The Nickelodeon (Jan-Mar 1911)

JANUARY 21, 1911. THE NICKELODEON. 75 New Amusement Patents By David S. Hulfisk It will be the purpose of this department to list all United States patents, as they are issued, which pertain to any form of amusement business, giving such data in each case as will enable the reader to judge whether he wishes to see the complete drawings and specifications of the patent. When patents of special interest to The Nickelodeon readers are encountered, the descriptive matter herein will be amplified accordingly. A complete copy of drawings, specifications and claims of any patent listed will be furnished from this office upon receipt of ten cents. PATENT No. 966,342. Moving Picture Taking, Viewing or Projecting Apparatus. Patented to Ferdinand von Madaler, London, England, assignor to the Rotary Photographic Company, Ltd., of same place. The apparatus is adapted to take the pictures directly from the moving subject, or to reduce the images from an ordinary cinematograph film. Its principal object is to provide a convenient apparatus for projecting or viewing pictures from a reduced or microscopic record on a flexible transparent film. < The picture record comprises a series of images following each other in rows. The picture images if on an endless band form preferably a spiral line, passing repeatedly around and around the band and progressing slowly from one side of the band to the other. If on a long 'strip having two ends, the pictures may be arranged in rows parallel with each other and with the edges of the strip as well. For projection, such a strip is joined at the ends and passes through the film gate as many times as there are rows of images on the film, shifting laterally between the successive trips through the film gate so that the different parallel rows are brought before the lens successively. When a negative of a scene has been taken by the device of the invention, either by direct photographic exposure upon the subject, or by a copying process of reduction from a positive print of ordinary cinematographic film, positives may be printed from it, either upon transparent film for projection purposes or for direct viewing by light transmitted through the positive film; or a print upon bromide paper or other photographic printing paper may be made at a comparatively small cost, which then may be viewed in the device of the invention by direct vision, lighted from the viewing side. Flgrl 966,342. This process reduces the cost of copies of the negative very greatly. A single negative may be reproduced in either manner, for projection or for opaque views. Fig. 1 illustrates the apparatus as designed for viewing an endless band of film with the images arranged in spiral form thereon. This figure is a front elevation of the device. The general appearance is that of a phono graph of the cylinder type, and the picture records may be bought as phonograph records are bought, except that they will be found more convenient by being lighter, and because they may be packed in shallow boxes, collapsed into a flat oval, but not entirely flat, to avoid creasing the film. The crank handle »' on the winding shaft H0-1 may f -f &4 966,342. wind a spring motor, or may act directly to turn the mechanism, as in turning a motion picture projector. Referring to Fig. 1, a indicates the casing of the apparatus, enclosing the motor. Within the casing is a chamber containing a hood for an electric light, or a lens and mirror for directing the light from a gas or oil burner, the hood being provided with a window for illuminating the film, and preferably with a condenser lens ; c is the film carriage, which moves longitudinally of the casing along fixed guide rails in the casing, and along an intermediate inner rail which serves also as a longitudinal feed shaft. The film is propelled through the film gate by the sprockets 6,2 and 62. The front part of the casing is removable and comprises a rounded or semicylindrical plate a2 having a slot aj over which the film is moved and between it and the lens e carried by a hinged bar e' which can be turned back out of the way of the strip. The endless band or loop of the film is shown at / by a parallelogram of dot-dash lines. The picture-topicture movement of the film, the vertical movement, takes place between curved guide bars comprising a back plate or platen c' of the carriage c, and a front plate or film window p'2, the film window being a long horizontal slot. The lens e is mounted in a focusing tube <?<? carried by the hinged bar e' which has an opening <?j of the size of the small picture images of the film and which opening is opposite the slot aj of the removable plate a,2 which slot in turn is opposite the window of the inside lamp hood, so that light may be projected through these openings, through the film which passes between the openings, and through the lens. From the lens the picture is projected in an enlarged form, or if desired may be viewed directly through a magnifying lens. Fig. 7 shows a view of the endless film record. The vertical lines /' are lines dividing the rows of pictures.