The Moving Picture World (1907)

4 6 THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. New • Patemisi HENRY S. ISAACS AND LEO ISAACS. MoviKC-PicrtntE Apparatus. This invention relates to motion-picture machines, and more particularly to- means for winding and unwinding the film strip employed in apparatus of this character. Heretofore in all of the various types of so-called "motion-picture" apparatus the pictures are contained on a continuous strip of film and said strip is wound upon a spool or reel mounted upon a suitable shaft, the outer end of the strip being passed into the machine and fed into proper position to be acted upon by the stereopticon, which forms an essential feature of these ma- chines. As the strip passes from the stere- opticon it is wound upon a spool or reel, the result being that after the film strip has been entirely wound upon the receiving- reel the end of the strip which was the outer end of the roll before the winding commenced is on the inside of the coil or roll of film, and before the picture can be produced again the entire strip must be un- vmnd from the receiving-reel and wound i.k upon the feed-reel in order to present the first picture in position to be again fed into the stereopticon. The primary object of the present inven- tion is to avoid the great loss of time and labor incident to this unwinding of the wound roll of film, and this we accomplish by providing mechanism whereby the coil or roll may be unwound from its inner end or innermost convolution instead of from its outer end or outer convolution. Then after the roll is coiled upon a receiving- reel the coil is slipped off of said reel and placed upon a feed-disk and again fed to the machine, uncoiling as before from its innermost convolution. Thus the usual un- winding of the coil or roll before it can be again used is obviated. The invention consists, broadly, in a film- feeding mechanism for motion-picture ma- chines comprising a revoluble support fora coil or roll of film, means whereby - said coil is unwound from its center or inner convolution, and a receiving-reel. The invention consists, further, in a feed device for motion-picture machines com- prising a revoluble feed-disk to support a coil or roll of films, means whereby said coil or roll may be unwound from its center or inner convolution, and a receiving-reel from which the wound strip or coil is adapted to be removed. s The invention also includes certain novel features of construction, which will be fully described hereinafter in connection with the ' accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, and defined in the ap- pended claims. In the drawings, Fig. i is a front eleva- tion of an apparatus embodying the inven- tion, the stereopticon being conventionally represented, as it forms no part of the pres- ent invention. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation of the device, the strip of film being in section, as indicated by the line x x of Fig. I. Fig. 3. is a longitudinal sec- tion of the receiving-reel on the line y y of Fig. x. Fig. 4 is a section on the line w w of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the feed-disk, and Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view of a modification. The invention is susceptible of embodi- ment in a variety of forms and construc- tions of apparatus, and the drawings illus- trate a simple arrangement of parts capa- ble of carrying out the invention. The reference-numeral 1 designates a box or casing supported by legs 2 and having one of its sides hinged at its lower edge to the bottom of the box to provide a door 3. formed with a central vertical slot 4 and provided with a catch or fastening 5 of any suitable construction. One end wall of the box or casing is formed with a horizontal slot 6. • Below the casing 1 is arranged a block 7.. serving as a support for a feed-dish 8, the latter having a centrally-depending stud 9 . fitting a bearing 10, formed in the block Below the disk 8 and concentric therewith is a belt-pulley 11, fixed to the disk to re- volve the same. Rising from the base-block 7 is a bail 12, spanning the disk 8 and serv- ing as a guide for the film strip, a roller 13 being mounted upon said bail, over which the strip passes, as will be more fully ex- plained hereinafter. The numeral 14 .designates a shaft sup- ported in bearings in the sides of the casing the lower end of the slot 4 serving as one of said bearings. Upon this shaft within the casing is mounted a reel IS, upon which the film strip is wound, and said shaft is extended beyond one side of the casing, where it is supported by a bracket-bearing 16. Upon the extended end of the shaft 14 is mounted a belt-pulley 17, said pulley corresponding in diameter to that of the pulley 11 belbw the disk. Mounted in bracket-bearings 18, projecting from the block 7, are two guide-pulleys 10. under which the driving-belt 20 passes. This belt passes around the pulleys' 11 and 17, and the revolution of the shaft 14 thus revolves the disk 8 as well as the reel is and at the same rate of speed. Adjacent to the casing -1 is a suitable stereopticon, through which the film strip extends, passing over guide- pulleys 21 and 22. This strip also passes between a pair of. guide-rollers^ 23, sup- ported in horizontal position outside of the end slot 6 of the casing by bracket-bearings 24- The end of the shaft 14 opposite to that which carries the pulley 17 is squared to receive a removable crank-handle 25. Projecting from the upper face of the disk 8 are a number Of puis 26, adapted to support the coil or roll of film 27 in position on the disk. The operation of the mechanism con- structed and arranged as thus described is as follows: The roll or coil 27 is placed upon the disk 8 and supported thereon by the pins 26. The inner end of the strip is then passed over the guide-roller 13, under the pulley 21, over the pulley 22, and be- tween the guide-rollers 23 to the reel 15, around which it is wound. Thus the film strip is brought into proper position Vfithin the stereopticon, and as the shaft 14-is revolved by the crank 25 the strip is grad- ually uncoiled from the center, as illustrated in Figs. i r .2, and 5» and wound upon the reel 15. After the strip has been all wound upon the reel the crank 25 is removed from the shaft 14 and the door 3 of the casing is opened to permit of the coiled strip be- ing slipped off of the reel and returned to its position upon the feed-disk 8. To ac- complish this removal of the coil or roll of film from the receiving-reel IS, we pref- erably secure the reel upon the shaft 14 by means of a removable key 28, and by- re- moving said key the reel may be readily slipped from the shaft and then withdrawn from the center of the coil and replaced upon the shaft - In Fig. 6 we have shown a modified con- struction of receiving-reel, which is similar to that shown rin Fig. 4, except that an additional element is employed, consisting of a longitudinally-split sleeve 29, fitting upon the reel. The film strip is I wound upon this sleeve, and when the wound coil is to be removed the sleeve (which is pref- erably of thin sheet metal) is slightly com- pressed to permit it to be readily drawn out of the center of the coil. This com- pressible sleeve or other like means may be employed to facilitate the removal of the coil without removing the shaft 14. which latter is retained in position by pins 30, extending through the shaft on oppo- site sides of the adjacent side wall of the casing, or other suitable retaining devices. It is obvious that our improvement en- tirely avoids the usual" rewinding pf the strip, thus effecting a material saving of time and rendering the operation of motion- picture machines practically continuous with tbe use of a single strip of film. It will be understood that the invention is not restricted to either the construction or precise relative arrangement of parts shown in the drawings, but includes all such modifications and variations in the details as may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined in the claims. DeWitt C. Wheeler, Inc. 1218 BROADWAY :: :: NEW YORK 'Daly's Theatre Building Slides for Illustrated Scrags Tfca BEST Soflga—lltastnted by. tbs BEST Stoics—at t»» BEST Prises I manufacture-\o order'-.onlyand do not deal Hi slides of other makes DO NO¥ RENT SLIDES 1 '■'■'" ). 1