US1397064A - Theater - Google Patents

Description

B. E. TOGERSEN:

THEATER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 28, 1921.

Patemefl Nov. 15, 1921.

BERNT E. TQGERSEN, 03E SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

THEATER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 15, 1921.

Application filed February 28, 1921. Serial No. 448,408.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BERNT E. ToGEnsnN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Seattle, county of King, State of l/Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Theaters, of which the following is a speclfication.

My invention relates to improvements 1n the construction of theaters, or like buildings; more particularly it relates to a certain novel arrangement of the floors of motion picture theaters for the purpose of increasing the available seating capacity, reducing the cost of construction and for the conservation of building space.

The principal object of the invention 5 to provide a theater having an upper and a lower floor of approximately the same seating capacity and which are built to slope respectively upwardly and downwardly from the stage, and the picture pro ecting camera is located intermediate the floors to pro ect upon a screen upon the stage which is visible to all portions on both floors.

Another object of the invention resides in the construction of a theater of the above described character wherein accessibility to the two floors is facilitated by extending the building downwardly to such depth that the main, or street level, entrance is in a plane substantially half-way between the entrance into the floors.

In accomplishing these and other ob ects of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred form of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure l is a longitudinal, vertical, sectional view of atheater embodying the present invention. a

Fig. 2 is a floor plan view of the same.

Referring more in detail to the drawl designates what may be the front wall of a theater building constructed according to the'present invention, and 2 is what may be the rear wall thereof. The main entrance into the building is indicated at 3 which may be located at the street or sidewalk level as shown at 4C. The entrance 8 opens into a lobby 5, from which, at opposite sides of the entrance, stairways 6 and 7 lead res ectively to an upper floor 8 and a lower oor 9; the construction being such that the floor 9 is nearly as far below the street level as the floor 8 is above it.

At the center of the building, adjacent thewall 2 is a stage 10 which is substantially at the same horizontal level as the lobby floor and upon the stage is placed a screen 11 onto which pictures may be projected from a camera, indicated at 12, which is located in a room 13 built adjacent the lobby; the camera being just slightly below the'level of the center of the screen.

In order to obtain the maximum seating capacity available in this type of building, and at the same time provide that the screen be visible from all seats, I have constructed two floors, an upper or balcony floor 14 which is built in a plane that is inclined upwardly from the stage and a lower or auditorium floor 15 which lies in a plane that slopes downwardly away from the stage; the planes of the floors bisecting each other below and forwardly of the stage. The lower floor may extend from the floor of the lower lobby 16 which is directly below the main lobby 5, up to the stage, while the upper floor, which is entered onto from the upper lobby 18, is extended as far toward the stage as is possible, without cutting into the area of projection from the camera, which would be much closer/than is ordinarily possible in theaters where the lower floor slopes upwardly from the stage.

The degree of slope given the ,two floors would probably vary in buildings of different size, but in all cases would be such, or the seats wouldbe so arranged that the line of sight from any particular point to all points of the screen would not be obscured by persons forwardly from a point of observation.

It will be seen that this arrangement provides that the screen may be easily observed from any of the seats on the two floors and that the upper floor does'not interfere with the projection of the picture onto the screen.

It is also apparent that this construction permits the upper floor to be extended" much farther toward the screen than is ordinarily possible and consequently a. larger seating capacity is possible. 7

Such a construction also is less expensive, as a greater part of the building can be extended below the street or ground level. and the part above which usually carries expensive decorative features need not be made so high as otherwise would be necessary.

It is readily apparent that such buildings could be made in various sizes and shapes, otherwise than that herein illustrated without departing from the spirit of the present invention, the gist of which resides in the sloping of the u per and lower floors respectively upwa'r ly and downwardly from the stage and providing space between the same for the projecting of a picture from a camera disposed between the floors.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is:

1. In a theater of the class described having a stage at one end thereof, a lower auditorium floor inclined downwardly from the stage and a balcony floor inclined upwardly from the stage.

2. In a theater of the class described, having a stage at one end thereof, and entrance at the opposite end, a lower auditorium floor built in an upwardly inclined plane toward the stage and a balcony floor built in an upwardly inclined plane away from the stage and in such position that the planes of the floors intersect each other in a line forwardly of and below the stage level.

3. A theater of the class described having a stage at one end thereof and an entrance floor at the opposite end, a lower auditorium floor inclined downwardly from the stage below the level of the entrance floor and a balcony floor inclined upwardly from the stage above the level of the entrance fioor and passageways leading from the entrance floor respectively to the balcony and lower floors.

Signed at Seattle, Washington, this 19th day of February, 1921.

BERNT E. TOGERSEN.

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