The Nickelodeon (Jan-Mar 1911)

February 11, 1911. THE NICKELODEON. 165 New Amusement Patents By David S. Hulfisn 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 darwings and specifications of th 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. 970,570. Motion picture film reel mechanism. Walter B. Swindell, Raleigh, N. C. An "automatic rewind" device for projecting machines. In the general description of the invention, the patent says : This invention has reference to motion picture film reel mechanisms and is designed to provide a mechanism for supporting motion picture films while in use, whereby a film after passing in front of the projection lens is rewound in a fire proof case, the rewinding being automatic and progressing as" the film is unwound from the initial reel, the structure being such that the receiving reel and casing therefor may be interchanged with the reel from which the film is unwound as it passes through the projection apparatus, the parts then being in position to repeat the operation without further delay. _/^_Z -%^s J&4. 2j 33 3s 34 4,d 970,670. In accordance with the present invention two identical reel structures are provided, and each structure is adapted to deliver the films from the inside of the film roll and to receive the film for rewinding in such manner that the incoming film shall always be received on the outside of the increasing film roll. When the entire film has passed from one reel to the other then the reek are interchanged and the film may be immediately repassed through the projection apparatus without the necessity of rewinding the film since, when wound upon the receiving reel, with the present apparatus, the wound film is ready to be withdrawn therefrom for passage through the projection apparatus in the proper order. Furthermore the wound-up film as it comes from the projection apparatus need not be exposed or removed from the receiving casing since the latter as a whole is interchanged in position with the casing from which the film was unwound to pass through the projection apparatus, the structure being such that when the film is unwound to proceed to the projection apparatus the casing is rotated while when the film is wound up after having passed the projection apparatus a receiving reel with its casing is rotated. The patent has ten figures of drawings, of which two figures are reproduced to accompany this review. These are Fig. 1 and Fig. 4. In these drawings, I is the lamphouse, mounted upon the table top j. The motion head is not shown at all in the figures, unless it may be taken as represented by the frame 2, the two rollers of which may be thought of as the upper and lower steady feed sprockets, the intermittent feed, film gate, etc., being normally located between them. but being omitted from this drawing as not being integral parts of the invention, since this invention may be employed with any type of motion head whatsoever. At the front end of the base j are erected suitable supports 4 carrying brackets 5. and 6. On top of the supports 4 there is erected a stationary stud for supporting the upper film magazine 18; the pulley 8 revolves about this stud. Mounted on one side of the support 4 is another pulley 9 from which there extends a belt 10 to the pulley 8, guide rollers 11 being utilized to direct the belt. Carried by the brackets 6 is a spindle for the take-up reel, mounted in journals, and carrying the pulley 13, receiving power from the pulley 9 through the belt 14. The connection between the spindle and the pulley is a friction clutch, as is usual for take-up mechanism. The film magazines are two cylindrical casings, 18, both the same in construction. The central portion of each is open, and just within the central wall is arranged a circle of rollers, as may be seen in Fig. 4 accompanying this review. Each magazine has an outer film outlet, at 52, as will be seen in the feed reel and at the top of the take-up reel in Fig. 1. Also there is an inner film outlet^ at 38, as may be seen in Fig. 4. Without going into details of construction, the operation is this : The film is reeled up with the head or leader inside, taking the leader inward through the film outlet 52 of the take-up magazine, and through it and again out of the magazine through the central film outlet ^c?, and the end is -clamped in the latch 48, all as shown in Fig. 4. Then the entire central or hub portion of the magazine is revolved, winding the film upon it until the tail end of the film is wound into the magazine. This full magazine then is placed in the feed position, and the leader is taken from the central opening upward at 5/ in Fig. 1, over the roller 5o, through the motion head, which would be located at 2, and into the empty take-up reel on the brackets 6, where it is taken as before, first through the outer film outlet 52 at the top of the take-up magazine and then through the magazine to the open hub at the center. Now, when the film is wound through the motion head, the