WO1993001582A1 - Means for creating the so-called 'wave effect' in stadiums - Google Patents

Abstract

Means (20) for creating a so-called 'wave effect' at sports meetings in stadiums comprising a rectangular banner (21) having stiffened lateral ends and being provided with handles (22), said banner being of different lengths for use by a single person (19) or by two or three or several persons, having colours and bearing symbols (28, 29) of the users' teams or of the national flag, being made of various materials such as fabrics or plastic for the banner (21) and wood or plastic for the handlers (22).

Description

MEANS FOR CREATING THE SO-CALLED 'WAVE EFFECT' IN STADIUMS The invention concerns a means for use at sporting events. At any such event held in a stadium it is a common sight to observe members of the public opening out and waving some kind of flag or banner to show their enthusiasm in some spectacular fashion, to make known their presence as sports fans and, among other things, to use visual means in order to express support for their own team or favourite athlete . Another well-known sight is that produced by a group of fans who synchronise their flag waving or even only that of their arms .

These movements create a kind of waving line that moves across the spectators producing what is called a 'wave effect' The overall effect is very striking as a series of overlap¬ ping wave-like movements are produced, coordinated rhythm¬ ically similar to the wave's of the sea. '

It often happens however chat the effect is lessened, or that fans have to expend eccessive effort in obtaining it, because of the difficulty involved in spreading out their flags and in keeping them sufficiently extended both in length and width.

Purpose of the above invention is to assist creation of the 'wave effect¹ by sports fans in stadiums. Subject of the invention is a means comprising a banner made rigid at its ends and provided with handles. Length of the banner varies according to types and pre¬ ference and to whether it is to be used by one person or by two or three together, or even by several at onc . The banner can be extended between the arms of people at one end and those of people at the other. It is therefore advantageous and preferable to have at least three lengths of respectively 50, 100 and 150 cm. Rigidity at the ends makes it possible to keep the ban- ner fully open across its width while the handles enable those holding them to keep it extended lengthwise and to create the 'wave effect' in the banner itself. This is particularly so when the banner is made to be held by several people side by side and is manoeuvred by the two at its ends. A suitable width is 30 cm.

The handles may be made from the stiffening at each end of the banner or be fixed to said stiffened ends. Stif¬ fening may be obtained, for example, by application of some plastic material or by folding the ends over sev- eral times or else by glueing on rectangular strips, or in some other way.

With advantage the handles can be made of a thin plastic rod of a length equal to banner width -to which a handle is fixed and the whole mounted to the ends of the banner. The bar and the handle are best made in one piece.

In one type of execution the handles are made from a transversal rod welded to each of the two ends of the banner, a space for the hands being made in an oblong hole in the banner at each end and along the inner edge of the rod.

Size of the hole is such as to allow an easy handgrip. In one type of execution the handles are made from a trans¬ versal rod sewn onto each end of the banner. Said rod may be of plastic or other material. The banner may show the colours and symbols of a football team or those of the national flag.

In one type of execution the banner presents an image con¬ sisting of a stylized figure of a man formed of a number of footballs associated together. One of such footballs makes the man's head, a smaller one is used for the trunk and other smaller ones of the same size go to make the rest of the body such as arms and legs. At each side of this figure is the word ' o1e ' or similar shouted stadium expression, preceded and followed respec¬ tively by one large football and by one small one. The means here described is made of various materials such as woven or non-woven fabrics or plastic for the banner part and wood, plas ic ,meta1 or any other material for the handles . This means can also serve for advertizing purposes , us ing the habitual and spontaneous gestures made by fans, and to create the adver isement described below. For this purpose application may be made on the banners of images, figures, phrases all progressively numbered and combinable by being placed side by side in a regular succession of the numbers.

Various series of entry tickets to the stadium are pro¬ gressively stamped with numbers the same as those on the banners and obviously corresponding to a regular succes¬ sion of seats in the stadium. When purchasing their tickets, spectators are given one of the invented means numbered the same as the ticket. The means may be paid for or else given away partly or entirely free by the firm wanting to advertise. When the mass of spectators, each one in his appointed seat, waves banners in support of their team, the figures and phrases on them are spontaneously composed giving the desired publicity effects.

These effects are specially obtainable because of the reg¬ ular rectangular shape of the means which make possible production of a regular and continuous 'wave effect' even for quite some distance. This is due to continuity of the overall 'banner' made by one appearing alongside another and forming proper and complete figures or phrases. The stiffened edges and bars at each end hold the banner open across its width while the presence and use of handles keep it easily and conveniently stretched out along its ful1 length .

Movement to procure the 'wave effect' can be made by even two, or more, people giving maximum team support and spec- tactular result. The creation of handles from the stiffening end bars mean that the banner can be offered at a very low price which practically any fan is in a position to afford. Folding up the banner for transport purposes is facilita¬ ted by the presence of the end bars round which the banner can be wound with minimum bulk and maximum stability.

The publicity advantages pertaining to the means described are similarly evident.

Following their customary actions as fans, the spectators produce publicity messages of high impact both because of the presence of a large audience and because of the spec¬ tacular effect of moving images and phrases just when emotional feeling is at its highest pitch and spectators are most likely to be struck by them.

By making various combinations of numbers, figures and phrases a wide variety of publicity messages can be obtained. All this at very lo cost and easily recovered outlay.

Charac eristics and purposes of the invention will be made still clearer by the following examples of its exe¬ cution illustrated by diagrammatic drawings.

Examples of execution Fig.1 Front view of the invented means for use by one per¬ son .

Fig.2 The means in use by a sports fan.

Fig.3 Front view of the means for use by two people.

Fig. Front view of the means for use by three people. Fig.5 Diagrammatic drawing of two 'waves' formed by a suc¬ cession of banners for one, two, three people.

Fig.6 A series of banners placed at random each showing one letter from a publicity phrase.

Fig.7 Partial view of stadium seating when a 'wave effect' is in progress of formation.

The invented means 10 comprises a banner 11 stiffened at its ends by -rectangular bars 12 associated by welding.

In a central position between said bars and the banner are holes 13 with curved inner edge 14 sized to permit hands to pass through it easily.

This plastic banner has a green zone 15, a central white zone 16, a red zone at the other end 17 so as to form the colours of the Italian flag.

In Fig.2 the hands 27 of a fan 19 hold the means 2O con- sisting of a fabric banner 21 with decoration 28 in the colours 29 of a football team. The handles consist of cylindrical wooden rods 22 fixed to the banner by having its ends wound round them and sewn in position 24.

Between the rods 22 and the end of the banner are holes 25 with inner curved edges 26.

Fig. 3 illustrates a means 30 formed of a banner 31 to be manoeuvred by two persons one alongside the other using the handles 32 made of the bars 33 with handles34 in one with said bars. Central in the banner is the stylised figure 38 of a man having a football 39 for a head, a smaller one 40 for the body and smaller ones still 41 for the other parts.

On either side of him is the stadium cry 'ole' 35, the 'o' being a football 37 with a smaller one 36 for the accent .

In Fig. 4 there is a means 45 with banner 46 having at its ends the plastic rods 47 rolled in the banner edges 46 and held there by stitching 49. Hands grip the handles through oblong holes 50 edged with the banner material 51. The banner is decorated with the symbols 52 of a football team consisting of alternatiπgly co¬ loured zones 53 54.

Fig. 5 shows the effect of two waves 60 and 61, one above the other, created by a series of these means 62 for one person, 63 for two people, 64 for three. In Fig. 6 there is another series of means 76-80 and others, similar to means 20 just described, having let¬ ters 81-85 printed in the middle. The banners also have a progressive number (44)-ft8), 86-90 and others,

Entrance tickets to the stadium obviously are numbered seats 102, 103 corrisponding to 100, 101 in the stadium. For example to seats 104-108, numbers 44-48 are assigned. The management hands the spectator an entrance ticket for a numbered seat together with a banner numbered corris- pondingly.

When the spectators occupy their seats (Fig.7), the letters on the banners they hold will be in sequence to form the phrase that has been previously decided. The banners placed at random in Fig. 6 will, in Fig. 7, assume the regular sequence as indicated by the numbers 44- 48 on the seats and the same numbers on the banners. When the fans, hold up their banners to express enthusiasm, and especially when, side by side, they move them in syn¬ chrony one after another creating the 'wave effect' , the advertising message will appear as in Fig. 7.

The 'waves' 110 and 111 shown, present the hypothetical phrase 'COCACOLA, THE SUMMER DRINK' .

Claims

1. Means (10 20 30 45 62 63 64 76-80) for creating the so-called 'wave effect' during sports events in stadiums characterized in that said means comprise banners ( 11 21 31 46) of various lengths with stiffened lateral ends and provided with handles (12 22 32 47).

2. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that stiffening at the lateral ends of the banners (11) is obtained, as the case may be, by application of plastic material or by folding said ends several times or by bars (12) and the like, held in place by welding, glueing or other methods, to act as handles.

3. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that the banners are of three main lengths, roughly 50, 100 and 150 cm, for use respectively by one, two or three persons placed side by side, the banner being held up by the arms of those at each end of the group.

4. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that the banners ( 11 21 31 46) are about 30 cm wide.

5. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that the handles (32) are made in one piece with a slim bar (33), of plastic material, whose length is that of the width of the banner (31) and which is fixed to said banner's lateral ends.

6. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that the handles (22 47) are formed by a transversal bar fixed to the two lateral ends of the banner (21 46) by welding, sewing (24) (29) or in some other way, space for the fingers being made by an oblong transversal hole (25) (50) on the inner side of the bars and about halfway along their length.

7. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that the. banner ( 11) (21) (46) presents, as the case may be, the colours and symbols ( 15 16 17 28 29 52 53 54) of a football team or of the national flag.

8. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that it is made of woven or non-woven fabric or plastic as regards the banners ( 11 21 31 46), and of wood, plastic material, metal or other materials as regards the handles ( 12 22 32 47).

9. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that there is an image on the banners (31) consisting of a stylized male figure (38) composed of footballs, one (39) of which is bigger than the rest and is used for the head of the figure (38), a medium-sized one (40) being used for the trunk and smaller ones of equal size (41) being used for other parts of the body such as arms and legs, on either side of the figure being placed the stadium cry 'ole' (35) preceded and followed respectively by a large football (37) and a small one (36).

10. Means as in claim 1, characterized in that in each of said means of a series (76-80) decorations and other things, parts of images, figures, phrases, letters (81-85) are printed with pro- gressive numbers ( 86-90) integrally unifiable when said means (76-80) are placed side by side in a regular succes¬ sion of numbers (86-90), various series of stadium entrance tickets being printed with progressive numbering the same as that printed on the means (76-80) of the series and corresponding to stadium seat numbering so that, by giving to spectators purchasing a ticket a means (76-80) as well, with numbers (86-90) corresponding to ticket numbers, when said spectators are in their right seats ( 104-108) and start waving their means (76-80) to express- enthusiasm and especially when the fans move the means (76-80) syn- chronically and one following another to create the 'wave effect' practically like waves ( 110) ( 111), spontaneous formation is obtained of figures and phrases prepared be¬ forehand to secure a certain desired advertising effect.