Improvements in Apparatus for Displaying Moving Pictures or Advertisements.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 26th July, 1899-Accepted, 7th Oct., 1899
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Displaying Moving Pictures or
Advertisements.
I, MORITZ BARTH, of 8, Fruchtstrasse, Berlin, in the Empire of Germany,
Manufacturer, 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:-
This invention has for its object an apparatus for operating and displaying
moving figures and advertisements which may also alternate with non-moving
pictures.
Such an apparatus is shown in Figures 1 to 7 of the accompanying drawing,
as an example, in which
Figure 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus,
Figure 2 a plan view on a'smaller scale than Fig. 1 of the disc serving for.
operating the picture drum and
Figure 3 a view from beneath of Figure 2;
Figure 4 a plan view on a smaller scale than Fig. 1 of the picture drum itself;
Figure 5 a specimen of the mechanism selected for the driving disc in Figures 2
and 3, whilst
Figures 6 and 7 show on a larger scale than Fig. 1 the means for operating
the movable pictures.
Figures 8 to 10 inclusive show a simpler form of the apparatus.
The arrangement and mode of working of the apparatus as regards Figures 1
to 7 is essentially as follows:-
Two
A disc carrying on its edge, at different heights and distances apart, pro-
jections e of the most varied forms, revolves on a spindle a. The disc is provided
on its under side with a rack or toothed ring d and on its upper side with a cam
On the
projection e rising in an opposite direction to that of the rotation.
spindle a there is loosely revolubly mounted a disc f having a downwardly
directed cylindrical edge g engaging over the edge of the driving disc b, which
cylindrical edge y carries the advertisements or movable pictures on its outer
face. The disc f has apertures h, and a spring i is firmly arranged on the
spindle a to project in the path of the cam projection e, Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4.
The driving disc b receives its rotary motion in the following manner.
elastic double armed levers k and rotate on the spindle a, which levers cross
one another like shears and have each at their ends a tooth m and n respectively
and 5.
to engage in the toothed ring or rack d of the driving disc b, Figures
The other outer ends of the levers & and are inserted in suitable recesses in a
double armed swinging lever o, which is pivotally mounted at p on the fixed
frame g.
If this lever o as shown in Figure 5, be turned on its pivot so as to
swing to and fro, the teeth m and n also describe a to and fro movement, but
in an opposite direction. The teeth m and are so directed that they only engage,
in the rack d in the direction of rotation indicated by the arrow in Figure 2
whilst in their opposite or return movement they slip over the teeth of the rack.
so that the levers k and thus operate alternately the driving movement for the
disc b, which latter, by the swinging movement of the lever o, is thus caused to
describe a continuous rotary movement. The swinging movement of the lever o

page_text: may be produced by hand or by means of any suitable mechanical device, but any
other suitable means of driving the disc b may be adopted.
The
The disc and the disc f are arranged revoluble independently of one another
on the spindle a. The spring i on the contrary is fixed on the spindle a.
disc with its cylindrical edge g is stationary when the disc bis revolved until
the cam projection e lifts the spring i so far that it engages in one of the
apertures of the disc f and thus connects or couples the disc f with the disc b
On the further rotation of the disc therefore the disc f will be carried along
with it. As however the spring i is firmly attached to the spindle a which cannot
rotate, it will gradually bend more and more during said rotation and its end
will move inwards corresponding to the bending until it slips of itself off the cam
projection c. The connection or coupling between the discs b and f is thus
released and whilst the disc b further rotates the disc f becomes again stationary.
By the previous movement of the disc f however a fresh picture or article to be
exhibited is displayed opposite the exhibiting opening. When the disc bhas
made an entire revolution, the cam projection again raises the spring and the
same action is repeated. The extent of the rotation of the disc f is thus merely
dependent on the length of the spring i, which may be made to suit the actual
requirements, in order that the disc f may stop each time at the precise position
for display.
i
The spring may extend as far towards the periphery as is shown in Figure 4
for instance. It seems shorter in Figure 1 because there it does not lie in the
plane of section but behind the plane of section.
The arrangement of movable pictures which are employed is shown in Figures 6
and 7. These pictures such as figures of men and animals with movable heads
and members are arranged on the outside of the cylinder g. The pivots of these
movable parts penetrate the cylinder y and are there bent to hang freely down-
wards, forming a pendulum r. If the picture drum, that is to say, the disc f and
the cylinder g be stationary, and the disc 6 rotates, the projections c of the disc b
encounter the pendulum and carry it with them, and finally again release it.
The swinging movement thus produced is of course transmitted to the movable
parts of the outer figures, whereby an intermittent very comical effect is obtained.
By giving different forms and heights to the projections c as well as varying
their distances apart, a great variety in the method of moving the movable parts
is obtained. In order that the pendulums may be of sufficient length and yet
slip off the projections c at a suitable time, they are bent inwards at a suitable
height so that the contacts slip at the places where these bends occur.
The driving mechanism shown in Figure 5, may be replaced by a crank arrange-
ment operated by hand or by clockwork or the like. The picture drum may be
arranged so as to be interchanged.
In the simpler form of construction of the apparatus shown in Figures 8 to 10
in vertical section, front view and horizontal section, respectively, the casings,
provided with an exhibiting aperture t has preferably grooves in the bottom and
top, in which plates u are inserted, which plates carry the movable pictures.
Two rollers vw are revolubly mounted in the case s, over which rollers an endless
band travels. This band is provided on the side facing the plate u with pro-
jections e of varying form and arrangement, which on the band being moved, set
the pendulums and therewith the pictures in motion. The movement of the
band is preferably produced by one of the rollers, such for instance as v, being
turned from the outside by means of a crank y, but any other suitable means of
driving may be adopted. The method of inserting the removable picture plates u
may also be of any suitable kind.
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. An apparatus for displaying moving pictures which
BUY

page_text: advertisements and non-moving pictures, characterised by the spindles of the
movable parts of the pictures being passed through the supporting wall and bent
downwards, pendulum fashion on the rear side of the same, and said
pendulums being set in oscillating motion by means of projections of various
forms, which with the object of obtaining as varied a movement as possible, may
be arranged on the edge of a movable disc at different heights and different
distances apart so as in their movement to lift the pendulums and produce the
oscillations of the same by the successive releasing of said pendulums, sub-
stantially as herein before set forth.
2. In a displaying device such as herein before described, the arrangement of
bending the pendulums at a certain height in such a way as to cause them to
slip off the engaging projections at the point where these bendings exist, with
the object of limiting the swing of the pendulum substantially as described.
3. A simple form of construction of the displaying apparatus herein before
described, characterized by the movable figures or pictures being carried by
removable plates, whilst the projections (c) which set in movement the operating
pendulums (r) are arranged on the end of an endless band (r) travelling over
rollers (v and w) which band obtains its progressive movement by means of a
rotation of one of the rollers which may be operated in any suitable manner,
substantially as described.
Dated this 25th day of Tul. 1900
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.