Improvements in Apparatus for Photographing and Exhibiting Cinematographic Pictures.
Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 1st Sept., 1898-Accepted, 3rd Dec., 1898
PROVISIONAL DITOLICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Photographing and Exhibiting
Cinematographic Pictures.
I, LEONARD ULRICH KAMM, of 1, Gresley Road, Hornsey Rise, in the County of
London, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for photographing and exhibiting cinimato-
graphic pictures and has for its object to dispense with the use of the coils of
him upon which the pictures are usually produced.
According to my invention I employ a sensitized disc or ring of glass or other
transparent material arranged to be intermittently rotatad in front of a photo-
graphic or lantern lens according to whether the photographs are being taken or
exhibited, the centre of the disc or ring being capable of movement relatively
with the lens in order that the series of photographs may be produced spirally
on the said disc or ring. This movement may be effected by a pinion connected
to the disc or ring gearing with a fixed rack capable of being disengaged from
the said pinion when required to return the latter to its initial position.
The disc or ring is mounted in a metallic toothed ring supported upon rollers
with which ring gears a spiral cam the shaft of which is provided with universal
joints and is operated by a crank-handle, the said cam being of such a shape that
when the crank-handle is rotated an intermittent rotation is imparted to the disc
or ring.
A rotating shutter is provided for shutting off the light when the disc or ring
is moving, the said shutter being operated by the crank-handle through suitable
gearing. This shutter is advantageously in the form of a disc having one or more
openings for the passage of the light capable of adjustment.
When taking photographs an auxiliary shutter is provided adapted to uncover
the lens when the sensitized dise or ring is in the right position for taking the
first of the series of pictures and for covering the lens when a sufficient number
of pictures is taken. This shutter is advantageously hinged and is moved into its
two positions by two levers designed to be operated by a pin on the ring carrying the
sensitized disc or ring.
Improvements in Apparatus for Photographing and Exhibiting
Cinematographic Pictures.
1, LEONARD LRICH KAMM, of 1, Gresley Road, Hornsey Rise, in the County of
London, Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention

page_text: and in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention, relates to apparatus for photographing and exhibiting cinemato
graphic pictures and has for its object to dispense with the use of the coils of
film upon which the pictures are usually produced.
According to my invention I employ a sensitized disc or ring of glass or other
transparent material arranged to be intermittently rotated in front of a photo-
graphic or lantern lens according to whether the photographs are being taken or
exhibited, the centre of the disc or ring being capable of movement relatively
with the lens in order that the series of photographs may be produced spirally
on the said disc or ring. This movement may be effected by a pinion connected
to the disc or ring gearing with a fixed rack capable of being disengaged from
the said pinion when required to return the latter to its initial position.
The disc or ring is mounted in a toothed ring supported upon and guided by
rollers, with which ring gears a spiral cam, the shaft of which is provided with
universal joints and is operated by a crank handle, the said cam being of such a
shape that when the crank handle is rotated an intermittent rotation is imparted
to the disc or ring.
A rotary shutter is provided for shutting off the light when the disc or ring is
moving, the said shutter being operated by the crank-handle through suitable
gearing. This shutter is conveniently in the form of a disc in parts having open-
ings for the passage of the light, the parts being capable of relative adjustment.
When taking photographs an auxiliary shutter is provided adapted to uncover
the lens when the sensitized disc or ring is in the right position for taking the
first of the series of pictures and for covering the lens when a sufficient number
of pictures is taken. This shutter is conveniently hinged and is moved into its two
positions by two levers designed to be operated by a pin on the ring carrying the
sensitized disc or ring.
Referring to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an elevation with certain
parts removed of my apparatus for photographing and exhibiting cinematographic
pictures. Figure 2 is a central vertical section and Figure 3 an end elevation of
the same. Figure 4 is a section on the line ær, Figure 1. Figure 5 is a similar
view to Figure 1 of the lower part of the apparatus but looking in the opposite
direction. Figure 6 is a section on the line y y, Figure 1, to a larger scale.
Figure 7 is a section on the line z = Figure 3 also to a larger scale.
a is the case of the apparatus provided with the sliding door a¹ and b is the
sensitized transparent plate in the form of a disc or ring. c is the toothed ring in
a rabbet in which the sensitized plate b is mounted, the said rabbet being provided
with a soft packing cl, Figure 6, for the plate to bed against and with a pin c
engaging a notch in the plate b as shown in Figure 1. dd are the rollers support-
ing and guiding the ring which rollers engage with a groove in the outer
periphery of the ring and are mounted on a sliding plate e kept in contact with
one end of the case a by adjustable eccentric discs which act as guides. f is
the spiral cam engaging with the teeth of the ring the said cam being mounted
on the shaft f and of the shape shewn, that is to say, with a straight portion f
and an angular portion f so that when rotated it will impart an intermittent
rotary motion to the plate b. The cam is rotated from the shaft 9 having a crank-
handle through the medium of the gear wheels g², g³, shaft g¹ sliding longitu
dinally in its bearings universal joint g³, shaft g and universal joint 97, the said
joint being necessary by reason of the sliding movement of the plate e.
d³, d³,
are additional rollers which bear against the periphery of the ring c just above
the cam so as to prevent it becoming disengaged from the cam by wear of the
top rollers d.
h is a dise for holding the plate b in the ring c, the said disc being rabbeted
at its periphery to engage the inner edge of the plate 6 and provided with a pin ³
to engage a notch in the plate b as shewn in Figure 2, and with a central hole to

page_text: engage a shaft or support h' on the sliding plate e one end of which shaft projects
through a slot 2 in the case a. The disc h is caused to bear against and hold the
plate 6 in position in the ring o by a pin h³ which passes longitudinally through the
shaft to the outside of the apparatus, it being kept in position by a spring
fork h engaging a groove h³ in it as shewn in Figure 7. The head of the pin h* is
fixed to a spring plate he carried by the disc h whereby the said disc bears against
the plate 6 with a spring pressure. By disengaging the fork h' from the
the pin h³ and disc h can be removed so that the plate b can be taken out of the
ring c and another plate inserted.
groove h³
i is the pinion connected with the plate 6 the said pinion being formed in the
outer end of the pin h³ and jis the rack engaging therewith, the said rack being
formed on a bar pivoted to the case a at 1 and held securely in gear with the
pinion by a pivoted spring catch engaging a tooth at the top of the rack.
By this arrangement of rack and pinion the rotation of the plate 6 will cause the
pinion to travel along the rack, whereby if the sensitized plate b be exposed
through a lens a spiral series of pictures k will be produced on the plate bas
indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1. By pressing towards each other handles j
on the rack and catch the catch and rack will respectively be disengaged from
the rack and pinion thus enabling the pinion to be moved back to its initial
position by a thumb-piece k connected to the slide e and projecting through a
slot in the case a.
a², a³, are openings in the opposite ends of the case a the former serving
together with a lens mounted in a bar for the passage of the light when taking
photographs on the plate 6 the latter opening being covered by a cap (not shewn)
while the latter opening when provided with a condensing lens 12 serves for the
passage of the light from a suitable lantern through the image on the plate b,
lens, and opening a³ onto a screen. The cell or mount 13 for the lens / is provided
with an opening designed to come into close contact with the plate b, the
dimensions of the opening determining those of each picture produced, a suitable
material 15 such as velvet being interposed to prevent any light affecting the plate
except that passing through the lens 7.
m is the rotary shutter, the mount 18 of the lens 7 being provided with an exten-
sion 6 in close proximity to it. The bar is mounted on trunnions n n in opposite
sides of the case a so that it can be turned out of the way in the direction of the
arrow Figure 2, when placing in or taking out of the apparatus a plate b, the mount
extension being telescopic to allow of this movement. A catch pivoted at n
to the case a is provided to engage a pin n³ on the bar and hold it in position as
shewn in Figure 2. is an adjustable stop to determine this position. The rotary
shutter is formed in two parts o, o' carried upon a shaft o³ and operated from the
gear wheel through the medium of the gear wheel shaft and evel-wheels
the shutter being so geared that it rotates once for two rotations of the
cam so that when the cam is holding the plate b stationary an opening in the
shutter allows the light to pass to the said plate. The parts o, o are formed of
dises having diametrically opposed portions cut away so that one can be moved round
to fill up the cut-away portions of the other thus forming a complete disc. When
the parts are in this position the shutter serves for taking the pictures, the part o
being provided with two small diametrically opposite openings 03 for the passage
of the light. When, however, the pictures are being exhibited the parts o, o are
turned so that their cut-away portions coincide, thus leaving a comparatively
large opening for the passage of the light. The parts o, o¹ are kept in frictional
contact by a spring disc of the part of having a pin o³ which enters a corresponding
recess in the part o in either of the two positions of the parts.
q is the auxiliary shutter carried on a lever-arm 7 pivoted at to the case a
and provided with the slot 93, a spring r having a roller rl being arranged to
engage on either side of a projection on the arm q' and hold the shutter in the
position in which it covers the opening a² as shewn in full lines in Figure 5 or
when uncovering the opening as shown by the dotted lines in the same figure.

page_text: s, s¹ are the levers designed to move the shutter q into the two described positions
by means of a pint on the ring e, the said levers being of unequal length and
pivoted to the bottom of the case a. The levers s, s¹ are provided with arms u, u
respectively which engage the ends of the slot g³. By this arrangement when the
plate 6 is in its upper position as shewn in full lines in Figure 5, the pin t, when
the plate is rotated to commence the series of pictures will come into contact with
the levers and move the shutter q into the position shewn in dotted lines and
when the plate 6 reaches its lowest position and consequently the end of the series
of pictures the pin t will come into contact with the lever s¹ and move the shutter
back to its original position.
v and w are screens or curtains for preventing any light from the opening a
affecting the sensitized plate b when taking the pictures.
For taking pictures by my apparatus a sensitized plate must be placed in
position as shewn, the two parts of the rotary shutter m turned so that the open-
ings are in their operative position, also as shewn, and a cap placed over the
opening a³. By turning the handle g¹ the plate b will be rotated by the cam f,
the pint operating against the lever s and moving the shutter q to uncover the
opening a and as the plate b continues to move, a series of pictures will be taken
on it, the gradual downward movement of the plate due to the engagement of the
pinion and rack producing it spirally. When the plate b in its downward
movement has reached a certain point, the pin t will impinge against the lever s
thereby causing the shutter q to again cover the opening a³, thus completing the
series of pictures. The plate 6 having been developed, forms a "negative," and
another similar sensitized plate being printed therefrom to form a "positive" can
be used in the apparatus to exhibit the pictures thereon, the ring c being again
moved up to its initial position to receive the plate, the operation being the same
as when taking the pictures, except that the two parts of the shutter m are moved
to coincide, the cap is removed from the opening a³ and the lens 13 placed therein,
a lantern or the like being placed so as to project light through the plate 6 and the
lens onto a screen.
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. Apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinematographic pictures in
which the pictures are arranged on a transparent plate in a spiral series, sub-
stantially as described.
2. In apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinematographic pictures,
the combination of a lens or lenses, a transparent picture plate, means for rotating
the plate intermittentiy, a shutter and means for moving the centre of rotation of
the plate relatively with the lens or lenses substantially as described.
3. In apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinematographic pictures
the combination of a lens or lenses, a transparent picture plate, a ring of teeth
connected to the plate, a cam engaging the teeth, a shutter and means for moving
the centre of rotation of the plate relatively with the lens or lenses, substantially
as described.
4. In apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinematographic pic-
tures, the combination of a lens or lenses, a transparent picture plate, a ring of
teeth connected to the plate, a cam engaging the teeth, a shutter, a pinion con-
nected to the plate and a toothed rack gearing with the pinion substantially as
described.
5. In apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinematographic pictures
the combination of a lens or lenses, a transparent picture plate, a ring of teeth,
connected to the plate, a cam engaging the teeth, a shutter, a pinion connected
to the plate, a toothed rack gearing with the pinion and means for disengaging
the rack from the pinion substantially as described.

page_text: 6. In apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinematographic pic-
tures in which the pictures are produced in a spiral series upon a transparent
plate intermittently rotated by a cam, the combination with the said cam of a
series of shafts one of which can slide longitudinally, universal joints, gear wheels
and a crank-handle substantially as described.
7. In apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinematographic pictures
in which the pictures are produced in a spiral series on a transparent intermittently
rotating plate, the combination with the said plate of a rotating shutter in two
parts each having openings and capable of relative movement substantially as
and for the purpose described.
8. In apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinematographic pictures
in which the pictures are produced in a spiral series on a transparent intermit-
tently rotating plate, a shutter for covering the objective lens at the commence-
ment and end of the series of pictures, the said shutter being operated by a pin
connected to the picture plate through the medium of two levers engaging a slot
in connection with the shutter substantially as described.
9. The improved apparatus for photographing and (or) exhibiting cinemato-
graphic pictures herein described and illustrated in the drawings and operating as
set forth.
Dated this 1st day of September 1898.