards a central area of the theater, and with the seats around the central area;

a dome-shaped screen around the seats, with substantially each seat having a sight line through the central area;

multiple projectors arranged to project images of a media presentation onto the screen;

a controller linked to the motion base for coordinating movement of the motion base with the projected media presentation; and

with the curved rows of seats rotatable about the central area of the theater and also tiltable.

2. The theater of claim 1 further including an elevator to provide access for audience members to the seats.

3. The theater of claim 1 wherein the screen is stationary with seats removed to provide ingress and egress into and out of the theater.

4. The theater of claim 1 with the seats in semicircles.

5. The theater of claim 1 with the seats aligned on radii of the screen.

6. The theater of claim 1 with the motion base on a track section in a circular configuration.

7. The theater of claim 1 with the seats between the central area and the screen.

8. A theater comprising:

one or more rows of seats rotatably supported on a motion base with the motion base on a track section in a circular configuration, with the seats facing inwardly towards a central area of the theater, and with seats on opposite sides of the central area;

one or more curved screens around the seats, with an unobstructed line of sight from substantially each seat to the screen on a radius of the screen;

an image projection system including multiple projectors in the theater arranged to project images onto the curved screen; and

a controller linked to the motion base for coordinating rotation and tilt movement of the motion base with the images projected onto the screens.

9. The theater of claim 8 further including an elevator to provide access for audience members to the seats.

10. The theater of claim 8 with the seats in semicircles.

11. A theater comprising:

one or more rows of seats on an annular seat frame, with the seats facing inwardly towards a central area of the theater and with each seat having a sight line through the central area of the theater;

a tilt actuator linked to the seat frame for varying a tilt angle of the seats;

a rotation actuator linked to the seat frame for rotating the seat frame;

a dome-shaped screen around the seats, and with the seats between the central area and the screen;

an image projection system including multiple projectors in the theater arranged to project edge blended images onto the curved screen; and

a controller linked to the tilt and rotation actuators for coordinating rotation and tilt movement of the seats with the images projected onto the screen.

12. The theater of claim 11 with the seats in semicircles.

13. The theater of claim 11 with the seats aligned on radii of the screen.

14. The theater of claim 11 wherein the dome-shaped screen is spherical.