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)

678,992 be employed in other connections or for other purposes than exhibiting pictures without departing from the spirit of my invention. 5 From the foregoing description it'will be seen that the pictures are brought successively into an illuminated field and that -each picture is illuminated without interruption from the instant it enters such field until diB 10 placed i>3T the next picture in the series and that the several pictures in the series are successively substituted one for another with such rapidity that although the exposed portion of the film or picture-carrying Surface is 15 continuoiisryMllmninated the eye receives an impression of the picture which so greatly predominates any possible impression that might be made by the practically instantaneous motion of said film or surface in substi. 20 tuting picture for picture that the predominating impression which the eye receives, owing to its inability to receive two impressions at one and the same time and to the persistence of vision, has the effect of rendering 25 the movement of the film utterly imperceptible, while the successive impressions of different pictures are each retained until another picture in the series is superimposed, as it, were, upon the previous impression or 30 picture, thus rendering it possible to produce most vivid and life-like effects without any interruption whatever in the illumination, whether the film is moving or stationary and without interposing a shutter, and thereby 35 causing a shadow or shade effect which reduces the vividness of the impression, but I do not desire to be confined to the use of the invention withoutashutter, inasmuch assueh a device might be used, under some circuin 40 stances — as, for instance, when constructed so as to interrupt the illumination only at that instant of time when the film is moving and withoutrondering the interruption perceptible to the eye; but for all practical purposes 45 a shutter of any kind is useless and objectionable and is preferably dispensed with. Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is — 50 1. In a picture -exhibiting apparatus for giving the impression to the eye of objects in motion, the combination with a pietu re-carrying strip or film, a teusion device adapted to keep the film taut and prevent Hexing or puck* 55 ering at the point of exposure, means for intermittently moving the film through the tension device at short intervals exceeding the interval required in effecting the movement, so that the period during which each picture 60 is stationary and visible shall exceed the period occupied in substituting one picture for another, and mechanism for feeding the film so as to provide slack therein between the same and said tension device, whereby the film may. 65 be moved with great rapidity without unnecessary strain and wear upon the film, substantially as described. 2. Tn a picture -exhibiting apparatus for giving the impression to the eye of objects in motion, the combination with a picture-car^ 70 ryiug strip or film, a tension device adapted to keep the film taut and prevent flexing or puckering at the point of exposure, means for intermittently moving the film through the tension device at short intervals exceeding 75 the interval required in effecting the movement, tso that the interval of panse and illumination shall exceed the interval of motion, and mechanism for feeding the film so as to provide slack therein between the same and 80 said tension device, whereby the film maybe intermittently moved with great rapidity without unnecessary strain and wear upon the film, substantially as described. 3. In a picture -exhibiting apparatus for 85 giving the impression to the eye of objects in motion, the combination with an illuminator and a projecting lens, of a picture-carrying strip or film having a portion thereof arranged in the focus of the objective of the 90 projecting lens, a tension device adapted to keep the exposed portion of the film taut and prevent flexing or puckering at the point of exposure, means for intermittently moving the film at. short intervals exceeding the in 95 terval required in effecting the movement, so that the interval of pause and illumination shall exceed the interval of motion ; mechanism for taking up the film as it'is intermittently moved, and mechanism for feeding the too film so as to provide slack therein between the same and said tension device, whereby that portion of the film between the feed in <; and take-sip mechanisms may be intermittently moved with great rapidity without un 105 necessary strain and wear upon the film, substantially as described. 4. The combination, in ail apparatus for exhibiting pictures so as to give the impression to the eye of objects in motion, of a picture no carrying film or strip, a pair of feed-drums adapted to be continuously rotated so as to give a continuous movement to the film, a tension device interposed between the feeddrums adapted to hold and keep the film taut 115 so as to provide slack on one side thereof, together with means for intermittently moving the film between the drums at short intervals exceeding the interval required in effecting the movement, so thai the interval of pause 120 and illumination shall exceed the interval of motion, substantially as described. 5. In a picture -exhibiting apparatus, the combination with a picture-carrying film and means for giving movement to the same, of 125 a tension device provided with a yielding member adapted to hold and prevent movement of the film for a predetermined interval of time, together with mechanism for intermittently moving the film and simulta 130 neousiy engaging a portion of the yielding member so as to release the pressure exerted thereby upon the film., whereby the pictures m&y bo successively placed in position for ox