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)

078,992 be weighted or otherwise caused to exert a pressure upon the surface of the film. The film after leaving the roller d5 is caused to paai around a drum or spool E, then through 5 A tension and guiding device E', and then around a drum or spool E2, as hereinafter more fully explained, and theu over one or more rollers e to the lower series or bauk of rollers d' in the direction shown by the ar to rows. The drums or spools E and E2 are preferably provided with peripheral teeth oi\ projections adapted to engage perforations in the film, so as to properly guide and hold it 15 against slipping. These spools may have their shafts journaled iti any suitable support or standard and may be geared together by a sprocket-chain or otherwise, so as to rotate in unison, being so timed that each spool 20 witl rotate the same number of times in the same space of time. The film is preferably gently pressed in its passage over the drum E by a roller e' resting thereon, said roller being journaled in a bracket e2, which is ad 25 justably mounted upon a standard es, rising above the drum E. Below the drum E may also be placed a curved spring or yielding strip of metal e\ which may be secured to the standard e3, so as to bear underneath the film 30 andpress it gently against the periphery of the drum. Owing to its rigidity or stiffness the film D will be caused to move -or* be carried upwardly or outwardly a short distance away from the drum E arid its point of contact with 35 the spring e4, so as to provide constant slack in the film at this point, and then with a return-bend it may pass in a substantially straight line through the tension and guiding device E' and thence to the drum E2. 40 As a means for tension ingaud frictionally holding the film so as to permit the series of pictures thereon to be brought successively into the illuminated field and retained for exposure therein for a predetermined time 45 I preferably employ a tension device E.', having a stationary member / and the pivoted or hinged members/' and/2, between which the film passes, as showq in Figs. 2 Jo 6, inclusive. The stationary member / may be 30 supported in any suitable manner, as upon the standard/8, and is provided with an opening/4, through which the successive pictures may be exposed, and with the upper and lower guides/5, against which the edges of 55 the film may abut^ 30 as to be properly alined while passing between the yielding and stationary mem bers. Pins or stems/6 may project from the stationary .member /and pass through apertures in the yielding or movable 60 members/' and/2, each stem being provided with a nut/7 at its outer end, between which and its corresponding yielding member is placed a coiled or other suitable spring/8, so that said movable members may be held 65 with a yielding force in proper relation to the stationary member to clasp the film between the same, said yielding or movable members being each also preferably pro vided with an aperture through which pir.s /u, projecting from the stationary member, 7a may pass in Order to serve as a guide therefor when moved on their pivots. The member/2 may be p'i voted, or hinged, as at g, below the member/' and is preferably angular in form and forced with greater pressure 75 against the film than the member/' in order to prevent flexing or puckering at the point of exposure and to yieldingly hold the film and to exert a pressure sufficient to prevent the displacement thereof while the objects 80 thereon are in position for reproduction. By employing two tension devices or a tension device having two members adapted to exert different pressures for 3 ieldingly holding the film or picture-carrying surface one of said 85 members will act promptly in case the other should not, and thus insure the stoppage of the film the instant it has been advanced the desired distance and the holdiug of the same stationary during the desired interval of ex 90 posure. In the form shown the pivot of the member /' is arranged above and at right angles to the pivot of the member/2. To cushion and provide a smooth brushing-surface for the film between the members or any 95 two or more of the same of the tension device, a strip of leather or other suitable material g' and a strip of softer material gx, as felt or plush, may be cemented or otherwise secured on the stationary member /, between the ro.o guides/5 and on opposite sides of the opening/4, while on either or both of the movable or yielding members (preferably the member /') may be secured felt, plush, or other suitable material, as at g2, adapted to contact tc$ with the film and exert a yielding pressure thereon, .so as to keep the film free from dost and to prevent it from slipping. Upon tho movable member/2 and secured thereto or formed integrall}7 therewith is a plate or shield r to gz, having an aperture therethrough corresponding with the aperture/4 of the stationary member, said shield being separated from the stationary member/ by a suitable space in order to protect the fiim and tension and 115 guiding device from the heat of the illuminator and to provide a space for the circulation of air, so as to keep the film cool, this result being facilitated by the fanning action of said plate or shield under the action of the cam 12c operating intermittent lv to release the tension on the film. As the pictures on different films do not always occupy the same position with reference to the perforations in the film, one or more 125 adjustable plates, as g*, Fig. 15, may be provided for varying the size of the opening/4 of the stationary member according to the position of the pictures or objects to be* exposed relative to such perforations. 130 For the purpose of intermittently moving or feeding the film or picture-carrying surface in such manner as to cause the series of pictures thereon to be brought into and permit