IP Library Granted Patent US 12,348,918
Granted Patent B2
US 12,348,918 · App. 18/521,021 · Granted Jul 1, 2025

Integrated audiovisual system

Inventors: Erik Hockman (New York, NY); Alex Luthwaite (Lancaster, PA); Emad Yacoub Hanna (Berlin, DE)
Assignees: Sphere Entertainment Group, LLC; Holoplot GmbH
H04R1/028G06F3/147H04R1/403H04R3/12H04R2201/403H04R2499/15
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,348,918
App. No.
18/521,021
Granted
Jul 1, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

An integrated audio-visual system is disclosed for delivering an event to one or more spectators. The integrated audio-visual system includes one or more loudspeakers that are positioned behind one or more visual displays to be effectively behind the one or more visual displays to be shielded from the field of view of the one or more spectators. The one or more visual displays are specially designed and manufactured to allow sound associated with the event to propagate from the one or more loudspeakers with minimal acoustical distortion and/or minimum acoustical vibration while presenting a visual representation of the event to the one or more spectators. Moreover, the one or more loudspeakers and the one or more visual displays are situated to be a predetermined displacement from each other to further minimize acoustical distortion.

Claims (33)

1. A venue, comprising:

a plurality of seats configured to accommodate an audience; and

an integrated audio-visual system configured to deliver one or more sounds and one or more images to the audience, the integrated audio-visual system comprising:

a loudspeaker configured to deliver the one or more sounds to the audience; and

a visual display configured to deliver the one or more images to the audience, the visual display comprising a plurality of openings configured to allow the one or more sounds to propagate through the visual display,

wherein the loudspeaker and the visual display are situated to be a displacement distance from each other within the venue to allow one or more wavefronts of the one or more sounds to form between the loudspeaker and the visual display before the one or more sounds are to propagate through the plurality of openings.

2. The venue of claim 1 , wherein the loudspeaker comprises one or more super tweeters, one or more tweeters, one or more mid-range speakers, one or more woofers, one or more subwoofers, or one or more full-range speakers, and

wherein the visual display comprises one or more light-emitting diode (LED) displays, one or more organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, or one or more quantum dots (QDs) displays.

3. The venue of claim 1 , wherein the visual display comprises a plurality of visual display panels that functionally cooperate to deliver the one or more images to the audience, and

wherein the venue further comprises a mechanical housing configured to secure the plurality of visual display panels as a series of rows and a series of columns of visual display panels on the mechanical housing.

4. The venue of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sounds comprise one or more plane waves that are characterized by the one or more wavefronts, the one or more wavefronts comprising one or more parallel planes having surfaces of constant phase extending from the loudspeaker.

5. The venue of claim 1 , wherein the one or more sounds comprise a plurality of plane waves having a plurality of phases, and

wherein the one or more wavefronts form when the plurality of phases are in phase with respect to each other.

6. The venue of claim 5 , wherein the plurality of phases become in phase with respect to each other within the displacement distance to form the one or more wavefronts before the one or more sounds are to propagate through the plurality of openings.

7. The venue of claim 1 , wherein the displacement distance is 50 centimeters (cm).

8. The venue of claim 1 , wherein the one or more wavefronts form between the loudspeaker and the visual display before the one or more sounds are to propagate through the plurality of openings to minimize acoustical distortion of the one or more sounds as the one or more sounds propagate through the plurality of openings.

9. The venue of claim 1 , wherein the venue comprises a music theater, a music club, a concert hall, an arena, a convention center, or a stadium.

10. The venue of claim 1 , wherein the one or more wavefronts form between the loudspeaker and the visual display before the one or more sounds are to propagate through the plurality of openings to minimize acoustical vibration of the visual display as the one or more sounds propagate through the plurality of openings.

11. An integrated audio-visual system, comprising:

a loudspeaker configured to deliver one or more sounds; and

a visual display configured to deliver one or more images, the visual display comprising a plurality of openings configured to allow the one or more sounds to propagate through the visual display,

wherein the loudspeaker and the visual display are situated to be a displacement distance from each other to allow one or more wavefronts of the one or more sounds to form between the loudspeaker and the visual display before the one or more sounds are to propagate through the plurality of openings.

12. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 11 , wherein the loudspeaker comprises one or more super tweeters, one or more tweeters, one or more mid-range speakers, one or more woofers, one or more subwoofers, or one or more full-range speakers, and

wherein the visual display comprises one or more light-emitting diode (LED) displays, one or more organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, or one or more quantum dots (QDs) displays.

13. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more sounds comprise one or more plane waves that are characterized by the one or more wavefronts, the one or more wavefronts comprising one or more parallel planes having surfaces of constant phase extending from the loudspeaker.

14. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more sounds comprise a plurality of plane waves having a plurality of phases, and

wherein the one or more wavefronts of the one or more sounds form when the plurality of phases are in phase with respect to each other.

15. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 14 , wherein the plurality of phases become in phase with respect to each other within the displacement distance to form the one or more wavefronts before the one or more sounds are to propagate through the plurality of openings.

16. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 11 , wherein the displacement distance is 50 centimeters (cm).

17. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more wavefronts form between the loudspeaker and the visual display before the one or more sounds are to propagate through the plurality of openings to minimize acoustical distortion of the one or more sounds as the one or more sounds propagate through the plurality of openings.

18. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more sounds or the one or more images are associated with an event being hosted by a venue.

19. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 11 , wherein the integrated audio-visual system is configured to be incorporated within a venue, the venue comprising a music theater, a music club, a concert hall, an arena, a convention center, or a stadium.

20. The integrated audio-visual system of claim 11 , wherein the one or more wavefronts form between the loudspeaker and the visual display before the one or more sounds are to propagate through the plurality of openings to minimize acoustical vibration of the visual display as the one or more sounds propagate through the plurality of openings.

Assignments (4)
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Apr 29, 2024
From: MSG ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, LLC
To: SPHERE ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, LLC
Reel/Frame 067260/0192 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 28, 2023
From: HOCKMAN, ERIK; LUTHWAITE, ALEX
To: MSG ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, LLC
Reel/Frame 065683/0516 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 28, 2023
From: YACOUB HANNA, EMAD
To: HOLOPLOT GMBH
Reel/Frame 065683/0555 →
CHANGE OF NAME Recorded Nov 28, 2023
From: MSG SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT, LLC
To: MSG ENTERTAINMENT GROUP, LLC
Reel/Frame 065693/0960 →
Continuity (4)
Continuation 17734995 · May 2, 2022
Continuation 16898142 · Jun 10, 2020
Provisional Application 62859930 · Jun 11, 2019
Related Publication 20240137679A1 · Apr 25, 2024
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