Improvements in Cinematographic Apparatus.
Year: 1897

page_text: • Date of Application, 21st July, 1897
Complete Specification Left, 18th May, 1898-Accepted, 18th June, 1898
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cinematographic Apparatus.
We, ALFRED DARLING, of 47, Chester Terrace, Brighton, in the County of
Sussex, Mechanical Engineer, and ALFRED WRENCHI, of 50, Gray's Inn Road, in
the County of London, Optician, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in cinematographic apparatus the
improvements having special reference to means for operating or feeding the films
and to an adjustable shutter as hereinafter more particularly described.
In our improved feed mechanism we operate the feed pins or points by means
of a double acting cam so constructed and operated that at each revolution thereof
the said pins are caused to pass horizontally into perforations in the film, moved
downwards, withdrawn from the perforations, and moved upwards ready to be
again inserted into the perforated film.
By this arrangement we obtain a more accurate operation than by the sprocket
wheel and other feed arrangements hitherto employed.
Our improved shutter for use in cinematographic apparatus is so constructed as
to allow the apparatus to be employed for taking photographs, printing therefrom
and for projecting photographs. For this purpose the shutter is constructed of a
number (advantageously three) of segments pivoted to a common centre so that
they can be slid on one another in such a manner as to allow of being opened out
for leaving an aperture to correspond with the length of exposure required. Suit-
able means are provided for fixing the segments in the positions to which they
have been adjusted.
1
1003
Improvements in Cinematographic Apparatus.
We, ALFRED DARLING, of 47, Chester Terrace, Brighton, in the County of
Sussex, Mechanical Engineer, and ALFRED WRENCH, of 50, Gray's Inn Road, in
the County of London, Optician, 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 relates to improvements in cinematographic apparatus the
improvements having special reference to means for operating or feeding the films
and to an adjustable shutter as hereinafter more particularly described.

page_text: In our improved feed mechanism we operate the feed pins or points by means
of a double acting cam so constructed that at each revolution thereof the said pins
are caused to pass horizontally into perforations in the film, moved downwards,
withdrawn from the perforations, and moved upwards ready to be again inserted
into the perforated film.
By this arrangement we obtain a more accurate operation than by the sprocket
wheel and other feed arrangements hitherto employed.
Our improved shutter for use in cinematographic apparatus is so constructed as
to allow the apparatus to be employed for taking photographs, printing therefrom
and for projecting photographs. For this purpose the shutter is constructed of a
number (advantageously three) of segments pivoted to a common centre so that
they can be slid on one another in such a manner as to allow of being opened out
for leaving an aperture to correspond with the length of exposure required. Suit-
able means are provided for fixing the segments in the positions to which they
have been adjusted.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:-
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of so much of a cinematographic apparatus as
is necessary to illustrate our invention;
Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 Figure 1:
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2:
Figure 4 is an elevation of the cam for operating the feed mechanism; and
Figures 5 and 6 are a plan and underside view respectively of the said cam:
Figure 7 is a sectional side elevation illustrating a modification of our inven-
tion hereinafter described and drawn to a smaller scale than Figures 1 to 6; and,
Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 Figure 7:
Figure 9 is an elevation of the shutter drawn to the same scale as Figures 1
to 6; and,
Figure 10 is a section on the line 10-10 of Figure 9.
C
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.
a is the box or case of the apparatus and is a metal plate or partition upon
which the several parts of the apparatus are mounted the said partition having in
it openings or apertures e and d and being provided with the boss e the said
aperture having arranged in connection with it a plate c¹ having an aperture c²
in it corresponding to the size of the pictures to be produced or exhibited, the
said plate being arranged to slide in grooves upon the face of the plate b
so as to permit of adjusting the position of its aperture relatively with the lens,
the mount for receiving which is indicated at c. cindicates a toothed rack with
which a pinion, not shewn, can engage for the purpose of adjusting the plate c¹.
fis a Y-shaped frame having the feet fo, fo and f¹ which are secured to the
plate b the said frame having a central boss 2 in alignment with the boss e.
y is a rotary shaft which is carried in the bosses and e the said shaft having
mounted upon it the cam h and the shutter the latter having formed upon it a
pinion with which a gear wheel engages. The wheel 22, which is not shewn
in Figure 1 but the position of which is indicated by the dotted lines, is formed
upon or secured to a sleeve carrying a bevel wheel and mounted upon a stud 25
secured to the plate b.
j, are two parts of a driving shaft the former of which is carried in a
bearing on the plate b and in another bearing on the frame f, whilst the
latter is carried in two bearings 1, 2 upon the plate b. Each part j, j at its
inner end has a bevel wheel engaging with the bevel wheel and at its outer
end is adapted to receive a driving handle m. The object of making the driving
shaft in two parts which can be operated from either end being to provide for
working the apparatus from either side. With this arrangement of driving
mechanism it will be obvious that the rotation of the driving shaft will cause the
rotation of the shaft g and consequently also of the cam h and shutter i.
n is a plate which at its upper end slides in guides in the feet fo, fo of the

page_text: frame and at its lower end in a guide in the foot f¹ of the said frame, the said
plate being formed at its upper part with a recess so that during its up and down
movement, produced as hereinafter described, it shall not cover the opening c².
Upon the said plate is fixed a pin n carrying an antifriction roller which runs
in a groove o formed in the face of the cam h, the said groove being for about a
third of its length concentric with the shaft y so that as the said cam is rotated
the plate n will be lifted, then remain stationary whilst the concentric part of the
groove is engaging the pin n¹ and then again lowered and so on.
p is a plate (hereinafter referred to as the feed plate) provided at its edges with
pins arranged opposite to the aperture d and designed to engage with the
perforations in the film band. This feed plate has affixed to it or formed upon it
two guide pins q, q which slide in bosses q', q' upon the back of the sliding plate n.
The said feed plate has also fixed to it a projection q² which extends through an
aperture in the plate and carries a pin q³ which engages in a groove q in the
periphery of the cam h, the said peripheral cam groove being of such shape and
arranged in such relation to the cam groove o that whilst the latter cam groove
is moving the plate n downwards and consequently also the feed plate p, the pins p¹
will be in engagement with the perforations of the film band and that whilst the
cam is lifting the plate n the pins upon the feed plate will be out of engagement
with the perforations so that the feed plate will move upwards to bring the pins p¹
opposite to other perforations.
is a guide plate for the film band which plate is fixed to the plate b. The said
guide plate is shewn clearly in section in Figure 3* and has a channel r¹ in which
the film slides, and 2 is another plate which co-operates with the plater and
serves for retaining the film band in the channel 1, the said plate 2 being carried
on hinges, as indicated at 3, to permit of its being turned back for the purpose of
The plate r
introducing the film band into and removing it from the channel .
is formed with vertical slots 4, through which the pins p' project and which
allow of their vertical movement.
In order to confine the film band as much as possible at that part in proximity
to the feed plate and at the same time to exert sufficient friction to prevent the
film band from moving under the action of momentum beyond the point at which
the positive movement by the pins of the feed plate ceases, we provide in the
hinged plate the spring pressure plate which projects through an aperture
upon the
in the plate into contact with the film band, the springs,
screws 7, 7 (which are passed through holes in the plate and screwed into the
plate serving to normally press the inner face of the plate against the film
hand. The plate has vertical grooves corresponding with the slots, in the
plate for receiving the pins p¹ and allowing of their free movement when
engaged with the band.
"
A frame s arranged in conjunction with springs similarly to the plate is placed
opposite the aperture and serves for holding the film band closely against the
aperture.
In order to prevent the film band from being unnecessarily rubbed in passing
between the plates r, the said plates are recessed at their adjacent faces as
shewn at so that the said plates only come into contact with the film band at
the edges. In practice those parts of the guide which come into contact with the
film band are faced with velvet or other suitable material.
In Figures 2 and 3 the plate 75 is shewn as being in contact with the bottom
of the channel in the plate r; it will be understood, however, that in practice
the said plates will be separated by a distance corresponding with the thickness
of the film band between them.
The operation of the apparatus as thus far described is as follows:-
Assume the film band to have been placed in position, this having been effected
by turning the plate 2 upon its hinges away from the plate r and then when the
band has been placed in the groover again closing the said plate 3. The cam h
being then in the position shewn in Figures 1 and 2 and being turned in the direc-

page_text: tion of the arrow Figure 1 the feed plate will remain stationary, in so far as
vertical movement is concerned, for about a third of a revolution; during this
time, however, the peripheral cam groove q will act upon the pin 3 and move
the feed plate horizontally towards the film band so that the pins p¹, p¹ thereon
enter the perforations in the said band. During, say, the next third of the revo-
lution of the cam h the feed plate will be moved vertically downwards the
pins during this time remaining in the perforations and consequently pulling
the film downwards with them. When this downward movement is completed
the pins are withdrawn from the film band by the peripheral cam groove and
during the next third of a revolution the feed plate is moved upwards into the
original position, this up and down and in and out movement of the feed plate
being effected during each revolution of the cam.
t is a counterweight mounted on the shaft g and serving to counterbalance
the cam h.
In the arrangement of feed mechanism herein before described the forward
movement of the film band is absolutely dependent upon the engagement of the
pins with the perforations of the band; where, however, very long film bands are
used an unnecessary amount of strain might be thrown upon the feed pins which
might result in either injury to the band itself or an unsteady or uneven feed.
In order to overcome this objection we sometimes arrange in conjunction with our
reciprocating feed mechanism rotary feed mechanism. Such an arrangement is
shewn in Figures 7 and 8 wherein, indicate two sprocket wheels having pins
which engage with the band in the ordinary manner. The film band itself is
arranged with a loop between the said sprocket wheels as indicated by the line u²
(which loop passes through the guide channel r¹) and the two sprocket wheels are
of such diameter and connected by gearing so that they run at a uniform speed
the band passing over the said sprocket wheels at the same speed as that at which
the band is to be moved. With this arrangement it will be understood that the
feed pins have at no time the strain thrown upon them due to the unwinding
of the filni band from the roller and also that at no time can the roller on which
the film is being wound exert a pull upon the film band which would tend to
displace the perforations relatively with the pins.
v, v, 2, are the leaves or segments of our improved shutter the said leaves
being mounted upon a boss w secured to the shaft g and adapted to coincide with
cne another or to be opened so as to form a greater or less section of a disc. Each
segment is provided with a centre piece and each outer one carries a counter-
weight and has in it a slot y; y is a screw projecting through the said slots,
through a hole in the middle segment and into a plate z which is formed upon
the boss w, the said screw serving to clamp the plates in any position to which
they may be relatively adjusted.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is: -
1. In cinematographic, apparatus the arrangement of feed mechanism wherein
a series of pins adapted to enter the perforations in the feed band have horizontal
and vertical movements imparted to them in such a manner that they shall engage
with the feed band, feed it forward and then disengage therefrom and move back-
wards, substantially as described.
2. In cinematographic, apparatus the combination with the guide or channel
through which the film passes of a feed plate carrying pins designed to engage
with the perforations in the said film band and means for moving the said feed
plate vertically and horizontally, substantially as described.
3. In a cinematographic apparatus the combination with a vertically and hori-
zontally moving feed plate provided with pins adapted to engage with the film
band, of sprocket wheels for delivering the film band to this mechanism and draw-

page_text: ing the film band away after having passed the said feed mechanism, substantially
as described.
4. In a cinematographic apparatus the use of a revolving shutter composed of
a series of leaves or segments adapted to overlap each other more or less and to be
fixed in any relative position, substantially as described.
5. The improved feed mechanism for cinematographic apparatus constructed
and arranged to operate substantially in the manner hereinbefore described and
illustrated in Figures 1 to 6 and Figures 7 and 8 of the accompanying drawings.
6. The improved shutter for cinematographic apparatus constructed and
arranged substantially in the manner herein before described and illustrated in
Figures 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated the 18th day of May 1898.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.