In the District Court of the United States, for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, the United States of America, petitioner, vs. Motion Picture Patents Company, et al., defendants (1914)

680,749 tures produced thereon by photographic or other means, the several pictures in the series representing successively different positions of a moving object, so that the rapid exUibi5 tion of the entire series of pictures in the order in which they were made or taken may result in the reproduction of the appearance of the moving object in every phase of its motion. . This film naay be either an endless or 10 a continuous band or strip supported in any suitable mariner and may be arranged and operated so that slack may be provided between the feed-drum B and the tension device in order that the entire film need not be 15 moved, as in my aforesaid applications. Owing to the usual form and arrangement of the take-up drum and the mechanism for intermittently moving the film, and the high speed necessary for the proper action thereof, 20 it has been necessary to employ more or less complicated speed-reducing mechanism between said take-up drum and the film-operating mechanism, thereby materially increasing the cost of manufacture of the appara 25 *tus and causing considerable backlashingand jarring of the parts. To obviate these objectionable features, I secure a gear F to the shaft/of the rotating element D, adapted to mesh with a larger gear G, secured to the 30 shaft g, though in some instances a gear or gea^s adapted to mesh with each other and with the gears F and G may be employed, if desired. The shaft / is preferably provided with a 35 driving-wheel /" or other means for rotating the same, while the shaft g has the take-up drum G' secured thereto, said drum being preferably provided withteeth or projections adapted to engage the perforations in the *o film or strip. This take-up drum and its shaft are arranged to rotate relatively to the shaft of the rotating element according to the length of film and the number of pictures thereon moved at each revolution of said 45 «fcaf ts. In this i nstance the rotating element D moves the film c r a portion thereof equal to the distance between any two successive pictures, so as to displace one picture and place anoth** in its stead, and the gears F 50 and G and the take-up drum G' are so proportioned that the rotating element makes four revolutions to one revolution of said drum. By this means a small take-up drum may be employed and a simple arid direct 55 gear connection made between the driving &od the driven or take:up-drum shafts. For the purpose of relieving the strain bn the film and preventing the enlargement of the perforations therein as much as possible 60 I prefer to provide one or moro idler drums or spools K, of any suitable material, preferably two, arranged on the support A between ,he take-up drum G' and the rotating element D. One of the spools H may be arranged 65 above the take-up drum G' and the other below said drum. The film after being arranged to* be engaged by the roller ol the stating element is passed around the upper surface of the upper spool, then around the lower surface or the lower spool and around the 7; take-up drum, and from there to either side of an idler roller or spool II'. The upper drum or spool II is preferably provided with a pressure and guiding device J to aline the film and prevent its jumping or buckling at 75 this point while being intermittently moved. This pressure and guiding device may comprise a sleeve j, rotatably arranged on a stem projecting outwardly from the support, having fingers/2 thereon adapted to embrace the 80 edges of the drum, so as to aline the film, and with a pressure-plate/3 secured to the sleeve j' and adapted to exert sufficient pressure to retain the film against'the drum, though the pressure-plate in some instances may be dis 85 pensed with. The pressure-plate jh is preferably covered with a yielding material, as leather, and is arranged to swing on the stem with the sleeve aud guide-fingers j3, so as to permit the film to be readily passed around 90 the drum or spool, both the pressure-plate and the guide-fingers being adapted to be held in an adjusted position by a thumb-nut arranged on the end of the stem or in any other suitable manner. 55 The feed-drum Rand the take-up drum G' are preferably of the same diameter and are adapted to be rotated at the same rate of speed, so that one will take up exactly the same length of film as is fed by the other at 100 each revolution of said drums." The shafts of these drums may each have a sprocketwheel ht around which passes a sprocket-chain &', though other means may be employed for connecting aud rotating said shafts. 105 Each of the drums may be provided with a pressure and guiding device, as at J, or they may have an arm L, provided with guide-fingers adapted to aline the film. I m,ay, however,, employ a yielding arm, as L', without ixo the guide-fingers and instead of said guidefingers use a guiding device, pimilar to the guiding device J, without the pressure-plate, as shown in connection* with the feed-drum. I thus provide simple and efficient means 115 for imparting motion to the film-operating mechanism and for alining and preventing injury to the film or to the apertures or perforations therein. The mechanism, either in part or as a whole, i?o when desired, may be employed in connection with a photographic apparatus having the usual or any preferred mechanism for adapting the improvements herein described to such a device. 125 It is obvious that the shaft g may be employed as the driving-shaft, that a shutter may be employed, if desired, and that some of the parts may be dispensed with or others substituted therefor without departing from 130 the spirit of my invention. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, 4s —