Scent blending

Number: 10905970
Published: 2021-02-02
Filed: 2018-02-26
Assignee: DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC.
Inventors: Reichow; Mark A., Catanzaro; Samantha M., Lester; David, Johnson; Steven A.
CPC: A63G31/00; A63J5/00; G05B15/02; A61L9/01; A61L9/125; A63J25/00
Verdict: High Hardware
Source: Google Patents · FreePatentsOnline

The keeper's note

Scent-blending show-effect hardware for immersive attractions.

Abstract

One embodiment of the present disclosure may take the form of a method of dispersing scents in congruity with entertainment. Multiple scents are dispersed into the environment surrounding a participant at various points in congruity with visual entertainment. The scents are selectively provided at various times to coincide with the display of one or more elements in the entertainment experience such as a location or character. One embodiment of the present disclosure may take the form of a system for blending scents. The system includes an airflow source, a plurality of scent distributors, and a controller operably coupled to the airflow source and plurality of scent distributors to selectively control delivery of the scents from the plurality of scent distributors to bulk airflow delivered to a participant environment.

Background

FIELD (1) The present disclosure relates generally to scent delivery and entertainment methods and systems. BACKGROUND (2) Scents can induce olfaction and olfaction memory in the brain of a subject. Scents are processed by the olfactory bulb, which extends from the nose to the bottom of the brain. The olfactory bulb is an integral part of the limbic system which is the same part of the brain that performs functions including long-term memory, motivation, behavior, and emotion. Such close coupling may be why the sense of smell triggers memories and emotions for most people. Scent is arguably the most powerful human sense as it is the only sense integrally processed in the limbic system along with other fundamental functions such memory and emotion. Scents can be used to trigger memories or emotional responses. (3) The science of scent augmentation likely began historically as a way to mask or cover unpleasant smells that occurred in an environment. Perfumes and plant extracts were used to cover offensive odors from people and animals. Even today scent augmentation has been used at large scale malodorous facilities such as the Blue Plains wastewater treatment facility that notoriously causes unpleasant odors in Alexandria, Va. This history focused on using scent to hide or overpower scents in an environment and was in direct contrast with the idea of using scent augmentation artistically to recreate an environment for entertainment purposes. (4) It is useful to think about scen

Claims

1. A method for providing time-varying scent effects in a scripted entertainment event, the method comprising: providing a scent score defining a sequence of scent dispersion instructions arranged on a timeline; executing the sequence of scent dispersion instructions using one or more scent dispersion devices to produce multiple scents having intensity and composition that vary over time according to the scent score; distributing multiple scents produced by the one or more scent dispersion devices to a participant in the entertainment event, where each scent dispersion instruction of the sequence of scent dispersion instructions corresponds to at least one of the multiple scents and is distributed to the participant in time with a story element of a corresponding story script for the scripted entertainment event; providing a first scent media producing a first scent representing a first set of physical objects appearing in the entertainment event; providing a second scent media producing a second scent representing a second set of physical objects appearing in the entertainment event; wherein the entertainment event includes time-varying representations of the first and second sets of represented physical objects; and while displaying the entertainment event, controlling a quantity of scent molecules from one of the first scent media or the second scent media introduced into air surrounding the participant in coordination to a characteristic of the time-varying representations, wherein the characteristic includes a perceived distance between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived size of one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived density of one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived atmospheric condition between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, or perceived obstructions between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects; wherein controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the first scent media and controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the second scent media includes providing an amount of first scent molecules from the first scent media or an amount of second scent molecules from the second scent media by providing one or more of at least one pulse of the first scent molecules or at least one pulse of the second scent molecules to the air. || 5. A method of dispersing scents in congruity with entertainment, the method comprising: providing a first scent media producing a first scent representing a first set of physical objects appearing in the entertainment; providing a second scent media producing a second scent representing a second set of physical objects appearing in the entertainment; displaying the entertainment comprising time-varying representations of the first and second sets of represented physical objects; and while displaying the entertainment, controlling a quantity of scent molecules from one of the respective the first scent media or the second scent media introduced into air surrounding a participant in coordination to a characteristic of the time-varying representations, wherein the characteristic includes a perceived distance between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived size of one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived density of one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived atmospheric conditions between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, or perceived obstructions between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects wherein controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the first scent media and controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the second scent media includes providing an amount of first scent molecules from the first scent media and an amount of second scent molecules from the second scent media in relative proportions sufficient to create a perceivable scent evocatively associated with one or more of a story element, a plot line, a character, a location, a memory, an emotion, weather, time, or materials associated with the entertainment; and wherein controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the first scent media and controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the second scent media includes providing the amount of first scent molecules from the first scent media or the amount of second scent molecules from the second scent media by providing one or more of at least one pulse of the first scent molecules or at least one pulse of the second scent molecules to the air. || 8. A method of dispersing scent in congruity with story-based entertainment, the method comprising: providing a first scent media producing a first scent associated with a first story element, wherein the first scent represents a first set of physical objects appearing in the story-based entertainment; providing a second scent media producing a second scent associated with a second story element, wherein the second scent represents a second set of physical objects appearing in the story-based entertainment; wherein the story-based entertainment includes time-varying representations of the first and second sets of represented physical objects; while displaying the story-based entertainment, controllably releasing the first and second scents in congruity with at least one of the first or second story elements; and while displaying the story-based entertainment, controlling a quantity of scent molecules from one of the respective first scent media or the second scent media introduced into air surrounding a participant in coordination to a characteristic of the time-varying representations, wherein the characteristic includes a perceived distance between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived size of one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived density of one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, a perceived atmospheric conditions between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects, or perceived obstructions between the participant and one of the respective first or second set of represented physical objects; wherein controllably releasing the first and second scents includes controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the first scent media and controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the second scent media includes providing an amount of first scent molecules from the first scent media and an amount of second scent molecules from the second scent media in relative proportions sufficient to create a perceivable scent evocatively associated with one or more of the respective first or second story elements, a plot line, a character, a location, a memory, an emotion, weather, time, or materials associated with the entertainment; and wherein controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the first scent media and controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the second scent media includes providing the amount of first scent molecules from the first scent media or the amount of second scent molecules from the second scent media by providing one or more of at least one pulse of the first scent molecules or at least one pulse of the second scent molecules to the air. || 13. A method of creating a time-varying scent experience, the method comprising: displaying an entertainment experience in congruity with the time-varying scent experience; dispersing a first scent from a first scent media in a perceivable magnitude into a breathing air volume of a participant during a first time period for a first duration, wherein the first scent represents a first set of physical objects appearing in the entertainment experience; dispersing a second scent from a second scent media in a perceivable magnitude into the breathing air volume of the participant during a second time period for a second duration, wherein the second scent represents a second set of physical objects appearing in the entertainment experience; wherein the entertainment experience includes time-varying representations of the first and second sets of represented physical objects; reducing the perceivable magnitude of the first scent during a third time period for a third duration; while displaying the entertainment experience, controlling a quantity of scent molecules from one of the respective first scent media or the second scent media introduced into air surrounding the participant in coordination to a characteristic of the time-varying representations, wherein the characteristic includes a perceived distance between the participant and one of the respective first or the second set of represented physical objects, a perceived size of one of the respective first or the second set of represented physical objects, a perceived density of one of the respective first or the second set of represented physical objects, a perceived atmospheric conditions between the participant and one of the respective first or the second set of represented physical objects, or perceived obstructions between the participant and one of the respective first or the second set of represented physical objects; wherein controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the first scent media and controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the second scent media includes providing an amount of first scent molecules from the first scent media and an amount of second scent molecules from the second scent media in relative proportions sufficient to create a perceivable scent evocatively associated with one or more of a story element, a plot line, a character, a location, a memory, an emotion, weather, time, or materials associated with the entertainment experience; and wherein controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the first scent media and controlling the quantity of scent molecules from the second scent media includes providing the amount of first scent molecules from the first scent media or the amount of the second scent molecules from the second scent media by providing one or more of at least one pulse of the first scent molecules or at least one pulse of the second scent molecules to the air.