The present invention relates to the field of public entertainment performed with the use of stages or the like, and more specifically to the apparatus therein inserted with the aim of applying the desired movements to those stages, as well as to the field of advertisement.
Although the present invention might be applied to a wide range of formats, solutions and circumstances, it will be however herein exemplified based on the newly introduced concept of “cages” used for practicing wrestling combats such as in the mixed martial arts, for which a temporary stage is mounted inside a venue where the fight will occur, being such cages generally called “octagon”, a geometric format that will therefore be used as our explanatory model.
That kind of octagonal stage received the “cage” denomination due to the fact that, to protect wrestlers and prevent them to fall down from the stage's floor to the outside soil, a fence has been installed all over the periphery of the stages creating so the appearance and atmosphere of a cage inside which the fight will run.
The existence of the fence, although of fundamental importance for the execution of the fights, is not necessary, and even undesired, during certain moments of the show such as during the wrestlers presentation in the beginning of the fight, or at the end when the referee announces the fight's result when that fence will act unavoidably as an unnecessary visual barrier for the public attending to the event and should preferably be removed in such special moments, which is actually the main goal of the present patent, along with the advertising method herein created.
To achieve that goal is then necessary to insert in the movable stage a variety of mechanical resources which movements are achieved preferably by means of an electric, pneumatic, hydraulic power or any other kind of mechanical force capable to give the stage's parts the required movements.
Besides and taking advantage from the movements that will be given to the movable floor and to the fence by the present invention, an advertising system can also be inserted along with the whole apparatus by simply inserting specific devices jointly with the fence or the floor, as will be further elaborated.
Previous patents have somehow attempted to overcome similar disadvantage existing in public events although trying to resolve different problems than the ones herein faced.
The following US patents, for example, were devoted to rationalize a better seats distribution inside a venue: U.S. Pat. No. 7,107,724 of Scott Suprina and Tony English for “Interchangeable Stadium Seating and Entertainment Stage”; U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,406 of Staelin; U.S. Pat. No. 4,688,357 of Deaton; U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,921,032 and 5,7494,383, both of Labinski, U.S. Pat. No. 2,668,331 of Horn and U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,776 of Burkinshaw.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to improve the quality of individual participation in public events in which stages or similar devices are used.
It is also an object of the present invention to remove visual barrier between the attendees at public events and the event itself, in certain given moments during that event whenever stages or similar devices are used.
It is also an object of the present invention to improve the individual interest and attraction of individuals when attending public events whenever stages or similar devices are used.
It is also an object of the present invention to improve the overall quality in a public event by providing stages or similar devices fitted with the means for moving parts of that stage or similar devices.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus for rapidly and interchangeably moving sections of a stage or similar devices.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus capable to display instant and direct advertising during certain given moments during an event.
It is also an object of the present invention to overcome disadvantages of the prior art.
In keeping with these objects and others that may become apparent, this invention relates to a method and apparatus to enhance the visual perception of attendees present to shows where the use of protective elements such fences surrounding a stages act as a physical obstacle between the show and the public during given moments such as in the initial presentation of contenders in a wrestling contest, for instance, or at the winner proclamation in the end of the session, when preferably the fence should be removed for the benefit of the show's visibility.
This aim can be achieved in an efficient manner without disturbing the playing field by means of mechanical force applied over certain parts of the stage's sections such as the on stage's fence or the stage's floor or even both simultaneously, to move them up and downwards or horizontally, providing at the same time the means for introducing advertisement media with the use of the stage's movable structure for this goal.
The proper functioning of the present invention is guaranteed by the construction of a solid structure both for the fence and the stage's floor which apart of being independent one from the other are both twinned by specific contact points that might be raised and lowered vertically through adequate power, making so the patent viable.
Once that goal is achieved, the quality of the show for the attendees will be enhanced due to the inexistence of visual barriers between the public and the scenes during certain moments causing the general view of the show to be straight and clean.
The present invention will be better understood in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:
A general view of an octagon cage 1 is given on
In its usual current configuration, those octagons stages have actually introduced a very useful new concept to this sportive activity by creating additional protection to the wrestlers given by the peripheral fence that prevents the fighters from falling down from the stage, creating at the same time an ultimate fighting atmosphere inside the cage from where only one wrestler must leave as the fight winner.
The existence of the fence 2, although of fundamental importance for the execution of the program is not necessary and even undesired during certain moments of the show such as during the wrestlers presentation in the beginning of the contest, or at the end when the referee announces the fight result, moment when that fence 2 will act unavoidably as an unnecessary visual barrier for the public attending to the event, as illustrated in
To overcome the inconvenient, that visual barrier should preferably be removed in such special moments to clean the attendee's observation field 8a, as disclosed by
On
Afterwards, the set so formed by the movable fence 9 and by the movable floor 10 will be inserted into the inner space 11a, existing at the center of the surrounding platform 11 which is the first step to set up the “Stage Having Movable Parts and Advertising Means” 12 of the present patent shown on
Taking from the same
On
On
On
To achieve that goal it is necessary to outfit the movable stage with a variety of mechanical resources in which movements are preferably achieved by means of electric, pneumatic, hydraulic power or any other kind of adequate mechanical force, able to supply for the movable elements of the stage, the desired movements.
One, out of the many ways to do that is exemplified in
Once those two equivalent racks 13 existing in the lower section of the sustaining legs, as described by
Optionally, it is also possible to move only one of the two movable elements at a time by either raising only the stage's floor 4 or lowering only the fence 2, which will result in the same desired effect of enhancing the clean observation field 8a of the attendees.
Mini-space, high-performance, double-action telescopic cylinders jacks 17 are easy to find in the market. Capable to afford long life in heavy-duty use, they are engineered and constructed for easy installation and minimal maintenance, as well requiring minimum over-all installation dimensions.
It should be noted that during the wrestling time when the fence 2 will be submitted to extra force applied by the heavy wrestlers' bodies, the telescopic cylinders 17b of the jacks 17 will be returned to the retracted position after the return flow on the telescopic cylinders has been applied, being anyway all the elements of the mobile stage dully anchored and tight by means of clamps or any other adequate equipment to assure maximum resistance and durability to its mechanism.
Besides and taking advantage from the movements that will be given to the movable floor 4 and to the fence 2 by the present invention, an advertising system might also be inserted along with the whole apparatus by simply inserting specific devices jointly with the stage's fence 2 or the stage's floor 4, as will be further elaborated.
One essential success element on public events is related to how efficient its announcement is made, before and during the event, and sometimes after. For this aim many communication channels might be employed including written institutional or commercial messages of public interest concerning to what is going to happen at that specific place.
The vertical movements allowed by the present patent represents an additional opportunity to dispose to the event's attendees another information channel in the pause between the combats, when idle moments can be filled with useful information related to the event.
That goal can be achieved through the use a banner holder 21, as one example among many others feasible devices adequate for this function, that can be displayed with the support of the fence 2 during its vertical movements, which will be used to exhibit advertising messages of any type during given moments when nothing of the attendee's interest is happening inside the stage.
As so, the adjacent advertising kit to the stage's fence 2, shown as an example in
On
It is further noted that various modifications may be made to the present invention, within the scope of the invention, as noted in the appended claims.