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Amusement attraction with man-made tornado

 Nicholas H. Drobnis et al
An amusement attraction is housed within a building. The building contains several different settings. Each setting contains a variety of scenic elements. One setting acts as a pre-show and includes an audio-visual presentation. A second setting is designed to resemble a tornado-damaged building....
Inventors: Nicholas H. Drobnis, Craig R. Hanna, Philip D. Hettema, James H. Hightower, Cecil D. Magpuri, Edward S. Newquist
Assignees: Universal City Studios, Inc.

U.S. Classification
472/65; 472/59; 472/60

International Classification
A63D 508

View patent at USPTO

Citations

Patent NumberTitleIssue date
3589044TORNADO DEVICEJun 1971
3874589SELF-ACTING WATERSPOUT DEVICEApr 1975
4070131Tornado-type wind turbineJan 24, 1978
4215500Visual display deviceAug 5, 1980
4258912Tornado novelty deviceMar 31, 1981
4452562Tornado type wind turbinesJun 5, 1984
4836521Whirlpool amusement rideJun 6, 1989
5096467Artificial tornado generating mechanism and method of utilizing generated artificial tornadosMar 17, 1992
5272604Cyclonic liquid ornamentDec 21, 1993
5322646Simulated tornado humidifierJun 21, 1994
5403238Amusement park attractionApr 4, 1995
5616083Apparatus for generating a deep, laminar vortexApr 1, 1997
5971765Method and system for generating artificial tornadoes and related vortex phenomenaOct 26, 1999

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An amusement attraction comprising:

a building;
scenic elements arranged within the building;
a stationary guest viewing area in the building; and
a tornado generating system in the building.

2. The amusement attraction of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of different settings within the building.

3. The amusement attraction of claim 2, further comprising a pathway connecting the plurality of different settings.

4. The amusement attraction of claim 2, whereby at least one of the settings includes an audio visual presentation.

5. The amusement attraction of claim 2, whereby scenic elements are arranged in at least one of the settings to resemble a tornado-damaged building.

6. The amusement attraction of claim 2, whereby scenic elements are arranged in at least one of the settings to resemble an outdoor scene.

7. The amusement attraction of claim 1, further comprising a controller for controlling the scenic elements.

8. The amusement attraction of claim 1, whereby the scenic elements further comprise at least one of moving scenery, show action equipment, special effects and static props.

9. The amusement attraction of claim 8, whereby the special effects include at least one of sound effects, lighting effects, fire effects, moving image projection effects, and dropping water onto the guest viewing area.

10. The amusement attraction of claim 1, further including an actuator linked to at least one of the scenic elements for moving the scenic element to simulate the effect of a tornado on the scenic element.

11. The amusement attraction of claim 1, further comprising show action equipment for moving a scenic element through the air in front of the guest viewing area, to simulate the effect of a wind blown object.

12. The amusement attraction of claim 1, whereby the guest viewing area is a platform within the building.

13. The amusement attraction of claim 12, further including a platform actuator attached to the platform to move the platform down vertically to simulate the effect of a floor collapsing.

14. The amusement attraction of claim 1, further comprising a steam or LN.sub.2 delivery system in the building, to provide a visual media for a tornado created by the tornado generating system.

15. The amusement attraction of claim 1, further including a projection screen and a projector for projecting images onto the screen with the tornado generating system positioned to generate a tornado at a location between the projection screen and the guest viewing area.

16. An amusement attraction comprising:

a building;
a show setting in the building;
a stationary audience area in the building adjacent to the show setting;
a screen associated with the show setting;
a projector for projecting images onto the screen;
show action actuators linked to props movable in the show setting;
a tornado generating system in the show setting for generating a tornado, between the screen and audience; and
a show controller linked to the projector, show action actuators and the tornado generating system.

17. The amusement attraction of claim 16, further comprising an audio system linked to the show controller.

18. An amusement attraction comprising:

a building;
a tornado generating system in the building;
a guest viewing area in the building;
an exploding window system comprising:
vertical guide rails fixed within a wall;
a translucent window slidable in the guide rails, the translucent window spring-biased in a downward direction;
a controllable latch mechanism adjacent to the wall for restraining and releasing the translucent window; and
a broken window pane fixed relative to the wall and positioned behind the translucent window.

19. An amusement attraction comprising:

a building;
scenic elements arranged within the building;
a guest viewing area in the building;
a moveable canopy above the guest viewing area; and
a tornado generating system in the building.

Drawings