Improvements in and connected with Photographic Apparatus and Apparatus for Optical Projection.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 13th Apr., 1896-Accepted, 19th Sept., 1896
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Photographic Apparatus and
Apparatus for Optical Projection.
I, GRIMOIN RAOUL SANSON, of 27 Avenue du Maine, Paris, in the Republic of
France, Engineer, do hereby declare thenature 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 :-
The new apparatus hereinafter described for taking photographs of moving
objects, by. reason of its special arrangement, enables as many as one hundred
different instantaneous views to be taken in a second upon the same sensitive
material. Moreover, after obtaining a positive pellicular plate it enables the
synthesis of the movement to be reproduced by projecting the views successively
upon a screen.
The science of physiology will find in this apparatus a valuable aid for the study
of movement; different scenes, such as military or naval marches and manoeuvres,
can be reproduced and will permit of observations which are the more logical and
profitable, because the different phases of the executed movements can be reproduced
slowly and can therefore be differentiated. On the other hand it is possible, even
long after the death of certain great actors (artists), to see them reappear in some
sort and to see them play certain interesting scenes.
The special object of this apparatus is to provide for theatres, music halls and
the like a more perfect idea of the reality by projecting upon back scene curtains
or upon side curtains animated and coloured views which will permit of certain
pieces to be represented with a very much improved effect, because instead of
seeing, for example a more or less well-painted public place without movement and
without life, everything will be seen in an animated state, the passers-by, carriages
and the like, in a word strikingly true to life.
The apparatus is also designed to a large extent for enabling living adver-
tisements to be displayed upon the curtains of theatres.
In the accompanying drawing,
Figure I is a side view and
Figure II a front view of my improved apparatus.
Figures III IV and V are detail views.
Upon a pedestal Figure I is arranged a frame A supporting the principal part
of this apparatus, that is to say, an escape wheel B on my system, which is moved
in the direction of the arrow by a small tappet placed at C, which will cause the
wheel to advance each time the shaft which supports the tappet makes a turn; this
shaft d receives a rotary movement by the aid of a toothed wheel e which itself is
actuated by the wheel Q. On the shaft which supports the escape wheel is directly
fixed another wheel B (Figure 11) which is provided at its circumference with
notches with which a pawl & engages to move the wheels and prevent any back
movement which might give rise to the rebounding of the escapement.
By the side of this escapement wheel is a drum H with small teeth maintaining
the pellicle or band of sensitive material U which the escape movement, forming
the base of the invention, causes to advance intermittently through one-fourteenth
of its circumference. The whole is placed upon a common shaft supported by the
two frames or brackets A and D (Figure II).
The principal part, the first wheel B, that which serves to move the other two
just named forward, is divided into fourteen equal parts, and at each of its divisions

page_text: is an elongated tooth (shown separately in Figure IV). There are therefore
fourteen equidistant teeth which correspond exactly to fifty-six teeth on the drum H
which maintains the pellicle U.
Upon the shaft d (Figures I and II) is fixed a tappet C which when the apparatus
is set in motion will act upon the escapement teeth one by one and move these teeth
successively to the point F. Accordingly there is between each two teeth an
interval of rest. In order to control the intermittent movements of the wheel, a
lever J is pivoted at j and is furnished with a spring hook or pawl K which passes
into the spaces between the teeth of the wheel B.
The intermittent movement of the wheel B is obtained in the following manner:
The tappet L, owing to the rotary motion of the shaft d, to which it is fixed, will,
when this shaft turns, bear against the beak-shaped head of the spring hook or
pawl K which is integral with the lever J. As the rotary motion continues, the
tappet L, slides upon the beak shaped head of pawl K forcing it to recede as shown
by dotted lines in Figure 3. The pivoted lever and pawl are caused to return to
their original position by means of a spring M, thus the pawl K is forced out of
engagement with the teeth of the wheel B. Continuing its movement, the shaft d
brings the tappet C opposite one of the fourteen equidistant teeth and causes the
wheel to rotate to the extent of one fourteenth of a revolution, and so on.
The tappet C is thus always preceded by the tappet L which disengages the
wheel B at the moment when the said tappet C arrives at the top of one of the
fourteen teeth of the wheel B.
These teeth may also be replaced by pins or spikes, as shown in Figure 5.
Each tooth of the wheel B causes the pellicle or band of sensitive material to advance
four teeth on the toothed drum H, which represents exactly a plate of a height of
18-8 millimetres by a length of 24.4 millimetres which will pass the opening O.
In order that the substitution of one plate for another at O may not give a light
or delicate image for the spectator who regards the projection, a shutter P
(Figure II) formed of a segment of 90 degrees driven by a wheel el similar to the
wheel e Figure 1 receiving its movement from the common wheel Q, is placed at O
(Figure 1) at the moment when the pellicle moves downwards, and uncovers this
opening only when the substitution is effected, which requires one-fourth of the
time necessary for an evolution of the shutter and of the tappet C which actuates
the escape wheel B.
The common wheel Q receives its movement from a larger wheel R (Figures I
and II) which is turned by a crank or an electric motor at a velocity which permits
of the projection of about fourteen views per second.
The pellicle or band of sensitive material is wound upon a drum N (Figures I
and II), the feed of which is regulated with the aid of a brake n, passes first into
a small tension regulator T formed of two rods which are placed as near together
as may be desired, then into a sheath or case Y which is covered with velvet in the
interior and which is regulated by four screws (not represented, two being at the
top and two below) to provide for maintaining the pellicle perfectly flat when it
passes the opening O. This sheath or case Y is opened by means of two free
hinges which permit of a perfect regulation, and is closed with the aid of a small
catch.
On leaving the sheath or case the pellicle passes at once on to the drum H
having pins h, which is actuated by the shalt of the escape wheel, and passes upon
a small bobbin f of wood covered with velvet in order to be then wound upon the
drum Z (Figures I and II). This drum Z receives a rotary movement with little
friction by the aid of the grooved pulley S, Figure II, connected with the large
pulley S applied to the wheel R which is turned by the crank or by the motor
according to requirements.
In order to understand the movement it is sufficient to follow the motion of the
pellicle upon the drawings.
Leaving the drum N, Figure I, after having passed through the pressure
regulator T it comes into engagement with the sheath or case Y which always

page_text: keeps it under sufficient tension to give a very clear image which is well focused
when it passes in front of the opening O where a parallel-ray condenser situated
at G behind the apparatus and between it and an electric arc, projects the plates
upon a screen after the luminous rays issuing from the opening O have traversed
an objective with a very short focus, which is placed at the front of the apparatus.
On leaving the sheath or case the pellicle immediately adheres to the toothed
drum H and is wound upon the drum Z after having passed the small roller f.
There will never be badly registered plates as happens in many apparatus whose
systems of movements which cause the intermittence are defective, this being due
to the fact that in my system the principal part of the apparatus is mathematically
precise. This will be understood, because the escape wheel on my system can
advance only one tocth at a time, and because this tooth corresponds exactly to
four teeth on the pin drum H which represents a plate of the pellicular band.
The drum H having fifty-six pins and the escape wheel which operates it only
fourteen teeth, it is evident that the relations are simple, that is to say as one to
four, so that each time when the escape wheel makes one turn, thus causing fourteen
teeth to pass, the wheel which supports the pellicle will likewise make a complete
As these two
turn and cause fourteen plates to pass in front of the opening O..
wheels are fixed upon the same shaft there can never occur any irregularities in
the movement of the pellicle.
For taking views, that is to say using the apparatus as a photographic apparatus,
I close the opening of the condenser & by a muff stuffed with black velvet and I
replace the pellicle which has been exposed and represents any view by a sensitive
pellicle which may be exposed to the light; I close the objective in order to obtain
complete darkness in the interior of the box. A small sight placed at the top of
the box by the side of an objective with a focus similar to that placed in front of
the opening O, and which serves for the focusing, guides me when imposing the
pages. I take views by turning by the aid of the crank X, and I project them in
like manner, except for stationary installations, in which case I project by the aid
of an electric motor which I connect with the grooved wheel by the side of the
crank outside the box.
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 :-
First. In an apparatus designed for projecting photographs of moving objects or
for taking such photographs, the employment and combination of a toothed drum
receiving a rotary movement from a tappet carried by a shaft which is tangent to
the said drum with the object of causing this drum to make a movement equal to
a plate carried by a band with perforated edges, this band being moved by the
drum, as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawing.
Second. In an apparatus designed to project photographs of moving objects,
and in combination with the operating drum the employment of a spring brake
pawl of the said drum, the said pawl disengaging the drum owing to its being
pushed backwards by a special tappet carried by the shaft of the tappet of the
drum, for the purpose of regulating more surely the movement of the band with
the plates, as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawing.
Third. In an apparatus designed to project photographs of moving objects, the
employment and combination of a sheath or case in which passes the band with
the plates or pellicle in accordance with the movement of the drum, for the purpose
of obviating the scintillation of the pellicle in front of the objective, which
scintillation is obviated owing to the combination of the regular movement of the
said pellicle, such combination consisting in the entirety of the movements.
produced by the tappets, the toothed drum and the guiding of the sheath or
case, as hereinbefore described and shown in the accompanying drawing.
Fourth. The entirety of the construction of the apparatus serving to project
photographs or for taking photographs, consisting of a toothed wheel, a tappet

page_text: actuating this wheel, a pawl regulating its movement, a pin drum carried by the
shaft of the said wheel and designed to move a band with the plates or the
pellicle, a sheath or case in which the said band passes, the winding-up bobbins,
and also the means for operating the whole, as and for the purpose hereinbefore
described and shown in the accompanying drawing.
Dated this 13th day of April 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.