Improvements in and connected with Photographic Change Boxes.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 30th Apr., 1898-Accepted, 16th July, 1898
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Photographic Change Boxes.
I, WILHELM VON SCHEVE, of Deutsch-Wilmersdorf, near Berlin, Germany,
Officer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention, and in what manner tho
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
The present invention relates to photographic cameras and has more particular
reference to an arrangement applicable to these cameras for changing the sen-
sitive film portions each time a new picture is to be taken, that is, for transferring
the impressed or sensitized film portion from the "take up" chamber to the
storage" chamber after the impression has been made.
With the cameras, heretofore employed, the changing of the films or the flexible
plates offers special difficulties because these plates do not sufficiently follow the
necessary direction. For the present invention this operation forms an important
object, inasmuch as at the changing of the flexible plate, the part intended for
the reproduction should be secured as much as possible from the effects of the
removal.
The film instead of being, as hitherto, lifted by a frame, protecting it only on
three sides, is lifted by a special transport-frame protecting it on four sides, and
is changed by means of a plurality of claws, taking it successively near its edge
and being disengaged afterwards.
In the annexed drawing:
Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section (on the line 1-1 of Fig. 2) of the rear end of
the chamber with an elevated view of the claws arranged above the chamber and
serving to change the films.
Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is a plan view of the chamber.
Fig. 4 is a front view of the arrangement of the claws shown in double full
size.
Fig. 5 shows the transport-frame seen from the interior of the chamber.
A is the outside casing of the photographic camera, B the frame forming the
chamber, C the false plate, (shown in Figs. 2 and 3) which forms the separation
between the impressed films and those non impressed; D is the space in front
of this separation and which serves to receive the non impressed films and the
interposed opaque leaves of black card-board, of the same thickness as the cellu-
loid plates preventing the premature impression of the following film.
Above the chamber is arranged a carrying drum W which can be turned, con-
jointly with the claws secured to this drum, by means of a crank K around the
axle X (only in one direction): 1 and 13 are plates in which journal the axles
of a gearing (not shown in drawing) to be connected with the axle of the crank,
the said gearing causing the transport-frame T to rise, the said frame being then
provided with a rack and moreover actuating a counting apparatus, to indicate
the number of the changed films.
This gearing may also be arranged to allow the transport-frame to be raised alone.
The drum may also be substituted by two disks in the shape of a wheel, mounted

page_text: on the axle X of the crank, at the place of the ends of the drum. Fig. 4 shows
such a disk R. At the ends of the carrying drum W or at the outer sides of the
disks R are arranged a number of pair of claws g g, in such a way that the
clamps (in Fig. 4) of each claw can be pressed by a spring against the periphery
of the drum or disk, but can also be periodically removed from it.
To better fix the films, having a less flexibility, not only can the clamps of
the claws be provided with projections and the corresponding places on the peri-
phery of the disk with a recess, but if necessary, the films can also be made, at
the corresponding places with a recess or small holes to prevent their detaching.
In order to seize the claw, to lift it; the said claw is provided at its back with
an operating rod (t in Fig. 4). Above the lid of the chamber are arranged curved
parts on each side thereof, the two front ones E of which engaging the claws
and the two back ones I disengaging them. In the annexed drawing is shown,
in Fig. 2 on the right and in Fig. 4, a front curved piece E, in Fig. 2 on the left,
one back curved piece and in Fig. 1, the two back curved pieces F.
The transport-frame T, shown in Fig. 5 has, on the chamber side, a small recess
receiving the front film. The rounded shape on the inside allows of the cham-
fering of the upper corners of this frame and to slope them, for as much as the
edge of the film surpasses sufficiently, so as to allow the film to be seized and
removed at the desired moment.
The changing of the films is operated as follows:
The film which is in front of the chamber, owing to the pressure of the partition C
in the interior of the recess of the frame T, is removed, by lifting the transport-
frame (Fig. 2, in the direction of the arrow) hardly above the axle X of the carry-
ing-drum. By turning the crank K in the direction of the arrow, a claw g which
until now, was below, comes from each side with its operating rod on the front
curved piece E, first acting as an inclined plane, and by the sliding of the operating
rol from a above b towards c, as shown in Fig. 4, the clamp of the claw is
sufficiently lifted from the disk R and removed sideways to come above the film.
The operating rod passing from c to d arrives at the head of the curved part,
slides downwards, and by the pressure of the claw-spring, presses the film, which
is brought to it by the transport-frame, on both sides, against the periphery of
the disk or drum and holds it stationary during half a revolution. By continuing
to turn the crank the following pairs of claws are engaged in the same way by
the front curved piece and seize a part of the film whilst the pair of claws, actuated
in the first place, comes with the part of the film engaged with the two hind
curved parts F (Fig. 1), and sliding there obliquely with the operating rod, removes
the clamp of the claw on both sides, when the disengaged part of the film is dis-
placed by 180° or a little more. A guide-part, arranged on the sides in a corre-
sponding way, prevents the disengaged film from slipping backward. By the
continual rotation of the crank, the pairs of claws operate one after the other
with the part of the film, engaged at the two hind curved parts F and are suc-
cessively disengaged, whilst the part of the pellicule already conveyed (in the
direction of the line 1-1 Fig. 2) descends to the back of the chamber and when
the last part of the film is entirely disengaged, slips to the bottom. The opaque
leaves may be changed in the same manner. The engaging and disengaging
of the claws may also be effectuated by wedges, inclined planes or movable pins.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is:-
1) An apparatus for changing photographic films or flexible plates, with which
the impressed film is carried by a transport-frame on a drum, forwarding the
film and setting it down at the back of the chamber, the said apparatus being
distinguished by spring actuated claws, arranged on the sides of the drum or on
wheel-shaped disks, the said claws being operated by sliding on curved pieces,
or also by inclined planes or movable pins, in such a way that they seize the film

page_text: lifted by its edges and disengage it after having carried it at the back of the
chamber, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2) A form of construction of the photographic film changing apparatus claimed
in 1) in combination with a transport-frame protecting the whole periphery of
5 the film to be transported, and provided with chamfered or sloped corners, for
the purpose to sufficiently seize the edge of the film to remove the said film, sub-
stantially as described.
Dated this 26th of A 1000