Improvements in Apparatus for Exhibiting Kinetoscopio or Zoetropic Plotures.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 31st Aug., 1898
Complete Specification Left, 25th Mar., 1897-Accepted, 12th June, 1897
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Exhibiting Kinetoscopio or Zoetropic
Plotures.
CBOIL WRAY, Electrical Engineer, of 2, Southbrook Terrace, Bradford in the
County of York, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The object of this invention is to increase the simplicity in construction and operation
of the kinetoscope for projecting or viewing chrono-photographic or zoetropło
pictures in an enlarged manner, by means of a magio lantern upon a screen.
Heretoforo special apparatus has been required to project these pictures, apart from
the ordinary optical or magic lantern, but the special feature of this apparatus is
that it can be applied to any optical lantern without altering or re-arranging such
lantern.
This apparatus fitting upon the lantern stage & taking the place of the lantern
slide, is itself contained in a small chamber, or box. The film upon which the pictures
are printed being fed into the apparatus from the top, by any convenient method,
as for instance from a bobbin or box. The picture is then exposed before a window
or eyepiece the exact size of a picture & the light from the lantern shines through.
The perforated edge of the picture is then engaged by means of a rack or comb
containing 4 or more teeth, which descends with the picture, and is drawn downwards
past the eyepiece or window a distance equal to the width of one picture, & at the
Bame time a reciprocating shutter is closed over the window or eyepiece. The arm
carrying the rack or combs is then disengaged & carried clear of the film & the
shutter is opened. It is then moved upwards by means of a link & tumbler the same
distance, when it again engages the film and the same operation as before is repeated..
Thus giving the appearance to the viewed picture of animation.
The mechanism for operating the arm carrying the racks or combs, consists of a
hand wheel fixed on a suitable bracket outside the chamber or box, & connected by
a belt to a small pulley fixed on an arbor. On the arbor or shaft inside the chamber
is fixed a cam or crank disc to which is again affixed a link or connecting rod to
which in its turn is affixed the arm which carrys the racks or combs. A special
feature of this arm is, that by means of a vertical shaft it slides up or down in the
direction the film is travelling and also turning on its own axis by means of a cam,
cut on the said crank disk, it thus causes the racks or combs, to engage in the film &
is disengaged in turn by means of a suitable spring. The shutter which consists of
a square piece of metal or celluloid is hung central & vertically over the eyepiece or
window on a separate stud and is actuated by the same cam, by means of a suitably
arranged tumbler which may net direct on tho shutter or through a link.
Dated this 90th day of August 1896.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Exhibiting Kinetoscopic or Zoetroplo
Pictures.
I, CECIL WRAY, of 2, Southbrook Terrace, Bradford, in the County of York,
Electrical Engineer, do hereby declare the naturo 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 relates to a new or improved apparatus to facilitato projecting
chrono-photographic and other kinetoscopic pictures on to a screen or picture plane
by means of an ordinary optical lantern commonly called a magic lantern; and its
object is to provide an apparatus adapted to be applied to a lantern "stage" almost
with the same facility as an ordinary picture slide.
To clearly describe my invention reforonce is made to the accompanying sheet
of drawings in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each
of the figures.
Figure 1, represents a side view of an optical lantern with my improvements applied
to it.
Figure 2, represents a plan view, and Figuro 3, a separate front view of the samo.
Figure 4, represents a separate viow of the main part of the apparatus on a larger
scale, and Figure 5, represents a plun view of the saine.
Figure 6, represents a back view of Figure 4 with the back plato removed.
Figure 7, represents a similar view with cortain parts of the mechanism in a different
position.
Figure 8, represents a sectional view on the broken line a, b Figure 6.
Figure 9, represents a sectional plan view of Figure 6 on the broken line y, z,
and Figure 10, represents a sectionul plan of Figure 7 on the broken line x, T.
Figures 11 and 12 represent a separate elevation and a plan view of one of the
parts.
My apparatus consists of a frame A having a motion plate A 4 fixed inside it and
the hack plate A 2 and the front plate A 3 are screwed to the lugs J 2 and J 3 on the
plate A 4. This complete frame or box is sufficiently small to pass into the lantern
stage or usual aperture for the slide as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 8 and to facilitate
this the usual spring clamp for holding the ordinary picture slide is preferably
removed to give more room. The motion plate A 4 has guide ribs A 5 formed down
the face and the plate O fits between them. The plate is loosely held in position
by the pin 02 and the springs C3 press it lightly against A 4. The film passes
through the opening A 7 in the top of the frame down between the plates C and A 4
and a shallow groove U4 is made down both plates to prevent the middle portion of
the film on which the pictures are touching the plates. The film passes out of the
opening A 8 in the bottom of the frame.
A picture opening D very slightly less than the sizo of the pictures on the film CG
is made through the plates A 4 and Cand largor openings D 2 aud D3 are respectively
made through the plates A 2 and A3, see Figure 8. The picture opening D is
rapidly opened and closed by the shutter E shown in the open position in Figure 7
and closed in Figure 6. The shutter E is fixed to the wheel E 2 mounted on the
stud E3 and is operated by the wheel E4 fixed on the arbor F 2 mounted in bearings
formed in the motion plate. The arbor F 2 has a pulley F 8 fixed upon it and driven
by a band F4 from the hand wheel F5 carried on the bracket F6 projecting from
the end of the frame A. Guide pulleys F 7 are provided to guide the band on and off
the pulley F 8.
Each time whilst the shatter E is closed the film C6 is moved sufficiently to bring
a new picture opposite the picture opening D by means of the pins G which at that

page_text: time are passed into slots G2, G2 in the plates A4 and C and engage the
perforations 07 formed along each side of the film as shown in Figure 6. The
pins G are fixed in the arm G3 projecting from the vertical slide G4 mounted on
the guide rod J by its lugs 6 and G 7. Figures 11 and 12 represent an elevation
and plan view of the slide and arm. The slide G4 is reciprocated on the rod J by
the stud H fixed in the face of the cam I engaging the slot G 8 formed in the slide G 4.
The rod J is fixed at each ond in tho lugs J2 and J 2 projecting from the plate A 4.
When the slide G4 is at or about its maximum height the crown of the cam Fis
arranged to ongage the projection G9 on the slido and turn tho slide bodily round
on the rod J sufficiently to pass the pins G into the slots G2 and enable them to
engage the perforations C7 before the downward movement of the slide G4
commences, and keep them so engaged until the crown of the cam passos off this
projection G9 which takes placo as soon as tho slide has been moved down
sufficiently to bring the next picture on the picture film opposite the opening D.
A spring K fixed to tho plate A 4 is provided to boar.upon the slide G 4 and turn
the slide on the rod J in the reverse direction to the cam F so as to move the
arm G3 to the position shown in Figure 10 and thus disongage the pina G from
the picture film and leave the slide free to be again lifted and the motion repeated.
The picture film CG is preferably placed in the form of a coil on the reel L
mounted on the stud L2 fixed in tho centre of the box L3 and passes ont of an
opening L formed in the periphery of the box. The box L83 is preferably fixed
to the bracket L5 socured by the thumb scrow L6 to the top of tho fraine A.
The lid L7 is preferably hinged by the hinge L 8 to the periphery of the box.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature. of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to bo performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. Apparatus for operating kinetoscopic pictures adapted to be placed in the stage
of an optical lantern and having a shutter working in rhythm with a reciprocating
device for periodically engaging and intermittently operating tho picture film,
substantially as herein shown and described.
2. The combination and arrangement of mechanism for operating the shutter E
and the film C6 or its equivalent, substantially as herein shown and described.
3. The general construction and arrangement of apparatus adapted to be placed
in a lantern stage for mechanically operating and succossively oxposing kinetoscopic
pictures, substantially as horein shown and described.
Dated this 94th day of March 1807
DRACUP & NOWELL,
Bradford, Patent Agents.