Portable motion picture theater

Abstract

A portable theater includes a plurality of individual panels assembled together to form a theater enclosure, a plurality of audience seats installed within the assembled theater enclosure, and a projection screen mounted within the assembled theater enclosure. The projection screen has a partial toroidal shaped reflective surface configured to reflect, toward the plurality of audience seats, a moving image as projected by a projector.

1 . A portable theater comprising:
 a plurality of individual panels assembled together to form a theater enclosure;   a plurality of audience seats installed within the assembled theater enclosure; and   a hemispherically curved projection screen mounted within the assembled theater enclosure, the projection screen having a partial toroidal shaped reflective surface configured to reflect, toward the plurality of audience seats, a moving image as projected by a projector.   
     
     
         2 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , wherein the projector is configured to project the moving image onto the projection screen by flashing individual frames of the moving image one time each in a sequence that alternates between left eye frames as recorded at left eye recordal times and right eye frames as recorded at right eye recordal times, each successive frame of the sequence having been recorded at a successive time and projected temporally with respect to one another in the sequence to show the moving image, resulting in a projected frame rate of at least 120 frames per second, wherein the left eye frames are recorded at at least 60 frames per second and at the left eye recordal times, and wherein the right eye frames are recorded at at least 60 frames per second and at right eye recordal times offset from the left eye recordal times. 
     
     
         3 . The portable theater of  claim 2 , further comprising the projector. 
     
     
         4 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , wherein the projection screen has a vertical axis passing through a center point of the projection screen, and wherein each of the audience seats directly faces the vertical axis of the projection screen while the respective audience seat is installed within the assembled theater enclosure. 
     
     
         5 . The portable theater of  claim 4 , wherein each of the plurality of audience seats is arranged in a plurality of rows and on a raked platform such that seats in the row closest to the projection screen are lower than seats in the row furthest from the projection screen. 
     
     
         6 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , wherein the projection screen is configured to provide at least a 50 degree horizontal field of view of the reflected moving image to at least one of the plurality of audience seats while the respective audience seat is installed within the assembled theater enclosure. 
     
     
         7 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , wherein the projection screen is configured to provide at least a 100 degree horizontal field of view of the reflected moving image to at least one of the plurality of audience seats while the respective audience seat is installed within the assembled theater enclosure. 
     
     
         8 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , further comprising means for mounting the projection screen within the assembled theater enclosure using vacuum pressure to hold the projection screen in position against a structural member. 
     
     
         9 . The portable theater of  claim 8 , wherein the means for mounting the projection screen within the assembled theater enclosure includes at least one fan configured to produce the vacuum pressure. 
     
     
         10 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , wherein the reflective surface of the projection screen comprises aluminum. 
     
     
         11 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , further comprising a sound system including a plurality of speakers mounted outside a perimeter of the projection screen. 
     
     
         12 . The portable theater of  claim 11 , wherein the sound system further includes a plurality of subwoofers mounted behind or to one side of at least one of the audience seats. 
     
     
         13 . The portable theater of  claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of subwoofers is configured to produce sub-audible frequencies from between approximately zero and 20 Hz. 
     
     
         14 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the individual panels includes a sound absorbing material. 
     
     
         15 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , wherein the plurality of individual panels are prefabricated. 
     
     
         16 . The portable theater of  claim 1 , wherein at least one of the individual panels is configured to nest with at least one other individual panel such that the respective individual panels stack together. 
     
     
         17 - 31 . (canceled) 
     
     
         32 . A method of constructing a portable theater, the method comprising:
 assembling a plurality of individual panels together to form a theater enclosure;   installing a plurality of audience seats within the assembled theater enclosure; and   mounting a hemispherically curved projection screen within the assembled theater enclosure, the projection screen having a partial toroidal shaped reflective surface configured to reflect, toward the plurality of audience seats, a moving image as projected by a projector.   
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising projecting, using the projector, the moving image onto the projection screen by flashing individual frames of the moving image one time each in a sequence that alternates between left eye frames as recorded at left eye recordal times and right eye frames as recorded at right eye recordal times, each successive frame of the sequence having been recorded at a successive time and projected temporally with respect to one another in the sequence to show the moving image, resulting in a projected frame rate of at least 120 frames per second, wherein the left eye frames are recorded at at least 60 frames per second and at the left eye recordal times, and wherein the right eye frames are recorded at at least 60 frames per second and at right eye recordal times offset from the left eye recordal times. 
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 32 , further comprising mounting the projection screen within the assembled theater enclosure using vacuum pressure to hold the projection screen in position against a structural member. 
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 34 , further comprising producing the vacuum pressure using a fan.