Aaron

Because those that publicly claim they know, never actually know.

Which means the USPTO's examiners have given initial approval for the application (meaning they see no infringement). When they publish the mark, anyone who feels the mark infringes on their own trademark has 30 days from the date of publication to file a formal complaint for review. If there are no formal complaints filed, the mark is then officially registered.

http://www.trademarkia.com/Banshee-85913369.html If you look at the filing on the actual USPTO website, you can see the full filing which is not just for "Metal key chains". That Trademarkia website (which isn't very good) only shows the first item listed in the "Good and Services". It appears all uses in their application (i.e. Amusement park rides) have been approved. http://tsdr.uspto.gov/documentviewer?caseId=sn85913369&docId=APP20130427073436#docIndex=2&page=1 http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=4801:kv9q2y.2.2

Approvals from the USPTO can come in bits and pieces; especially if the applicant files a formal response to an initial rejection. The key isn't what is approved (since that's determined by the USPTO), but rather the content of the application being filed (which shows the intent of the applicant AKA Cedar Fair). Even if Banshee™ isn't granted for "Amusement Park Ride" use, that doesn't necessarily mean the park won't be using it. Not saying that the name is guaranteed to be Banshee, but just because the USPTO only approved use for "keychains" doesn't mean the park can't / won't name the ride Banshee.

Yes. The use the company has requested for now is metal key chains. Not rides. Except that the filing specifically states: ...Not just keychains.

Yea, it was really testing my patience all day long. I'm only 22 and I feel like I'm turning into a cranky old man already, haha! I guess it's just because I've been visiting Busch Gardens Tampa as my primary park for the past few years. BGT has a much different crowd than KI - more families and adults, and less kids that got dropped off by mommy or daddy.

Yea... that may have been the case, but we left the park around 8 PM. Didn't have the time to stay any later, I had to be back in Indy early to fly out to California tomorrow for a race at Laguna Seca that I'm engineering a car for.

Today was really a homecoming for me at the park. Ever since I sold PKI Unlimited to PKI Central almost 5 years ago, I had not visited the park except for opening day for the Italian Job. After that last (somewhat disgusted) visit, and with moving away from PKIU, I really had no need or desire to visit the park despite the fact that it is the closest theme park to me (based in Indy, go to school up at Purdue for engineering). After 4 years of visiting other parks across the country, I finally had an excuse to return to KI: Diamondback. So I first arrived at the park thinking it would be a normal low attendance Friday... until I saw all the school buses. Crap. Looked like I decided to pick a great day to visit with so many high schoolers visiting for their senior days along with math and science days. I knew I could handle the crowd, but would I be able ot handle all the immature middle/high school kids? I took a deep breath and walked towards the gates w/ my friend. I honestly cannot remember the exact order we rode everything, so I'll just hit some of the major points from our visit: The Park - After my last visit to PKI in 2005, I was really disgusted with the park. I really felt as if Paramount was trying to turn Kings Island into a redneck, half-ass version of Universal Studios. IMO, Paramount had slowly destroyed everything I loved about PKI. However, today, I can honestly say that I feel that magic has returned. Cedar Fair has done an absolutely PHENOMENAL job with Kings Island. The park was IMMACULATE, and all the ride attendants were extremely energetic and enthusiastic. Not to mention, the landscaping looked exceptionally well kept and beautiful. Diamondback - First ride of the day... I'll save my thoughts on that for last. Vortex - 15 minute wait. By far the best Arrow looper out there. Back row, first drop... 'nuff said. The Beast - About a 40 minute wait, last car. The Beast was flying. Despite the track work done over the winter, it was pretty brutal in some places. But, that's alright... I like it rough sometimes Despite The Voyage being my #1 wooden coaster, there is absolutely nothing that will ever get me to giggle like a little kid like that double helix finale. Delirium - 30 minute wait. Probably my favorite non-coaster ride. My only complaint is that the crew today was HORRIBLE. I've never seen such a disorganized and slow moving crew in my life. I miss the original Delirium crew back in 2003 led by Sparky. Now that was a crew. Flight of Fear / Firehawk - Over 1 hour wait all day... there's no way I was gonna waste my time on those types of rides I've ridden countless times before at KI and other parks. Son of Beast - 30 minute wait, and the first time I have ridden it without the loop. Hated it with the loop, and still hate it just as much sans loop. Please, just get rid of that ride. Racer-Despite the fact that there's no backwards Racer anymore, I am more than willing to give that up for having them actually race. Short wait and fun ride like always. And finally.... Diamondback Going into today, I really had VERY high hopes for this ride. I have ridden every B&M hyper coaster in the US, so I had a pretty good idea of what to expect. I rode Diamondback a total of three times, and I think it's necessary to break down each ride. As many of you know, Diamondback offers drastically different rides depending on your seating location. Ride 1, Row 15 - This was the first ride we had when we arrived to the park. The queue was completely full, but knowing how amazing the capacity is on B&Ms, I knew the wait wouldn't be too long. The total wait time was just over 40 minutes. The first and second drop in the back is insane. You really get whipped going over both of those hills, and the third hill is pretty good. The trim on the fourth hill completely killed any pace, along with the MCBR. After the MCBR I felt like the ride was subpar. The two return hills were yawnsville, and the helix before the splashdown was everything but intense. I walked away from my first ride very, VERY disappointed. Ride 2, Row 4 - Now THIS is more like it. I've read that the new style trains give for much better front seat rides, so when I was assigned to row 4, I was very happy. Great air on the first drop, second drop, third... every where. Even the hills after the MCBR had good air, including the drop into the splashdown. I came away feeling relieved that Diamondback maybe isn't the disappointment I feared it was. Ride 3 - Row 1 - I think we have a winner. The front is by far the best seat on the ride. You have the best of everything: the view, the openness, and most importantly, the airtime. There's nothing cooler than feeling like you are soaring across the water in the splashdown up in front. This happened to be my very last ride for the day, and made me officially sold on Diamondback. After its poor first impression, Diamondback turned out to be a GREAT ride (as long as you're in the front part of the train). Is it a #1 steel coaster? No. However, I do believe it's a top 3 steel coaster. Overall, it was a great day. Despite the crowds, I really do feel like KI is back on track to being that park that I loved long ago. Cedar Fair has done an outstanding job in transforming the park that Paramount neglected. And, after a sketchy start, I am proud to say that Diamondback is a fantastic ride and addition to the park. Kings Island is finally back on track to being the great park it once was, and the park that made me fall in love with amusement parks and roller coasters. Now if KI could do something about those darn annoying middle/high school kids... PS - Sparky, sorry we didn't get the chance to meet up... you obviously know the situation haha.

B&M definitely has the most ergonomic trains out of any present roller coaster manufacturer, so yes, I'd say they are ergonomic people.

I don't know about your idea. Nitro, which has this tilt is extremely forceful, especially with positive g forces, in the helix, hammerhead and valleys of its hills. From offride videos of kumba, its apparant that it travels much quicker through its elements than newer B&m loopers. I think this is the reason to account for it being less forceful. The tilt or recline has nothing to do with a change in g-forces experienced by the rider. The amount of Gs the rider experiences is based on the train speed and radius of track curvature. By tilting the seats back slighty, this doesn't reduce the g-forces, but rather it reduces the strain that those Gs exert on the rider. With tilted seats, the rider's body can handle higher Gs because they are more evenly distributed throughout the rider's body, instead of just at the base of the spine. It's all about ergonomics, people.

I don't understand why people were making such a big deal about the E-stop on Diamondback. The ride did exactly what it was designed to do - stop the ride if something has potentially malfunctioned. A malfunction could have been as minor as a small voltage fluctuation between the two PLC processors. It's a perfect example of how well engineered the control systems are and why B&Ms have a perfect safety record (I've lost count of how many injuries/deaths Intamin has had). B&M's control systems are actually designed by an American company called Consign LLC (they also do the control systems for Great Coasters International). Check out their website http://www.consignllc.com/ to see how everything works. IMO, pretty cool stuff.

Indeed. One of the unique features on Diamondback's trains is the raised seating. While this may seem that it's solely to enhance the ride experience and feeling of freedom, it's actually a safety feature designed to thwart potential misbehaving riders. By having the their feet dangling, riders no longer have any leverage for their legs in the event they decided to try to 'free' themselves from the restraint.

The physics and math behind all modern roller coasters is the same as it was over 20 years ago. The way the rides are designed, however, allows designers to be more precise in these calculations. The physics and fundamental equations don't change, however the technology making these calculations easier and faster, does. Naturally with that power, it is possible to design a ride that would make it literally impossible for the rider to leave their seat without a lapbar, but anytime you experience airtime, you would without a doubt be nearly leaving, or leaving the train. (*cough* death on the Raven a few years ago?) There are some coasters where the negative Gs experience would not be enough to leave the train entirely, but there are PLENTY of modern coasters where the negative Gs experienced are more than enough to eject the rider. It all depends on the rider and the design intent. This is all coming from someone who has their degree in Mechanical Engineering and about to begin their Masters in Mechanical Engineering and Vehicle Dynamics. I think I know what I'm talking about. EDIT: It's not cold hearted at all. I have lost track of the number of times professors emphasize to students in engineering that, "You will be designing and creating things that have the ability to kill." It's why the study of engineering is not an easy one and requires an enormous amount of dedication and passion.

That is completely false. The restraint safety mechanism B&M uses for the majority of its new coasters have several fail-safes. These fail-safes are obviously not visible to riders, but are there within the inner mechanics of the lapbar system. While they aren't visible, they serve the same purpose as having a seatbelt. I definitely agree with the idea that not having a seatbelt gives the rider the perceived feeling of not being 100% safe. Even though I know specific inner workings and design of the lapbar, not seeing that seatbelt makes my mind think, "But what IF....." It definitely adds another element of thrill to the ride IMO.

I definitely understand that. I was just making a general statement as to why ride restraints have been designed the way they are as of late. All it takes is a few negligent ride operators and riders to cause the manufacturers to design restraints that limit the number of people that can enjoy their rides.