US1823479A - Method and means for ventilating theaters and distributing sound - Google Patents

Description

Sept. 15, 1931. R. E. VENDERBUSH 1,323,479

METHOD AND MEANS FOR VENTILATING THEATERS AND DISTRIBUTING SOUND Filed Ag. 5. 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l L I L 3 & R

1 H" I II l 1 I in I W 1 H I II I] Illa II 3 V M W INVENTOR E Ray L. Z/"enderivsh.

BY J

xTTORNEY Sept. 15, 1931. R. E. VENDERBUSH 3,3

METHOD AND MEANS FOR VENTILATING THEATERS AND DISTRIBUTING SOUND Filed Aug. 5. 1929 2 SbQBtQ-S' 1186t 2 INVENTOR 2$}! E Vnderbvsh HTQRNEY v Patented Sept. 15, 1931 1,823,479

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE RAY E. VENDERBUSH, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN Harmon AND. mmuvs r012. VENTILA'IING 'rnnarnns AND msmrnurruc soon-p Application filed August 5, 1929. Serial no. 383,592.

This invention. relates to methods and parently emanate from said means for ven'tilating theaters and distributformed with minute perforations i a ing sound and has a: special application to loud speaker v of any suitable, constructieq theaters in which motion pictures are disis. arranged at the smallend of a sound played with a synchronized sound accom- 6, connected with the, back of said-screen 55 paniment. progressively reducedv in cross sectionas An object of the invention is to discharge extends, to said speaker.

a, current, of air from a region adjacent to The described arrangement of screen a th stageDf a theater auditorium to the rear loud spealrer is at present widelyused in con: of suchjauditorium, in such volume and d1- nect o n w1thsynchromzed-sound-producing (if) rection as to appreciably assist transmission and plcture d splaying apparatus andamor to. the audience, of sounds emanating from detailed explanation of same would hence the stage. superfluous. The sound waves leaving sai More specifically, the invention seeks to screen are primarily directed toward the rear.

ass st n carryingsound waves from a motion of the theater, but with such lateral picture screen hrough which said waves gence as to reach the side sections and central are thrown; by a suitable loud speaker or the section in substantially the same volume, like) to allparts of a theater or auditorium The present invention proposes to.

without undue distortion or diminution charge a considerable current, of at so th r- 1 velocity in substantially the direction These and various other objects the invent travel of said sound waves, thereby eq nit a tion attains by the construction hereinafter acting to, a quite appreciable. extent the. described and illustrated in the accompany dency of said waves to diminish in force i drawing wher n: a i y as th y nc us there n iig. 1 is a perspective interior view of a vided, adjacent to. the stage and prefera 7 motion picture theater, showing a, referred centrally thereabove, an air outlet location for the opening into said t eater of which preferably is positioned just in fronit a ventilation system. of thecentral portion of the. arch 2. st} Fig. 2' is a diagrammatic longitudinal secfitting may have any desired 30 tional elevation of said theater, showing a may conveniently have the elon ated rectan provision for delivering air in a certain adgularform, best illustratedin l. Leadvantageous relation to the screen on which ing to anddischarging fromsaid ting is jan the pictures are thrown. air duct 8, through which a large volume Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional view of the of air maybe. impelled at low i 35 frame through which air enters the theater, blower 9,. Thela'tter may have desire 35 disclosing air-directing louvers carried location and may be conveniently-situated thereby. uponthe theater roof 1 0,. i l i Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the Provision is made for the venting of air same at he r r f he h t r y xtei d i g to Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a fragmore ducts 11 from the ceilingof thetheater mentary portion of the screen showing its through the roof thereof. 4 V M l perforated construction. In Fig. 2. the lines 12indicate the expand; Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front view of the ing path of the rearwardly traveling. same. waves, and the intersection of. p th hy .5 In these views, the reference character 1 the ventilating flow. of air is. ind cated. by

designates the stage of a theater and 2 the arrows. usual proscenium arch, framing the front of It has been found that in installing a ver the stage. Upon (or above) said stage, and tillating system in the described to a preferably in a central location is a motion screen and sound apparatus that the f 0 picture screen 3. To permit sounds to apwaves are more fully distributed throughout tion effects are materially lessened. The imcurrent may largely proved sound distribution is, it is believed, largely due to the effect of the above-described ventilation system in increasing the density of that portion of the air in the theater through which the sound waves travel to the audience.

In thus utilizing a ventilating current of air to augment travel of sound waves, it is desirable to locate the air outlet fittingsuflicie-ntly remote from the seats that the air lose its initial velocity before reaching the audience, whereby the existence of said current will not be unpleasantly perceptible. Also it is desirable to secure, so far as is practicable, a coincidence of direction between said air current and the advancing sound waves. The location of the dischargefitting 7 close adjacent to the central top portion of the arch 2 peculiarly perits the desired expansion of the air current prior to its encountering the audience and a low angularity of direction between said current and the sound waves. In Fig. 2, it best appears how the fitting 7 is inclined to impart the desired direction of travel to the air current.

" As a further provision for controlling the direction and expansion of the air current to meet"various conditions, sets of relatively trans-verse pivotal louvers 13 and 14: may be mounted in the fitting '7, extending respectively horizontally across the opening thereof Said louvers may aud'tor um,

and parallel tothe side edges of said opening. be -set at such differential angles as will secure most effective augmentation ofthe sound waves by the discharging air.

*fWhile-a' single air outlet fitting adjacent has been illustrated, it is to be understood that a plurality of such fittings inight; in some cases be employed and that the invention is susceptible of various other modifications.

"What I claim is:

" 1'. The method of utilizing a ventilating current of air to improvesound distribution, I

consisting in directing sound waves from a stage toward the rear of a theater, and discharging a ventilating current of air from a region adjacent to the stage and overlying the path of the sound waves in a rearward direction and at a downward inclination and in such volume asto' materially increase the density of the air waves travel to. such air .at

theater. j

21A method of employing a ventilating current of air to improve sound distribution, consisting in generating sound waves adjacent to. one end of an auditorium and directing such waves toward the other end of the the audience, and venting the rear upper portion of the so discharged being adequate to materially increase the density of the air body in the lower portion of the auditorium through which body said sound waves are transmitted to the audience. 7

3. The combination with a theater stage and proscenium arch, of a means for directing sound waves from said stage toward the rear of the theater, means for conducting air into the theater and discharging it at a point above the path of said waves and adjacent to the top of said arch air rearwardly at a downward inclination in such volume as 'to' materially increase the density of the air through which said sound waves are conveyed to the audience, and

means for discharging said air at the rear of the theater. I V

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with means within an auditorium and adjacent to one end thereof for directing sound waves toward the other end of said auditorium, means for continuously introducing ventilating air into the auditorium through the ceiling thereofat a point adjacent to the source'of said waves, said means providing for directing such current convergently to the path of said waves in a volume adequate to materially increase the density of the air body through which said waves are conveyedto the audience, and means for venting such air from the upper portion of said auditorium at the end thereof toward which said waves are directed. In testimony whereof I sign this'specification.

RAY E. VENDERBUSH.

through which said sound discharging a ventilating curand for directing such

Images