Inflatable humanoid forms

Abstract

Inflatable three-dimensional humanoid forms are disclosed that resemble human beings and are constructed of lightweight plastic or similar elastomeric materials to simulate large numbers of people typically required in crowd scenes in film, video and still photography. Separately inflatable chambers are built into or otherwise attached to the inflatable humanoid figures to simulate the natural variations in human forms as viewed from the front or side. For example, in an inflatable humanoid form without legs designed to be supported in stadium or auditorium seating, a separately inflatable chamber at the bottom of the torso can be inflated to varying degrees to variably adjust the overall height of individual inflatable humanoid figures.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a Continuation-In-Part (CIP) of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 697,667 filed on Oct. 29, 2003; which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 368,501 filed on Feb. 15, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,672,933; which is a divisional application of and claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 940,301, filed on Aug. 27, 2001, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,688,940; and is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 10 / 697,666 filed on Oct. 29, 2003, which is a continuation of and claims the benefit of U.S. application Ser. No. 09 / 940,301 filed on Aug. 27, 2001, all of which are incorporated by reference herein.FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT [0002] Not Applicable REFERENCE TO A MICROFICHE APPENDIX [0003] Not Applicable. FIELD OF INVENTION [0004] The present invention relates to a method, system and an apparatus for use in filming or photographing crowd scenes typically in stadium type settings. The apparatus consis...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"This patent describes a method and apparatus for creating life-sized inflatable humanoid figures that can be used as props in film, video, and still photography to enhance the visual effect of large groups of people. The humanoid figures can be manufactured in varying sizes and shapes to simulate natural variations in human forms. They can also be connected together or placed in different positions to create the appearance of different body types or hairstyles. The humanoid figures can be installed in standard or non-standard seating arrangements and can be held in place by tape, adhesive, or other similar means. In addition, the patent describes a second embodiment of the invention where the humanoid figures have feet, legs, torso, arms, neck, and head, and a third embodiment where the humanoid figures have feet, legs, and lower torso. Overall, this patent provides a flexible and effective way to create realistic and visually appealing scenes with large groups of people."

Problems solved by technology

These props are generally constructed of cardboard or other similar materials, which are heavy, relatively inflexible, difficult to transport, time consuming to install and remove and are susceptible to wet or windy weather conditions.

Another disadvantage in using the cardboard props concerns the limited field of view provided by the two dimensional shapes.

Movie and photographic scenes need to be reconfigured to avoid exposing the unfinished sides or rear of the props to the camera, thus incurring lost time and increasing production costs.

A further disadvantage concerns the amount of storage space required for the props.

However, none of the prior art teaches or suggests an inflatable humanoid figure for use as a prop in background scenes associated with motion picture, video, television or still photography.

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