Air delivered special effects

• US 9,776,100 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: Disney Enterprises Incorporated (The Walt Disney Company)
• Inventors: Wong, Clifford, Bouman, John, Kelley, Kevin, Wagner, Ken
• Primary Examiner(s): Berdichevsky, Aarti B
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cegielnik, Urszula M
• Application Number:
  US14/535,281
• Publication Number:
  US 20160129363A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/00 Toy aircraft; Other flying toys toys with parachutes A63H33/20
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 27/12 Helicopters A63H27/04 takes precedence; Flying tops
• CPC Class Codes: A63H 37/00 Jokes; Confetti, streamers, or other dance favours ; Cracker bonbons or the like

Abstract

A discharge platform comprises an air propulsion mechanism that propels the discharge platform through the air. The discharge platform also comprises a special effect storage device that stores a special effect and is operably connected to the discharge platform. Further, the discharge platform comprises a processor. In addition, the discharge platform comprises an air delivery special effect mechanism that discharges a special effect from the special effect storage device toward a destination after receiving an instruction from the processor and during propulsion of the discharge platform through the air by the air propulsion mechanism.

Claims

1. A special effect multi-copter comprising:

a discharge platform;

a propulsion mechanism coupled to the discharge platform that propels the discharge platform through the air to a aerial position and maintains the aerial position;

a storage apparatus that stores a special effect producing device and is coupled to the discharge platform; and

a dispenser that drops the special effect producing device from the storage apparatus at the aerial position toward a destination after receiving an instruction while the discharge platform is flying such that the special effect producing device is activated to provide a special effect for a human audience at a predetermined distance from the destination.

2. The special effect multi-copter of claim 1, further comprising a receiver that receives an instruction from a remote transmission device to drop the special effect producing device.

3. The special effect multi-copter of claim 1, wherein the instruction comprises GPS coordinates for the aerial position.

4. The special effect multi-copter of claim 1, further comprising a GPS sensor that determines GPS coordinates for a position of the discharge platform.

5. A method comprising:

propelling a discharge platform through the air to a aerial position, the discharge platform storing a special effect producing device;

maintaining the aerial position;

receiving an instruction while the discharge platform is flying, the instruction providing a destination for a special effect;

activating a dispenser that dispenses a special effect producing device based upon the instruction;

dispensing the special effect producing device at the aerial position toward the destination based upon the activation of the dispenser to provide an entertainment feature for a human audience at a predetermined distance from the destination.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving an instruction from a remote transmission device to discharge the special effect producing device.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising receiving GPS coordinates for the aerial position.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising propelling the discharge platform through the air to the GPS coordinates.

9. The method of claim 5, further comprising activating the dispenser manually via a remote control or automatically via a timer.

10. The method of claim 5, wherein the discharge platform is propelled autonomously through the air without human intervention.

11. A multi-copter system comprising:

a transceiver;

a discharge platform that stores a special effect producing device and receives an instruction from the transceiver to activate a dispenser that drops a special effect producing device from a aerial position toward a destination based upon the instruction while the discharge platform is flying to provide a special effect for an audience at a predetermined distance from the destination.

12. The multi-copter system of claim 11, wherein the instruction comprises GPS coordinates for the aerial position.

13. The multi-copter system of claim 11, wherein the discharge platform is propelled autonomously.