U.S. patent application number 14/551877 was filed with the patent office on 2016-05-26 for apparatus and method for disc jockey acrobatic act.
The applicant listed for this patent is Courtney Foote. Invention is credited to Courtney Foote.
Application Number | 20160144290 14/551877 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 56009248 |
Filed Date | 2016-05-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20160144290 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Foote; Courtney |
May 26, 2016 |
Apparatus and method for disc jockey acrobatic act
Abstract
An apparatus and method for an interactive disc jockey acrobatic
act is disclosed. Specifically, the invention has applications in
the entertainment industry by combining acrobatic stunts with live
musical performances capable of being influenced by the
audience.
Inventors: |
Foote; Courtney; (Los
Angeles, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Foote; Courtney |
Los Angeles |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
56009248 |
Appl. No.: |
14/551877 |
Filed: |
November 24, 2014 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
472/76 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63J 5/02 20130101; E04H
3/24 20130101; A47B 13/02 20130101; A63B 5/11 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A63J 5/02 20060101
A63J005/02; A63B 5/11 20060101 A63B005/11; E04H 3/24 20060101
E04H003/24; A47B 13/02 20060101 A47B013/02 |
Claims
1. An apparatus comprising, an upper level and a lower level; a.
Where the upper level is further comprised of a surface capable of
housing disc jockey and other musical equipment; b. Where the lower
level is further comprised of a trampoline and a mechanism securing
the trampoline to a fixed position; c. Where the upper level is
elevated above lower level, extends towards the center of the lower
level, and is secured to the ground.
2. The apparatus in claim 1 where the trampoline is sunk into the
ground or a stage.
3. The apparatus in claim 1 where the trampoline is built above the
ground or stage.
4. The apparatus in claim 1 further comprised of a rear wall that
is situated behind the lower level and extends upward toward the
upper level;
5. The apparatus in claim 4 where the rear wall is a multimedia
display capable of being controlled by the disc jockey or another
person.
6. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 1, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the upper level to start his musical
performance, vaulting himself towards the trampoline, and
performing a variety of acrobatic acts while periodically
manipulating the DJ equipment.
7. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 2, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the upper level to start his musical
performance, vaulting himself towards the trampoline, and
performing a variety of acrobatic acts while periodically
manipulating the DJ equipment.
8. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 3, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the upper level to start his musical
performance, vaulting himself towards the trampoline, and
performing a variety of acrobatic acts while periodically
manipulating the DJ equipment.
9. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 4, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the upper level to start his musical
performance, vaulting himself towards the trampoline, and
performing a variety of acrobatic acts while periodically
manipulating the DJ equipment.
10. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 5, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the upper level to start his musical
performance, vaulting himself towards the trampoline, and
performing a variety of acrobatic acts while periodically
manipulating the DJ equipment and rear wall.
11. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 1, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the lower level using the trampoline
to vault himself towards his equipment, beginning the musical
portion of the performance, and performing a variety of acrobatic
acts while periodically manipulating the DJ equipment.
12. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 2, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the lower level using the trampoline
to vault himself towards his equipment, beginning the musical
portion of the performance, and performing a variety of acrobatic
acts while periodically manipulating the DJ equipment.
13. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 3, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the lower level using the trampoline
to vault himself towards his equipment, beginning the musical
portion of the performance, and performing a variety of acrobatic
acts while periodically manipulating the DJ equipment.
14. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 4, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the lower level using the trampoline
to vault himself towards his equipment, beginning the musical
portion of the performance, and performing a variety of acrobatic
acts while periodically manipulating the DJ equipment.
15. A method comprising building the apparatus in claim 5, the disc
jockey positioning himself on the lower level using the trampoline
to vault himself towards his equipment, beginning the musical
portion of the performance, and performing a variety of acrobatic
acts while periodically manipulating the DJ equipment or rear wall.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0001] The present invention relates to an apparatus and method for
conducting live high flying acrobatic and musical performances.
[0002] Specifically, the invention has application in the
entertainment industry by combining acrobatic stunts with live
musical performances.
[0003] George Nissen constructed the first trampoline in 1930.
Since then, audiences have been both mesmerized and terrified of
this bouncing contraption. A typical trampoline performance
requires custom staging in an arena or festival atmosphere. These
performances are large and are not meant for a typical nightclub.
From the floor of the stage, a venue's ceiling usually must be at
least 50 feet high. Additionally, the staging performance area
typically must be at least 30 feet by 60 feet to ensure the safety
of the performers while entertaining during shows. This massive
size severely limits where an acrobatic trampoline performance can
be held.
[0004] Musical concerts have been around for thousands of years. In
the past decade, the demands and revenues for live concerts have
exponentially increased. Specifically, deejaying has become a very
popular form of expressing one's own ability to improvise with
music by combining different sounds and songs to create original
works of art.
[0005] Many, if not all, acrobatic and musical live performances,
are rehearsed and set in stone. Performers often throw in perceived
unrehearsed components but in reality are choreographed into shows.
The majority of audiences around the world are too smart to always
be duped and become skeptical of entertainers where the "live"
aspect of the performance is questioned.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In the 19 century, PT Barnum was famous for reviving the
demand for circuses in America. He focused on highlighting the awe
and spectacle of the "abnormal". Performing acrobatics and
deejaying at the same time is not normal and has never been done
before. Through highly publicized disc jockey sets and focusing on
DJs as the "star", people have accepted the notion that standing
behind a DJ booth and clapping one's hands is the normalcy for a
performing DJ.
[0007] The present invention overcomes the problems encountered in
the prior art by providing an apparatus that minimizes the size of
the staging area required to ensure the performer's safety without
limiting the ability to entertain.
[0008] In one embodiment, the apparatus is comprised of a lower
level, a rear wall, and an upper level. The lower level of the
apparatus is further comprised of a trampoline about 4 feet off of
the staging area that is approximately 16 feet long and 9 feet
wide. Depending on the venue and circumstance of the performance,
the trampoline can also be sunk into the stage.
[0009] Having the trampoline sunk into the stage is ideal to
provide the best audience experience. The wall will stand
approximately 8 feet tall and 15 feet across. The upper level would
extend a few feet above the wall and would hold all the DJ
equipment. In total, the entire staging area could be 20 feet by 20
feet. This compact staging area would open the acrobatic area to
almost any venue.
[0010] With the use of technology that is highly prevalent in
today's world, not only can we interact with our audience on a
daily basis but also during a live performance. The present
invention also overcomes the prior art's limitation of becoming
monotonous by introducing an interactive element.
[0011] In another embodiment of the invention, the rear wall is
further comprised of a single or a series of programmable displays.
These displays could feature anything from static images to video
feeds from the performer's point of view to social media posts from
the audience. These features can all be used independent or in
concert with each other to create an interactive thrilling
experience for all in attendance.
[0012] In one embodiment, the method is comprised of building the
apparatus, the disc jockey positioning himself on the upper level,
the disc jockey starting his musical performance, and the disc
jockey leaping from the upper level onto the trampoline. The disc
jockey will then perform a variety of acrobatic movements while
periodically manipulating the DJ equipment either by landing on
upper level or by just reaching out to the equipment without
landing.
[0013] In another embodiment, the method utilized will have the
disc jockey positioning himself on the lower level to begin. The
disc jockey would then use the trampoline to vault himself towards
his equipment begin the musical portion of the performance. The
disc jockey will then perform a variety of acrobatic movements
while periodically manipulating the DJ equipment either by landing
on upper level or by just reaching out to the equipment without
landing.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the disclosed
apparatus.
[0015] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the
upper level.
[0016] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the
lower level.
[0017] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of one embodiment of the
rear level.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
[0018] FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of the disclosed apparatus
comprising the Upper Level (1), the Rear Wall (2), and the Lower
Level (3). FIG. 1 represents one of the preferred embodiments of
the invention.
[0019] FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of the Upper Level which can
be secured to the ground or stage through its base (13). The floor
(11) of the Upper Level is elevated above the Lower Level by its
tower (12) which should raise the floor at least twelve feet above
the base but can be higher or lower depending on the performance
venue. Situated on the floor is the musical and disk jockey
equipment housing (10). This housing will hold all of the
traditional disc jockey equipment including, but not limited to,
mixers, turntables, amps and computers.
[0020] FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the Lower Level
comprising the trampoline surface (20), a series of springs (21),
and the trampoline housing (22). The trampoline surface can be made
out of any material traditionally used for a trampoline, such as
stretched canvas. The trampoline surface is attached to the
trampoline housing through the series of springs. In this
particular embodiment, the trampoline surface is in plane with the
trampoline housing. In theory, the trampoline surface will be just
below eye level of the audience so that the thrill of the
performance is maximized, but the exact placement can be altered
depending on the venue.
[0021] FIG. 4 shows a perspective view of the Rear Wall. Depending
on the venue this rear wall can be further comprised of multiple
display surfaces (30 and 31). These display surfaces can display
limitless kinds of multimedia including, but not limited to, static
images, video feeds, and social media posts. Alternatively, the
rear wall can remain blank and just act as a curtain from anything
happening behind the apparatus.
[0022] The preferred method of using this apparatus would be for
the disc jockey to position himself on the upper level, the disc
jockey starting his musical performance, and then the disc jockey
leaping from the upper level onto the trampoline. The disc jockey
will then perform a variety of acrobatic movements while
periodically manipulating the DJ equipment either by landing on
upper level or by just reaching out to the equipment without
landing.
[0023] In another embodiment, the method utilized will have the
disc jockey positioning himself on the lower level to begin. The
disc jockey would then use the trampoline to vault himself towards
his equipment begin the musical portion of the performance. The
disc jockey will then perform a variety of acrobatic movements
while periodically manipulating the DJ equipment either by landing
on upper level or by just reaching out to the equipment without
landing.
* * * * *