Improvements in Moving Picture Exhibiting Methods and Devices.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Dec., 1899-Accepted, 3rd Feb., 1900
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Moving Picture Exhibiting Methods and Devices.
I, JOSEPH MASON of 17 and 18, Great Windmill Street, Piccadilly, London,
W., Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and
by the following statement:-
My invention relates to improvements in mechanism for exhibiting a series of
pictures in rapid succession so as to give the objects in the pictures the appearance
of motion.
My invention consists in arranging the pictures on independent or separate
cards or carriers in a pile, one above another, and letting them drop from the
bottom of the pile one by one so as to form a second and lower pile in such a
manner that an observer may look either at the top card of the lower pile or at the
bottom card of the upper pile. My invention also consists in lowering the under
pile, so that as it increases in length owing to additions from the upper pile,
the position of its top card may remain approximately constant. My invention
further consists in means for raising the cards after one operation into position.
for commencing the next, and in means for effecting the various motions required
for exhibiting a sequence of pictures.
Referring now to the accompanying drawings which illustrate my invention,
but these are only diagrammatic):
Figure 1 is a front elevation of the mechanism of a mutoscope or moving picture
machine constructed according to one modification of my invention.
Figure 2 is a section of the same on the line E K A B of Figure 1, looking
towards the left.
Figure 3 is a horizontal section taken in the line C D of Figure 1.
Figures 4 and 5 show the shapes of the front edges of two consecutive cards.
Figure 6 is a section taken on the line G H of Figure 1 looking towards
the left. Everything situated to the left of the line E F is omitted for the sake
of clearness.
Figure 7 is a section taken on the line F K of Figure 1 looking towards the left,
various parts being omitted in this view for the sake of clearness.
Figure 8 shows the supporting plate for the cards.
Figure 9,is a sectional elevation of part of another modification of my invention.
In one modification of my invention the picture cards a are of rectangular shape
and are contained in a frame b composed of four bars of angle iron. The cards
shown on the drawings are adapted for sterioscopic views. The cards have notches
cut in the front, half of the cards having a wide notch c in the centre as shown
in Figure 5, and the other half having a narrower notch d in the centre and a small
notch e at each end as shown in Figure 4. These two kinds of card
are arranged alternately in the frame and are supported by the
ends of the arms f, f, and 9, g, of the levers h, h which are
pivoted at k, k, to the plate 7. Each of the levers h, h has a third arm m carrying
a pin n which works in a groove o in a camp fixed on a shaft q. The plate is
provided with two arms r, r pivoted on the shaft q so that the plate and levers

page_text: can oscillate about the shaft; but the plate is prevented from falling below a hori-
zontal position by the pins s, s, attached to the plate resting on brackets t, t, fixed
to the front angle iron bars of the frame b. When the shaft is rotated, the
levers h, h will be rocked and the armis f, f, and g, g, will alternately engage
with the cards a (see Figure 3) one of the cards dropping for each alternation of
the motion of the levers.
The dropped cards are supported in the frame by the plate u and this plate is
drawn up to the top of the frame at the end of each operation by the weight e
by means of the cord or chain w passing over the pulley . The cards on ascend-
ing push up the levers h, which fall after the cards have passed them. The
supporting plate u is cut away at the front as shown in Figure 8 so as to clear
the levers h, h. The upward movement of the plate and cards is limited by the
stop y engaging with the plate.
When the cards are in this position and the mechanism has been put in gear
by the insertion of a coin in a manner to be described hereafter, the machine may
be operated to show the moving pictures by rotating the crank 2. which is fixed
on the sleeve 3. The sleeve 3 has also fixed to it the ratchet wheel 4 which gears
with the pawl 5 (Figures 1 and 6) pivoted to the bevel wheel 6 which is keyed to
the spindle 7 which can rotate freely inside the sleeve 3. The spindle 7 is sup-
ported by the bracket S and is connected to the shaft 9 by a universal joint 11
which may be of any suitable type. At the other end of this shaft 9 is fixed a
worm 12 gearing with a worm wheel 13 keyed to a shaft 14 which has also keyed to
it the small and large pinions 15 and 16. These pinions gear respectively with
racks 17 and 18 which are made in one piece or rigidly connected to each other
but are not in one plane. The rack 17 is guided by the cross piece 20 on the
frame a and is fixed to the supporting plate u before described. The large pinion 16
first gears with the rack 18 and quickly draws down the plate u
in the line of vision through the sight tube 19. At
the same time the shaft q is being rotated by the spindle 21
through the bevel wheels 22 and 23, the spindle 21 being itself driven by its bevel
pinion 24 gearing with the bevel wheel 6 mentioned before. The cards a are there-
fore dropped one by one as the plate descends, but, owing to the fast movement
of the plate, very few cards will have dropped when the plate arrives at the posi-
tion opposite the sight tube 19. These cards may be blank cards. The rack 18
now runs out of gear with the large pinion 16 and at the same instant the other
rack 17 commences to gear with the small pinion 15. The descending velocity
of the plate u is now much reduced and is such that it passes through a distance
equal to the thickness of a card in the time between the dropping of two consecu-
tive cards by the lever h, h. The position of the top card of the pile resting on
the plate u is therefore approximately constant and the spectator looking through
the sight tube 19 sees a practically steady moving picture.
till it is
When all the picture cards have been dropped, the bent pin 25 fixed to the
rack 17 strikes the arm 26 of the bell crank lever 21 (Figures 1 and 7) carrying on
its other arm the claw 28 which holds up the hook 29 projecting from the lever 31.
This lever 31 is pivoted at 32 and supports the shaft 9 carrying the worm 12.
When the bent pin 25 strikes the bell crank lever 27 the lever 31 will be set
free and will fall into the dotted position shown in Figure 7 until arrested by a
stop 33. The worm 12 will therefore fall out of gear with the worm wheel 18
and the weight will raise the supporting plate with the picture cards to the
top of the frame 6 ready for another operation. Before, however, the mechanism
can be operated, a coin, say a penny, must be pressed into the slot 54 in the
casing 35 of the machine. Just before the rack 17 reaches its highest position,
the pin 36 fixed at the bottom of this rack catches the projection 37 of the cover 38
which normally closes the slot 34 and raises this cover so that a penny may be
inserted in the slot. When the coin is pressed in, it engages with the inclined
end 39 of the before mentioned lever 31, presses up the lever and puts the worm 12
again in gear with the worm wheel 13. The claw 28 at the same time engages

page_text: with the hook 29 and retains the worm in place. The machine can now be
operated as before described and the first small downward movement of the rack 17
lowers the cover 38 and prevents the entry of another coin till the required time.
Instead of using the above device for raising the lever 31 we may employ any
coin actuated device to accomplish this purpose.
By suitably arranging the height of the card releasing device above the sight
tube, the distance through which the cards are dropped is made great enough to
give the cards a sufficiently high velocity in passing the sight tube so as not to
unduly obstruct the view, and so that the cards produce the desired effect of a
moving picture as against a succession of separate pictures.
If the crank 2 be rotated backwards, the pawl 5 will slip over the teeth of the
ratchet wheel 4 and the mechanism will not be operated. The device prevents
the pictures being viewed more than once for one penny.
Instead of the observer looking at the picture cards after they are dropped he
may view either directly or by means of a mirror, the pictures on the underside of
each card before it is dropped. One modification of this form of exhibiting
apparatus is shown in Figure 9 where a is the bottom picture card of the upper
pile, b the card frame, 41 the mirror, and 19 the sight tube. With this form
of apparatus it is not necessary, as in my first modification, that the downward
motion of the card supporting plate in the interval between the fall of two
cards be equal to the thickness of a card.
To quicken the motion of the dropped cards the top of the upper pile may be
pressed down by a suitable spring.
The picture cards or carriers may be loaded or made of metal if desired.
It will be obvious that the picture cards instead of being caused to fall by
gravity, may be projected by a spring or by mechanical means in the same way
as I have before described without departing from my invention.
The guiding frame b shown in the drawings is formed of four bars of angle iron
but this is only one form and any other suitable arrangement of guides for
the picture cards may be adopted without departing from my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1.) Exhibiting a succession of pictures giving the appearance of motion by
causing independent or separate picture cards or carriers to fall or be projected
rapidly in succession into or away from the viewing position, substantially as
described.
2.) Means for setting free and supporting a succession of spring or gravity
pressed independent picture carriers in such a manner as to give to the scene
represented the appearance of motion, substantially as described.
3.) Means for setting free a succession of spring or gravity pressed independent
picture carriers in such a manner as to give to the scene represented the appear-
ance of motion together with means for directly or indirectly observing the pic-
tures, substantially as described.
4.) In moving pictures exhibiting devices the combination of independent
picture carriers means for dropping the carriers into or away from the viewing
position and for holding them practically stationary while being viewed and
means for returning the picture carriers into position for a repitition of the
exhibition.
5.) The combination with moving picture exhibiting devices as claimed in
Claim 4 of a coin-freed mechanism adapted to gear the driving mechanism with
an external operating device.
6.) In a moving picture exhibiting machine causing picture cards or carriers
to drop by means of oscillating levers such as h substantially as and for the
purpose described.
7.) In a moving picture exhibiting machine causing picture cards or carriers to

page_text: drop, by means of levers oscillated by a cam fixed on a shaft, the levers being
pivoted to a plate which can be oscillated on the shaft substantially as and for the
purposes described.
8.)) In a moving picture exhibiting machine the combination of picture cards or
carriers having notches such as c, d, e, with levers such as h, and a cam such as p,
substantially as and for the purpose described.
9.) In a moving picture exhibiting machine, the combination of picture cards or
carriers having notches such as c, d, e, and a mirror such as 41, with levers
such as h, and a cam such as p, substantially as and for the purpose described.
10.) In a moving picture exhibiting machine the combination with two pinions
such as 15 and 16 gearing with two racks such as 17 and 18 of a supporting frame
such as u.and.a lifting weight such as v, substantially as and for the purposes
described.
11.) In a moving picture exhibiting machine supporting a driving worm such
as 12 by a coin actuated lever such as 31 held up by a claw such as 28 substantially
as and for the purpose described.
12.) The moving picture exhibiting machines substantially as herein before
described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
00
1
1
1000
MARKS & CLERK,
18, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., and
13, Temple Street, Birmingham, Agents.