THEATER ENTRANCE

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. (canceled)

25. A theater configuration, comprising: a lobby; a seating area; an entrance to the seating area; a vestibule extending between the lobby and the entrance, the vestibule having a curved image projection wall and a floor; and the floor of the vestibule comprising a curved pathway that connects the lobby to the entrance, the curved pathway being defined by the image projection wall.

26. The theater configuration of claim 25, wherein the curved pathway includes border lighting.

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

28. The theater configuration of claim 26, further comprising a walkway leading to the seating area, the walkway including additional border lighting.

29. The theater configuration of claim 28, wherein the border lighting in the curved pathway and the additional border lighting in the walkway are substantially the same color.

30. The theater configuration of claim 28, wherein the border lighting includes a color scheme that is similar to the additional border lighting.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0010] In the accompanying drawings that form a part of the specification and are to be read in conjunction therewith, illustrate by way of example and not limitation, with like reference numerals referring to like elements, wherein:

[0011] FIG. 1 is a top schematic view of a motion picture theater with an entrance;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of the theater entrance shown in FIG. 1;

[0013] FIG. 3 is another front perspective view of the theater entrance, from a position in the vestibule;

[0014] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the walkway of the theater entrance;

[0015] FIG. 5 is a top schematic view of an alternative design of a motion picture theater with an entrance;

[0016] FIG. 6 is a front perspective view of the alternative design of FIG. 5;

[0017] FIG. 7 is another front perspective view of the alternative design of FIG. 5;

[0018] FIG. 8 is a front view of the alternative design of FIG. 5; and

[0019] FIG. 9 is a schematic top view of a still further alternative design of a motion picture theater with an entrance.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Referring to FIG. 1, a motion picture theater having a novel entrance design is indicated generally by reference numeral 10. Theater 10 includes a screen 12 and a viewing or seating area 14 for audience members. The viewing area may include seats, benches, handrails, stairs, or floor space so that the audience may stand or sit in the viewing area. Seating in the viewing area may be arranged in stadium-style, staggered rows, or any other orientation that comfortably allows audience members to view screen 12.

[0021] The theater 10 has an entryway 16, centrally located in this example, where audience members may enter and exit the theater. The entryway 16 is oriented so that the audience members walk from a lobby 18 and pass through the entryway 16 on their way to the viewing area 14. The opening of entryway 16 is defined by outer walls 20A/20B.

[0022] Inside entryway 16 is a vestibule 24 where the audience members can gather or pass through on their way to the viewing area 14. The vestibule 24 has inner walls 22A/22B, which may be curved.

[0023] On one side of vestibule 24 is an image projection wall 26 positioned opposite entryway 16, so that image projection wall 26 is visible within vestibule 24 as well as outside entryway 16 and in lobby 18. The image projection wall 26 may be convexly curved similarly to the shape of vestibule 24 so that it remains visible from nearly every position within vestibule 24. Curved inner walls 22A/22B and curved image projection wall 26 create a curved pathway for vestibule 24.

[0024] After passing through the vestibule 24, audience members can walk along walkway 30 to the viewing area 14. Walkway 30 may have one or more entrances or doorways 32A/32B located at opposing ends of vestibule 24 that serve to block the sounds originating in the lobby 18 and vestibule 24 from being heard within the viewing area 14.

[0025] FIG. 2 illustrates a perspective view of entryway 16 that may be substantially centered between the two outer walls 20A and 20B. Outer walls 20A and 20B may be substantially planar so that they provide a distinctive and uniform division between lobby 18 and vestibule 24.

[0026] As shown also in FIG. 3, to further enhance the distinctiveness of entryway 16, border lighting 28 may be provided either above and/or below inner walls 22A/22B and/or image projection wall 26. Border lighting 28 consists of a light source (e.g., an LED strip) that is concealed in a wall recess located behind the top edge 29 and/or bottom edge 31 of image projection wall 26. Because the light source is positioned within the wall recess and angled so that light extends along the adjacent wall, the light source itself remains hidden within the recess while providing a smooth and continuous border lighting 28 along the adjacent walls regardless of whether or not the walls are flat or curved. The border lighting 28 can be any desired color scheme, e.g., one solid color, multicolored, and may also have special behaviors such as, but not limited to, blinking, chasing, fading, or color-changing effects.

[0027] The image projection wall 26 is directly opposite the entryway 16 as shown in FIG. 2 and extends substantially between the floor 27 to the ceiling 25 of the vestibule 24. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 3, image projection wall 26 may extend less than the full height between the floor and the ceiling of vestibule 24. In such a case, border lighting 28 may be placed between the ceiling 25 of vestibule 24 and the top edge 29 of image projection wall 26, or between the floor 27 of vestibule 24 and the bottom edge 31 of image projection wall 26, or at both the top and bottom edges 29 and 31 of image projection wall 26. Border lighting 28 may also placed at the top and bottom edges of inner wall 22B.

[0028] As noted above, border lighting 28 may be positioned at the top and the bottom of image projection wall 26 and also on inner wall 22, and may be placed only at the top or bottom of each wall or, alternatively, not included at all. A plurality of projectors 34 are shown positioned in a recess of ceiling 25 of vestibule 24. The projectors 34 are positioned so that the image projection wall 26 has a continuous image projected across the entire length and height of image projection wall 26. Alternatively, a plurality of different images may be projected along different sections of the image projection wall 26. The projectors 34 are positioned within a recess of ceiling 25 so that they are partially hidden within ceiling 25 of vestibule 24. Projectors 34 are angled such that audience members can approach the image projection wall 26 without blocking the projectors and disturbing or distorting the projected image on the wall. The technology for creating such an image(s) on image projection wall 26 is commercially available from various companies, such as Christie Digital Systems USA, Inc. of Cypress, Calif. Alternatively, the images on projection wall 26 could be achieved via individual displays or display panels, wherein the panels would be curved to conform with the shape of the vestibule 24 and controlled and synchronized to show a large-sized, continuous image across the whole surface of image projection wall 26.

[0029] FIG. 4 shows walkway 30 between vestibule 24 and viewing area 14. The walkway 30 is curved and has substantially parallel, curved inner walls 22C and 22D with border lighting 28 shown at both the top and bottom edges of inner walls 22C and 22D. Alternatively, border lighting may be placed at only one edge of the inner walls 22C and 22D or be entirely absent from walkway 30. Border lighting 28 may be concealed in a wall recess located at the top edge or the bottom edge of inner walls 22C and 22D so that the light source itself remains hidden within the recess while providing a smooth and continuous border lighting 28 along the adjacent walls regardless of whether or not the walls are flat or curved. Alternatively, border lighting 28B can be placed along the top or bottom edges so that the light source is visible. The border lighting 28 and 28B can be one solid color, multicolored, and may also have special behaviors such as, but not limited to, blinking, chasing, fading, or color-changing effects. Border lighting 28 and 28B may be substantially the same color.

[0030] FIG. 5 illustrates a plan view of an alternate design of the theater entrance wherein entryway 16 is positioned at an approximate right angle relative to the position of the entryway 16 of FIG. 1. Entryway 16 is shown between two outer walls 20A and 20B at one end of vestibule 24 so that it is adjacent to the curved image projection wall 26. The vestibule 24 has a curved inner wall 22 that is opposite image projection wall 26. The curved image projection wall 26 and curved inner wall 22 create a curved pathway in vestibule 24. In this design, there is one doorway 32 that connects vestibule 24 to the curved walkway 30, and doorway 32 is positioned at the far end of vestibule 24, thereby creating a centered, single doorway entrance to walkway 30 and viewing area 14. Walkway 30 includes substantially parallel curved inner walls 22C and 22D similar to walls 22C and 22D of walkway 30 of FIGS. 1 and 4. Alternatively, a substantially mirror-image layout to the design shown in FIG. 5, wherein the entryway would be on the opposite side to that shown in FIG. 5, may be employed, as desired.

[0031] FIGS. 6-8 illustrate front views of the alternate design shown in FIG. 5. In this configuration, outer wall 20A is positioned adjacent image projection wall 26. Image projection wall 26 is shown to extend substantially between the floor 27 and the ceiling 25 of vestibule 24, but it may alternatively extend completely between floor 27 and ceiling 25.

[0032] As may be appreciated from FIGS. 1, 3, 5 and 6, the curved image projection wall 26/26 obscures entrance 32A/32B/32 until the curved pathway in vestibule 24/24 is at least partially traversed by a customer. This is due to the convex curvature of image projection wall 26/26.

[0033] Entryway 16 is positioned between outer walls 20A and 20B adjacent the left edge 33 of image projection wall 26. In this design, border lighting 28 is positioned at the top edge 29 and bottom edge 31 of image projection wall 26, inner wall 22B, and along the top and bottom edges of outer walls 20A and 20B (in a similar manner, border lighting 28 in FIGS. 2-4 may be provided at the top and/or bottom edge of outer walls 20A and/or 20B). The border lighting 28 is positioned so that it is at the same level on outer walls 20A and 20B, inner wall 22B, and image projection wall 26 so that it appears continuous from the outer walls into and throughout vestibule 24. However, the border lighting may be positioned at either the top or bottom edges of the walls or may be absent from one or all of the walls 20A, 20B, 22B and 26. Border lighting 28, 28B and 28 may be the same, similar or different from each other, e.g., substantially the same color.

[0034] FIG. 9 illustrates a plan view of an alternate design of the theater entrance in which an entryway 16 is positioned between two flat outer walls 20A and 20B. Entryway 16 is positioned so that it is opposite to and at one side of the image projection wall 26. In contrast to the design of FIG. 5, the design of FIG. 9 employs two doorways 32A and 32B at respective ends of the vestibule 24 that lead to viewing area 14. This configuration assists in crowd control, i.e., upon exiting the theater, audience members can leave via either of the two doorways 32A and 32B which would aid in preventing overcrowding at one exit. The image projection wall 26 may extend along the entire length of vestibule 24, or it may extend across only a portion of the total vestibule length. Alternatively, a substantially mirror-image layout to the design shown in FIG. 9, wherein the entryway would be on the opposite side to that shown in FIG. 9, may be employed, as desired.

[0035] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for designing other products. Therefore, the claims are not to be limited to the specific examples depicted herein. For example, the features of one example disclosed above can be used with the features of another example. Thus, the details of these components as set forth in the above-described examples, should not limit the scope of the claims.

[0036] Further, the purpose of the Abstract is to enable the U. S. Patent and Trademark Office, and the public generally, and especially the scientists, engineers and practitioners in the art who are not familiar with patent or legal terms or phraseology, to determine quickly from a cursory inspection the nature and essence of the technical disclosure of the application. The Abstract is neither intended to define the claims of the application nor is intended to be limiting on the claims in any way.