Patent 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.

Full Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0001]    The present disclosure is generally directed to a theater entrance of the type that is typically used as the entrance to a motion picture theater. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0002]    Motion picture theaters have been in existence for over a century and are well known in the art. The design for these theaters has evolved over time, from single screen movie houses showing one film at a time to very large multiplexes having dozens of individual theaters running different films simultaneously. But despite offering such a wide variety of entertainment options, audience attendance at movie theaters has declined. 
         [0003]    New developments in digital technology have made home entertainment systems more advanced and accessible and so consumers have a wide variety of options such as DVD rentals, video streaming, etc. Although visiting a motion picture theater was once the only way one could see a film, now nearly every film is available instantaneously via video streaming or downloading from the comfort of one&#39;s couch at home. Those who continue to frequent motion picture theaters now do so as much for the whole theater-going experience as to watch the films themselves. 
         [0004]    Multiplex owners have observed this trend and motion picture theaters are now being designed with this experience in mind. Special theater designs combine visual, audio, and other sensory features so that the audience is fully immersed. The audience does not merely watch a film; the audience experiences it. 
         [0005]    Multiplexes usually include a variety of theater types so that audience members may select which type of experience they prefer. Basic 35 mm films may be suitable for some patrons while others prefer to have the option of seeing their films shown in a higher quality format (e.g. 70 mm film, digital projection, 4K Digital projection, and other developing formats) and in a theater fitted with premium features such as stadium seating, digital sound, or customized theater geometry. However, installing these premium features into a theater comes at a higher price than a basic, staggered row  35 mm projection theater and, therefore, the resulting cost is passed down to the audience members each time they purchase a ticket to one of these high quality performances. 
         [0006]    However, the standard layout of most multiplexes and theaters does not allow for any differentiation between basic 35 mm theaters and theaters providing a higher quality, immersive experience. Frequently, the first indication that one theater is different from another occurs only after the audience enters the viewing area and the on-screen advertisements begin. Therefore, audience members may not be getting the whole experience that they desire to justify the higher ticket prices. 
         [0007]    Thus, a need exists for a theater entrance designed in a distinctive manner so that the audience is able to distinguish a premium theater from a standard multiplex theater. The theater entrance may possess a variety of distinctive features that indicate to the audience that a different experience lies beyond the entryway from the lobby. It is important that the theater entrance have a distinct, dramatic appearance so that audience members&#39; attention is drawn to the entryway. By creating a new, innovative theater entrance, an audience member&#39;s experience and journey begins right when he or she first approaches the theater entrance, whether it be a stand-alone movie house, or within a multiplex. 
       CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
       [0008]    This application is a continuation of prior pending U.S. application Ser. No. 14/556,178, filed Nov. 30, 2014, the entirety of which is expressly incorporated by reference herein. 
       SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE 
       [0009]    The present disclosure relates to a motion picture theater having an entrance that includes an entryway between a lobby and a vestibule. The entryway is flanked by a flat outer wall. A convex image projection wall is in the vestibule that is visible from the lobby, and a curved walkway is located between the vestibule and a viewing area that is further inside the theater. The present disclosure also relates to a theater entrance that may include distinctive border lighting around the edges of the walls of the vestibule, the flat outer wall, as well as the image projection wall. 
     
    
     
       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 io. Theater io includes a screen  12  and a viewing 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 io 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  20 A/ 20 B. 
         [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  22 A/ 22 B, 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 . 
         [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 doorways  32 A/ 32 B 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  20 A and  20 B. Outer walls  20 A and  20 B 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  22 A/ 22 B 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 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  22 B. 
         [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  3 o between vestibule  24  and viewing area  14 . The walkway  30  is curved and has inner walls  22 C with border lighting  28  shown at both the top and bottom edges of inner walls  22 C. Alternatively, border lighting may be placed at only one edge of the inner walls  22 C 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  22 C 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  28 B can be placed along the top or bottom edges so that the light source is visible. The border lighting  28  and  28 B 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. 
         [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  20 A′ and  20 B′ 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 ′. 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 . 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  20 A′ 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]    Entryway  16 ′ is positioned between outer walls  20 A′ and  20 B′ 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  22 B′, and along the top and bottom edges of outer walls  20 A′ and  20 B′ (in a similar manner, border lighting  28  in  FIGS. 2-4  may be provided at the top and/or bottom edge of outer walls  20 A and/or  20 B). The border lighting  28 ′ is positioned so that it is at the same level on outer walls  20 A′ and  20 B′, inner wall  22 B′, 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  20 A′,  20 B′,  22 B′ and  26 ′. 
         [0033]      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  20 A″ and  20 B″. 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  32 A″ and  32 B″ 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  32 A″ and  32 B″ 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. 
         [0034]    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. 
         [0035]    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.

Technology Classification (CPC): 4