New Omnimover Patent?

Exprcoofto

Exprcoofto

New Member
Original Poster
I was searching within Disney Patents and came across one about the Omnimover system. The patent claimed (at least from my interpretation) that there could be a Omnimover system that allows a separate track for handicap loading/unloading. It also mentioned something about a trackless system (not sure if they were talking omnimover or not) that would allow electro magnets to direct the car off the track into another special handicap loading/unloading area. The purpose of this "invention" is to prevent them from slowing down or stopping the ride for those who need special assistance when boarding or exiting the ride.

Here are some quotes from the Patent:

[0001]1. Field of the Invention

[0002]The present invention relates, in general, to providing park guests with disabilities or reduced mobility such as the very young and elderly with enhanced access to amusement park rides, and, more particularly, to vehicle and track designs and systems to provide passengers with disabilities such as those that use wheelchairs with a relatively seamless access to a synchronous ride (e.g., an omnimover ride) without stopping the ride or interrupting flow of the ride and an associated show or attraction.

[0020]FIG. 1 illustrates a partial view of a track and vehicle assembly or amusement park ride 100 of an embodiment of the invention. As shown, a track system 110 is provided that defines a course for a themed attraction such as a haunted house or the like and that includes a pair of rails/tracks 112 (with two rails/tracks shown in this embodiment but the invention may be used on a monorail-type ride as well as with track systems with more than two tracks/rails or even with "trackless" arrangement where other devices are used to define a course or path for the vehicles 120 and the concept of track or ride path is considered a broad term covering any such ride design). These tracks 112 may support, such as the wheels of, a number of vehicles 120 as they are conveyed along the track system 110 as shown with arrow 122 typically in an ongoing manner throughout the ride but at a relatively low speed such as to imitate a walking pace (e.g., up to 1 to 2 feet per second or the like). The track system 110 also includes floor 116 and a drive or vehicle chain 114 is provided under the floor 116 and each of the vehicles 120 is linked to the chain 114, which provides the motive force or drives the train of vehicles 120 along the rails 112. In other cases, the vehicles 120 may be connected to each other such as with tow bars and a subset of the vehicles 120 may be conveyed by the chain 114 with the others being pulled by their neighboring vehicles. In still other embodiments (not shown), the vehicles may be self-propelled (e.g., no drive chain provided) but still connected to adjacent cars in a train while other cases may involve independent operated self-propelled vehicles.
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The Patent is written in very legal terms so I may have interpret it differently than other people. Here is a link to the patent: http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090269175

(Wasn't sure where to post this, since it's not really "news" because Disney patents a lot of things, so I decided it's more relating to the possibility of something happening, which relates to Imagineering)
 
Exprcoofto

Exprcoofto

New Member
Original Poster
unkadug said:
Isn't this kinda of what they did with TSMM ?
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Sort of, the ride has be stopped (or at least the ones in the queue) for the vehicle to be switched onto the other track. This patent claims it wouldn't stop and this is specifically for the omnimover track system. Maybe it has something to do with the LM ride?
 
EPCOTPluto

EPCOTPluto

Well-Known Member
Exprcoofto said:
Sort of, the ride has be stopped (or at least the ones in the queue) for the vehicle to be switched onto the other track. This patent claims it wouldn't stop and this is specifically for the omnimover track system. Maybe it has something to do with the LM ride?
Click to expand...
That is what my first thought was when reading the permit. :lol:

It would be very interesting to see it work. If it can be done for TOT and UOE, it could be done for an Omnimover.

Of course, it could go as a moving floor with the vehicle if necessary, like at Tokyo's Winnie the Pooh ride:

http://images.google.com/url?source...le.jpg&usg=AFQjCNEPxYdiAniRiyyj-UhViN8WPYAoeg

But I would be impressed if they do use a trackless Omnimover system.
 

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