Year: 1898

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Apr., 1898-Accepted, 28th May, 1898
A communication from abroad by THE NORTHERN ADVERTISING COMPANY [NORDISK
REKLAME KOMPAGNI (Aktieselskab)], of Copenhagen, in the Kingdom of Denmark.
I, JAMES GRIEVE LORRAIN, M.I.E.E., M.I.Mech.E., of Norfolk House, Victoria
Embankment, London, W.C., in the County of Middlesex, Chartered Patent Agent,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention (as communicated to me from abroad)
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 improvements in or connected with optical projection
apparatus, by means of which certain advantages are obtained.
In order that my invention may be readily understood I have hereunto appended
sheets of drawings illustrative of my invention. In the figures of the said drawings
similar numerals of reference indicate similar parts.
In these drawings,
Figure I is a front view of a box or case containing the several parts of my
invention, the lower part of the front of the case being removed to show the parts
within.
Figure II is a transverse section of the upper part of the case.
Figure III is a detached view of the automatic water cell.
Figures IV, V, VI and VII are detail views of the mechanism for converting the
continuous movement of the film into an intermittent movement when desired and
of the mechanism for actuating the shutter when such is employed.
Referring now to Figures I and II, 1 is the screen upon which the advertisements,
pictures or the like are to be projected and which may consist of a sheet of ground
glass, linen or other convenient material. The said screen is in this case mounted in
a hinged frame 2 so that when desired access may be had to the contents of the case
behind the said screen. 3 is a mirror placed at a suitable angle for the reflection of
the upwardly projected images upon the screen 1 as is diagrammatically represented
by the dotted line 4, 4. 5 represents the source of light shown diagrammatically in
Figure II and represented by an incandescent electric lamp in Figure I. 6 is the
lens or case of lenses through which projection takes place.
The images, which may be advertisements, designs, pictures or the like, are shown
in Figure I as carried by the continuous band 7 which travels over the pulleys or
rollers 8. Between the source of light and the lens I arrange a condensing water
cell of such construction that the formation of a bubble which would interfere with
the projection of the light or with the image is avoided. This device, which I shall
hereinafter term the automatic condensing cell is separately illustrated in Figure III

page_text: and it is an important feature of the invention. It consists of a bulb of glass 9 of
globular or other shape suitable for optical projection and contains water, alum
solution or other solution employed in ordinary water cells. The said bulb is
conveniently made with a neck 10 adapted to receive a cork or stopper 11. Through
the said cork or stopper pass the two glass tubes 12 and 13 which communicate
with the bottom and the top respectively of a tank or reservoir containing a similar
liquid, preferably water, to that within the bulb. By means of the said tubes 12
and 13 a circulation of the liquid takes place between the bulb 9 and the tank or
reservoir 14 so as to prevent the formation of a bubble at the upper part of the
bulb when the liquid contents become heated by the source of light employed.
15, 16 are shields of sheet iron or the like bent to the shape of truncated
cones.
Referring to Figure I it will be seen that the light from the incandescent lamp 5
passes through the condensing water cell 9 on to the picture upon that part of the
band 7, usually a strip of celluloid, which is directly under the lens box 6 whence it
is projected vertically upwards to the mirror 3 from which it is reflected laterally on
to the screen 1.
It is obvious that when the band 7 is not moving the advertisement or picture
which is under the lens box 6 has its image permanently displayed on the screen 1.
If the said band 7 travel continuously and no shutter be employed it is obvious that
a continuously moving image or series of images is thrown upon the screen.
If on
the other hand the band travel intermittently successive images are thrown upon the
screen and if a shutter be suitably employed the said images are not seen to pass on
to the screen and off again.
If it be desired to show the same image permanently on the screen the band is
left unmoved.
Should it be desired to show a continuous series of images moving across the field
of the screen, no shutter is employed and the band may be continuously driven by
any convenient form of notor, as for example by an electro-motor, conveniently
attached or geared to one of the rollers 8. One convenient method of continuously
driving such band would be by passing a belt or strap from the driving pulley of the
motor over the strap wheel or pulley 17, which is inounted upon the spindle of a
roller over which the band 7 passes. Such roller may have teeth engaging in rows of
slots in the band 7 as is commonly employed in kinetoscopes.
When it is desired to show images intermittently I may conveniently employ the
devices which I shall now proceed to describe and which are illustrated in Figures IV,
V and VI.
In these figures, 17 is the pulley driven by a strap from the motor and which is
fast on the shaft 18. Said shaft 18 also carries wheel 19 shown in section in
Figure VII. Wheel 19 consists of two discs 20, 21 placed side by side, which
discs may when desired be integral with one another. The larger of these discs 20
bears the driving pin 22 and the smaller one 21 has a notch 23 cut in it. Said
pin 22 is designed to engage in the cuts 24 of the star-wheel 25 which is mounted
fast on the spindle 26 upon which spindle is also mounted the drum 27 over which
passes the band or film of celluloid bearing the advertisements or pictures. This
drum has teeth 28 at its periphery which engage in orifices or perforations along each
margin of the band or film so that when drum 27 moves the film is drawn along
through a distance depending upon the amount of angular movement of the said
drum each time it is actuated. Said amount of angular movement is determined by
the distance through which the film has to travel in order to replace one
advertisement or picture by another, or in other words bring the next advertisement
or picture into the field of projection.
The continuous rotary movement of the strap-wheel 17 is converted into an
intermittent angular movement of the drum 27, as I shall now proceed to describe.
The wheel 19 being mounted on the same shaft 18 as the strap-wheel 17 rotates
continuously with it, but it does not cause any angular movement of the star-wheel 25

page_text: except whilst pin 22 is within one of the cuts 24 of said star-wheel as for example is
shown in Figure VI. During the greater part of its rotation there is no engagement
between star-wheel 25 and wheel 19 as pin 22 is free from said star-wheel. In
Figure V it will be seen that the star-wheel and wheel 19 are free from engagement,
but the pin 22 has just left one of the cuts 24 of the star-wheel. When wheel 19 has
rotated in the direction of the arrow shown in Figure V through a further angular
distance of about two hundred and eighty degrees, said pin will engage in the next
cut of the star-wheel and will move the said star-wheel and with it the drum 27
through a definite angular distance until pin 22 has again left the cut as shown in
Figure V. In Figure VI the parts are shown in the position occupied when half
of the said angular distance has been travelled by the star-wheel and it will be
seen that the point 29 of the said star-wheel is now within the notch 23 which is
cut out of the disc 21 to receive said point of star-wheel and enable said star-wheel
to move angularly. It will also be seen that each angular movement of the said
star-wheel extends through an angular distance of ninety degrees. By making the
sides 30 of the star-wheel of a curve to correspond with the periphery of the disc 21,
it will be seen that the star-wheel is always maintained in the proper position for
the pin 32 to enter the cuts 24. From this it will be seen that with each complete
revolution of the wheel 19 the drum 18 moves through a given angular distance and
that the band or film bearing the advertisements or pictures is pulled in the direction
of the arrow shown in Figure IV, through the predetermined angular distance
necessary to replace the advertisements or pictures successively at the opening 31
through which the rays of light are projected.
It is frequently deemed desirable to shut off the light, during the short period of
time during which the band is pulled across the opening 31 by the angular movement
of the drum 27 or, in other words, whilst the advertisement or picture is being
changed. This may, for example, be effected in the following manner.
Upon the
arbor 32 is mounted a sector-shaped shutter, which for clearness I have omitted from
the drawing. Upon said arbor 32 is mounted the horizontal bevel-wheel 33 meshing
with the vertical bevel-wheel 34 on whose shaft 35 is also mounted the vertical bevel-
wheel 36 which latter meshes with the vertical bevel-wheel 37 fixed on the shaft 18.
By this means the rotation of the strap-wheel 17 is transmitted to arbor 32 and the
shutter caused to revolve in the circular box 38. The gearing is so selected as to
bring the shutter opposite the orifice 31 at the required period whilst the advertise-
ments or pictures are being changed.
It will thus be seen that the rays of light from the lamp 5 first traverse the auto-
matic condensing cell, then the orifice 31, then the lens box 6 and then passes
upwards until it is deflected by the mirror 3 on to the screen 1 so that the advertise-
ments or pictures upon that part of the band or film which is covering the orifice 31
for the time being is thrown upon the screen 1 and there exhibited in enlarged form.
The reservoir 14 should be of sufficient size and the tubes 12, 13 of sufficient
gauge to keep the bulb 9 charged with cool or sufficiently cool water. If an ordinary
water cell were used it would be impracticable to employ a vertical projection and
still have a sufficiently bright light, as the water in said cell would soon boil away.
I desire it to be understood that my automatic condensing cell may be employed
with other optical projection apparatus than that herein specified.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention,
(as communicated to me from abroad), and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In optical projection apparatus, the employment of an automatic condensing
cell substantially as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In optical projection apparatus, the combination of a water cell, a water reservoir
and tubes connecting same together substantially as and for the purpose set forth,
3. The means for converting continuous rotary movement of a motor into inter-
mittent movement of the band or film substantially as set forth.

page_text: 4. The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as set forth with refer-
ence to Figs. I and II.
T
1000
J. G. LORRAIN,
Chartered Patent Agent.