Universal City Studios received four U.S. patents on August 11 for systems that could change how ride vehicles move, how seats fit riders, how guests board and how destination audio guides are generated.
Four U.S. patent grants issued August 11 cover:
- U.S. Patent 12,702,934, a buoyant passenger vehicle that can remain connected to a track-mounted support while floating in water.
- U.S. Patent 12,703,284, a ride seat with a flexible surface that can conform to a rider and then become firmer.
- U.S. Patent 12,703,409, a loading turntable that can give one vehicle more boarding time while others continue toward the attraction.
- U.S. Patent 12,705,994, a system that identifies a landmark from an image and asks a large language model to generate information for an audio guide.
What the patents do not reveal
None of the four grants identifies an attraction, intellectual property, park or opening schedule. Companies routinely protect concepts that may be revised or never built, so the documents should not be read as announcements for future Universal rides.
The applications also predate the grants. The floating-vehicle concept traces to a 2020 provisional filing, while the adjustable-seat application was filed in December 2023. The August 11 development is the issuance of the four U.S. patents.
Sources: the four linked U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records and original reporting by Attractions Magazine.
Images: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.