CA1051048A - Intermittent web advancing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

INTERMITTENT WEB ADVANCING APPARATUS

ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE

An apparatus for use in advancing a web strip, which may be unperforated, along a path and including a guideway for defining a part of such path and a reciprocatable shuttle in combination with a film engaging jaw operable to engage and advance said web along said path.

Description

This .i.s a division of Serlal No . 161, 548 ~ila~ Januaxy 18, 1973, a division of Serial No. 112,898 flled May 13, 1971.
The presen~ invention relate~ to 8 perfor~cor for punching ~ series of holes along ~che length of a web as it is ~ntermittently ~dvanced, and particularly to such a per~orator w~ich perorates film 5~rips at a rate much grPater than here-tofore possibl2 and which is adaptable to dlfferent film form8ts a~d ilm wideh~, .
Continuous and in~ermittent perforators have been u~ed in the ar~ to perora~e a row of perforation~ in succession ~long the leng~h of a web or film. In ~he manufacture of mo~ion pi~ture ilm, w~ere a h~gh degree of accuracy is required in th~
ormat~on of the perfora~ions, per se, and the pitch therebetween ~t has been the usual practice to use per~ora~ors having a single frame intermit~ent shut~le advanr~ ln c~mbination with a pilot pin. In ~uch perforators, the ~ilm is in~ermittently advanced ~hrough a perfora~ing sta~ion by a ~hut~le mechanism having a claw which engages a perforation ln the film previously made by a reciprooal punch which acts on the film in ~he perorating station while the film is sta~ionary. To insure high accurac~
~n the pi~ch be~ween perforations, a pilot pin is associa~ed with the punch to move therewith. This pilot pin is located between the punch and shuttle meehanisms by a distance from the punch equal to one perforation pi~ch, and ~s arranged to enter the perforation previously made by the punch just be-fore the punch engages the film so as ~o accurately adjust the f~lm adv~nce b~fore a succeedi.ng perforation is made. The p~lot pin which is formed to accurately fit a previously ~de :

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perforation is provided to correct for any slight inaccuracy in fiLm advance which might be made ~y the shuttle mechanism.
~ hile perforators of the type having a si~gle frame intermittent shuttle advance with pilots are known to possess high accuracy, they are limited as to the speed at which they can be operated because the conventional cam and follower designs they have used in the shuttle mechanism will not stand ; up fox a reasonable length of time under the high accelerations involved in high spaed operation. Furthermore, conventional cam and follower designs used in shuttle mechanisms are subject to sev~re wear, lubrication and heat generation problems, while ; ball bearing ~ollowers axe generally too massive and short in life. Another shortcoming of known perforators of this type has been ~he necessity of temporarily splicing the end of a new web onto the end o an expiring web, or providing the and of the new web with two or more perforations, in order to thread a new web onto the perforator. Also, intermittent film per~orators of the type mentioned have had a top speed of about 3,580 perforations per minu e and have been designed to ha~dle one foxmat of ilm, e.g. 35mm, 16mm, 8mm and/or Super 8.
- Thus, in accordance with the present teachings, a film advanci.ng assembly for intermittently feeding an unperforated web strip through a given path is provided. The essembly comprises a web guideway defining a portion of ~he path and including support means for supporting face of the weh and including a roller to facilitate movement of the web. Edge guides are provided for guiding the edges of the web with means provided for providing access to the other face of the web.
- A shuttle is provided which reciprocates through a path including 3q a web advancing stroke and a retur~ stroke and which has a~- ~ `!
friction pad attached to the shuttle to reciprocate therewith.

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Means are provided Eor reciprocating the shuttle and causing the friction pad to moYP, via the acce~s means, into pressing engage-ment with other face of ~he web at the beginning of and during the web advancing stroke of the shuttle to advance the web with the pad retracting from engagement with the web duxing ~he return stroke~
The novel fea~ures which I consider characteristic of my invantion are se~ forth ~ith par~icularity in ~he appended claimsO The invention itself, however, both as to its organi-zation and its methods of operation, together with additionalobjects and advantages thereof will best be understood from the following descr.iption o~ specific embodiments when read in con-: nection with the accompanying drawings in which:
E'igure 1 is a front elevational view of the punch andthread-up shuttle mechanism of a perforating device construc~ed in accordance with a preferred embodiment of ~he present invention with the front fr~ne of the device bei~g partly broken away for purposes of clarity;

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Flgure 2 is a tl-ans~erse sect I on~l view taken sub~
~tantially along line 2-2 of Flgure 1, and showing the main shaft assembly;
Figure 3 is a sectional view of the punch and thread-Up shuttle mechanism of the perorating device taken substantlally along linP 3-3 ~f Flgure 2;
Figure 4 ~s a top view ~aken substantially along the line 4-4 of Figure 3;
Figure 5 shows a schematic of the high speed shuttle 10 showing the relationship between the upper cam, the flat cam, the shuttle tooth path, the film plan and the eccentric dr~ve sha~t;
Figure 6 shows plots of shut~le claw paths necessary or the perforation of 35mm, Super ~, and regular 8 film formats;
Figure 7 i5 a transverse sectlonal view taken sub-æ~antially along the line 7-7 of Flgure 1, and showing the - thread~ up shuttle assembly.
Figure 8 is a fragmen~ary sec~ional view taken sub~
stantially along the line 8~8 of Flgure 1, and showing bearing assemblies for the thread-up shuttled Figure 9 is a transverse sectional view taken sub-8tantially along the line 9-9 of Figure 1, and showing the thread-up shuttle film engagement area. -Figure 10 is a top view of F~gure 7 with the ~trippersremoved and showing edge guiding and die arrangements necessary ` t~ per~orate regular 35 mm film.

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Figure 11 is a schem~t:ic of the thread-up shuttle snechanlsm showing the geome~rical relationships of the eccentric drive shaft, the.engagement arm pivot point, and the film engagement area.
Figure 12 shows the electrical control diagram for both thread-up and high speed operations;
Figure 13 is a schematic view of a modification of ~he perorator high speed shuttle mechanism adapted for use in an amateur motion picture camera;
Figure 14 is a schematic v~ew of a modifica~ion of the perforator high speed shuttle mechanism adapted for use in an amateur projector.
Flgure 15 is a schematic view of a modifica~io~ of the perforator thread~up shuttle mechanism adapted for use ln an ~mateur ca~era.
Figure 16 is a schema~ic view of a modiflcation of the perforator thread-up shuttle mechanism adapted or use in : ~n mateur projector.
: ~igure 17 ls a schematic showing of another modifi-20 cati~n o the per~orator thread-up shuttle mechanism adapted .or use in an amateur camera~
Flgure 18 ls a schematlc showing of a modlica~ion of the embodiment of the perforator thread-up shuttle mechanlsm shown in Figure 17 which is adapted or use in an amateur mothon picture projector.
Generally the present ilm perforator compr~ses a perforating station at which a reciprocating punch acts on the , 7- :

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film while it is sta~ionary. The 11m s~ri.p is intermittently ~dvanced t~ and throu~h the per~orating station by a shuttle mechanism including one or more claws which engage the perforation(s) made at the perforating station and advance the film one frame at a tlme. Associated with the punch, and located between it and ehe point where the shu~tle engages the film3 is a pilot pin which engages a previously made perforation whlle the film is stationary and just before the punch engages the film to perforate it. This pilot pin is shaped ~o accurately 10 fit the perforation and is spaced from the punch a distance which is equal to the pitch spacing desired between the perforations. The purpose of the pilo~ is to accurately posi~lon the film just before the punch makes a successive perforation so as to be assured the pitch between su~cessive perforations ls exactly the same. It does this by correcting ~ny inaccuracy there might possibly be in the pullodown stroke ` ~ the shuttle mechanism or for any movement o the film which - migh~ occur as or af~er the shuttle claw leaves film peror~
at~ons. The parts of the perforator are so designed and mounted that it is adaptable to diferent film formats and w~dths.
So that a new film can be threaded into the perforator ~ithout having the leading end temporarily spliced to the trailing encl of an expiring film~ cr without ha~ing to provide the leading end of a new film wQth perforations, the perforator is provided w~th ~n automatic threading mechanism. This comprises an inter-~it~ent film feeding mechanism which operates in synchronism , .

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with the punch ~nd shuttle feed and ~rictionally engages the film to feed it in~ermittently one frame at a time to and thr~ugh t~e punch mechanism to the shuttle mechanism. This automatic thread-ing mechanism is selec~ively operated at a speed below the top speed of the perforator and cannot be ac~i~ated unless the perfo-- ra~or has been disconnected from the high speed power source for ~ time greater than a preselected ~ime delay to insure that the machine has stopped. The automatic ~hreading mechanism is com~ined with ~he perforator so tha~ after the shu~tle mechanism has assumed control of the film leaving the punching sta~ion ~he automatic threading mechanism will be automatically disengaged and tlhe perorator can be brought up to top speed.
It is pointed out that the key element in this perorator design is the shuttling mechanism which moves the film intermittently at a rate as high as 12,000 perorations per minute without damage, and which operates with accuracy and low maintenance over a long span of life. Since the acceleration - of a reciproca~ing mechanism increases as the square of the speed and linearly with the distance traveled, it has been found that 20 the ahuttle mechanism for feeding a 35mm film is subjected to ~ccelerations which are over seven (7) times those ~or a shuttle for a 16mm film runnlng at 3a580 rpm. Because of ~he bigh accelerations involved3 it was ~ound impossible to use conven- :
tlonal cam and ollower designs for shuttle mechanisms operating at speeds as hlgh as 12,000 perforatlons per minute because slid-lng fol~ower members are subjec~ to severe w~ar, lubrica~ion, and hea~ ge~erati-n problems The shuttle mechanism designed ~or this perf~rator utilizes very light aluminum parts which are symetrically Loaded. A rocker cam and flat cam arrangement wb~ch is used to control the claw tip to the desired path of travel incurs very little sl;ppage (relative slidlng mo~ement ~ the cooperating surface of the cams) and, therefore~ has a long life even though fabricated of lightweight materials. The fla~ cam is mounted in an aluminum carriage which extends length-wise of the film path. The carriage is supported by two groups of vertical suspension springs whioh are tuned to the operating speed of the carriage. The shut~le arm is driven through ball bearings by an eccentric at one endO The rocker cam is attached to the shuttle arm and contacts the flat cam. A coupling spring : i ..
, transmits horizontal motion ~rom the shuttle arm to the carriage ~ ;
member in such a manner as to produce negligible slippage be-tween the cams, and also maintains proper contac~ pressure be-.. .
~ween the cams. It has been found that the design of this shuttle mechanism for ~uper 8 film (pitch 0.16671') is al50 satisfactory for 35mm film (pïtch 0.187"), and for 8mm film (pitch 0~150").
The onLy change re~uired is the eccentricity o~ the drive and the shape and size of the claw tooth member(s) of the shuttle.
~eferring now to the drawings, and initially to ~lgures L, 2, 3, and 7 thereo~, it will be seen that a perfora-ting device embodying the present invention has a base plate 23 attached to base block 20 by any suitable means (not shown).
The side plate 25 (shown in Figure 7) and bac~ side plate 27 (see Figure 7) are attached to base plate 23 by any suitable means ~not shown)~ Sprlng holder 32 is attached to base plate 23 by . ' :........................................... .

~ 8 any suitable means, (not sho~) Two flat paralLel sprin~s 35 are ~ttached at one elld to spring holder 32 by clamping strlps 37 and bolts 39. Springs 35 are attached at the other end to punch support 45 by clamping strips 41 and bolts 43. The purpose of clamping strips 37 and 41 is to rigidly ~old the ends of springs 35 so that the desired bend~
ing behavior of springs 35 is obtained. Flat spring 46 is att~ched to spring holder 32 by clamping strip 47 and boLts 4g. Punch truss 59 is attached at one end ~o punch support 45 by bolts 53 which pass through flat spring 46 and thread into clamping strip 51. Punch holder 57 is attached to punch ~upport 45 by bolts 53 which pass through fla~ spring 46 and thread lnto clamping strip 51. The purpose of clamping strips 47 and 51 is to rigidly hold the ends of 1at spring 46 so that ~he desired bending behavior of fla~ spring 46 is obtained. ``
Punch ~upport 45 is free ~o piv~t about the inter-section of the plane of flat parallel springs 35 and of the plane of the flat spring 46. The pivot axis thus formed by the intersection o the flat parallel springs 35 and flat spring 46 may be considered as fixed in space the same as a rigidly mounted hinge.
This type o spring hinge differs from a conventional I hinge in three important respects. First, there is no play i i~ the spring hinge and no play can develop as a result of wear or loss of oil film; second, no lubrication is required, and~ therefore, maintenance is reduced and the danger of oil ge~ting on the film and in helping to attract dirt accumula-- tion is minimized; and, third? the springs do not create a , ~a3s~0~
~riction ~orque and do produce a restorin~ torque proportional :
to the angle of displacement from the neutral position ~r zero stress position. In actual practice~ this ~estoring t~rque has no detrimental effects but is actually used to tune assemblies to supply sinusoidal acceleration torque at the ~perating speed of che perfora~or~ The length and thick-ness of flat parallel springs 35 and Elat spring 46 must be chosen to keep the operating stress well below the endurance limit o the spring material. ~-One end of connecting spring 61 is attached ta the ~.
other end of punch truss 59 by bolts 63. The other end of eonnecting spring 61 is attached to punch driver arm 67 by ; :`
bolts 63~o Punch driver arm 67 is rotatably a~tached to ecccntric drive shaft 69 which is suitably eccentrically ~ournaled to rotate and is supported by front bearing plate 71 .~ `I
(as shown in Figure 2) and rear bearing plate 73 ~see Figure 2) by ~.bearing assembly which will be described in more detail wlth reference to Figure 2. Bolts 75 (as shown in Figure 2 ~ttach front bearing plate 71 to base block 20, and bolts 76 (see Figure 2) attach rear bearing plate 73 to base block 20.
Let us now consider Figure 2, whlch shows the main l drive shaf~ assembly in detailO This assembly is discussed in :l considerable detail in order to show how the film perforator :~ can be readily adapted to perforate different film formats and ~i .
film w~dths~ The configuration in Figure 2 is that necessary to perforate 35mm film. Ma.in ball bearing 84 is fitted on : , .

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eecentric drive shaft 69 and constrained axially at the outer race by end cap 80 and dirt seal plate 88 which clamps against bearing plate 73 by ~ction Df bolts 82. Flexible c~upling 90 ~s attached to eccentric drive s~aft 69 by screw 92. The purpose of flexible coupling 90 is to allow for slight mis-alignment between eccentric drive sha~t 69 and the motGr drive shaft ~not shown~. The screw 92 clamps ~he right end portion of the coupling against the inner race of main bearing 84 and spacer 86 thus constraining the eccentric shaft in the axial direction. Split ball bearing 94 is fitted on an eccentric portion 95 of the drive shaft 69 and pressed into punch driver arm 67. Oil shields 96 and 98 are pressed into punch driver ~rm 67~ ~ack shuttle spacer 100 is then slid ~nt~ eccentric ; drivs shaft 69 and constrained axially in one direction by 8plit ball bearing 94 and axially in the ot~er direction by split ball bearing 104~ Shuttle arm 102 is journaled to ro~ate re-lat~ve to eccentric portion 99 of the drive shaft 69 between ~pacers 100 and 112 through a bearing assembly that is comprised . o~ ~wo split ball bearings 104, two oil shields 1~6, and spacers 108 and 110. Front shuttle spacer 112 is fitted on eccentric drive shaft 69 and constrained axially in one direction by ~plit ball bearing 104 and axially in the o~her direction by ~plit ball bearing 119. Split ball bearing 119 i~ ~itted onto counterweight sleeve 114 which is slid onto eccentric drive shaft 690 Main ball bearing 120 fits into end spacer 116 and is also itted over c~unterweight sleeve 114. End spacer 116 is then .
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rigidly attached to front bearing plate 71 by screws 118. Mut 122 threads onto eccentric drlve shat 69, and is used to tighten the entire shaft assembly together. End cap 124 is rigidly attached to end spacer 116 by screws 125 and the outer race of bearing 120 s clamped in the process.
The eccentricity of eccentric drive shaft 69 at the shuttle bearings 104 'or the 35~m film application is a little more than 1/2 of the pitch of 35mm ilm whioh pltch is .0935 in.
The small excess of ~he order of 0.007 in. allows for bearing clearance and deflection and insu~s easy entrance o the claw with-out scuffing agalnst the perforation edge. If film having a different pitch is desired to be perforated, the only changes that need ~o be made in the main drive shat assembly as shown in Figure

2 ls that eccentric drive shaft 69 must be replaced by one having the desired eccentricity at the bearings 94 and 104, count~rweight sleeve 114 must be replaced by one baving the proper geometry, and the counterweight portion 114 of eccentric shaft 69 is also suitably altered. Back shuttle spacer 100 must also be suitably altered.
If it is desired to perforate Super 8 film, the eccentricity of ~0 eccentric drive ahaft 69 at bearirlg3 94 and 104 mu91: be 0. 0834 Lrl. plu9 overage allowance, and for regular 8mm film the eccentricity must be .075 in. plus allowance~ Of course~ the size and shape of the claw tooth members of the shuttle and the punch and die arrange-ment must also be appropriately changed ln order to perforate film of different widths and different formats.
Spacer sleeve 126 is slid over lower shat 127 ~as shown in Figure 3~ which is rigidly attached to front bearlng plate 71 , and rear bearing plate 73 by bolts (not shown). The purpose of this arrangement is to insure that proper spacing is maintained between bearing plates ~1 and 73~
As sho~m in Fi.gure 3, two punches 130 one ~or each margin of the ~ilm are held in punch holder 57 by set screws 13~, which are shown in more detail in Figure 4. Two pilot pins 134, one f~r the perforations at each margin of the fîlm, are held in punch holder 57 by set screws 136 (see Figure 4). Punch holder 57 is ~: ~tt~ched t~ punch truss 59 by bolts 137 and 53. Top plate 138 is attached to front bearing plate 71 and rear bearing plate 73 by any suitable means (not shown). Three parallel leaf springs 140 . ~pp~opriately spaced by washers 142 and cons~rained by clamping spa~er 144 are attached to ~op pla~e 138 by bolts 146. The other end of parallel springs 140 are appropriately spaced by washers 150 and constrained by clamping spacer 152 and attached to flat ca~ carriage 148 by bolts 154~ The purpose of clamping spacer 144 is to rigidly attach flat parallel springs 140 to top plate 138 and to insure ~he desired bending behavior of parallel ~prings 140~ The purpose of clamping spacer 152 is to rigidly attach parallel springs 140 t~ flat cam carriage 14B and to insure ~ proper bending behavior of parallel springs 140.
: The other end of flat cam carriage 148 is at~ached by b~lts 162 to one end of three parallel springs 156 whose ends are appropriately spaced by ~ashers 164 and c~nstrained by clamping spacer 166 and attached to top plate 138 by bolts 168. The pur~
pose of clamping spacer 160 is to rigidly attach parallel springs 156 to flat cam carriage 148 and to insure the proper bending be havior of flat parallel springs 156. The purpose of clamping spacer 166 is tu rigidly attach parallel springs 156 to top plate L38 and to insure the proper bending behavior of parallel springs 156. Flat cam 149 is rigidly cemented into 1at cam carr1age 148, Rocker cam 180 is attached to shu~tle arm 102 by screws 182. Shuttle bracket 185 is attached to shu~tle arm 102 by bolts 186. The film is intermittently advanc~d through the per-forating station by two shuttle elaws or tee~h 184 on shuttle 10 bracket 185 of the shuttle mechanisms, each of which engages 8 per~oration in the film previously made by a respective rec~procal punch 130 which acts on the film in the perforating station while the ilm is s~ationary.
To insure hi8h accuracy in the pitch of the perorations, pilot pins 134 are associated with the punches 130 and move there-w~thA Pilot pins 134 are located between punches 130 and shuttle teeth 184 by a distance equal to one perforation pitch from the punch and are arranged to enter the perforations previously made by the punches just before the punches engage ~he film so as ~0 to accurately adjust the film advance before succeeding perora-tions are made. Pilot pins 134 are formed to accurately fit previously made perforations and the~r purpose is to correct or any slight inaccuracy in film ~dvance which might be made by the ~huttle mechanism~
The shuttle mechanism des~gnated f~r this perforator utillzes very light~ight aluminum parts which are symmetrically loaded. The arrangement of rocker cam 180, flat cam 149, and - 16 ~

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fl~t cam carriage 148 which are used to control the motion o:
shuttle teeth 184 to the des~red path of travel, incurs ~ery l~ttle slippage between the cams 180 and 149, and~ therefore, has a long life even though fabricated of lightweight material.
Flat cam carriage 148 extends lengthwise of the film path and is ~upported by two groups ~f suspension springs 140 and 156, which are tuned ~ the opera~ing speed of flat cam carriage 1480 Shut~le ~rm 102 is driven through ball bearings 104 by eccentric shaft 69. Rocker cam 180 is integral with or attached to shuttle arm 102 and contacts flat cam 149. Rocker cam 180 has an arcuate ~urface which rides on fla~ cam 149, and gives the required motion of shuttle teeth 184. U-shaped coupling spring 170 (see Figure 4~ transmits motion from shu~tle arm 102 to flat cam carriage 148 in such a manner as to produce negligible slippage between the cams 180 and 149, and also maintain proper contac~ pressure b~tween the cams at all speeds of operation o~ ~he shuttle mechani sm~
As mentioned above, springs 140 and 156 are tuned to the operating speed for the mass of 1at cam carriage 148 and all parts associated with its connection to the free ends of the flat parallel springs 140 and 156. Flat cam carriage 148 slants at su~stantially 20 to the film path to make the acceleration pattern of the drive system ~or the flat cam carriage 148 approach simple harmonic that can be, and is 3 tuned by the ~lat parallel springs 140 and 156.
The end of U-shaped eoupling sprLng 170 that is attached ~ 17 ~

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to shuttle ann 102 by bolts 172 is tilted slightly in a counter-clockwise direction relative to the remainder of the sprlng for maintainiTtg contact pressure between the cams at all speeds of operation.
The left end of punch truss 59 is operatively connected to eccentric drive shaft 69 ~hrough punch driver arm 67 and cDnnec~ing spring 61. The o~her end of punch truss 59 is pivotally mounted by crossed springs 46 and 35, whlch causes punches 130 to reciprocate across the film path to perfora~e the film.
Pilot pins 134 are slightly longer than punches 130 ~o enter previously formed perforations just as shuttle teeth 184 are leaving perforations and before punches 130 engage the : film to insure the film being advanced the desired pltch ; before a pair of successive perforations is made therein.
The film is fed in~o the perforator through a guideway ~^ ~omprising a film apron 188 which is attached to base plate 23 by suitable means (not shown~ and a film apron oover 190 attached to film apron 188 by suitable means (not shown).
The ilm leaving the perforating station passes through a guideway comprising a film apron 192 at~ached to bas plate 23 by suitable means (not shown~ and a film apron cover 194 ~ttached to takeup side film apron 192 by suitable means ~not ~hown) .
Front die holder 196 (as shown in ~igure 7) and rear die holder lg8 (see Figure 7~ are attaohed to base plate 23 by ~ultable means (not shown). Punch side stripper 202 is sup~

~ 8 ported from the bottom by die holders 196 and 198 (see Fic~ure 7) and constrained in the upwards direction by str~pper clamp 204 ~as shown in Figure 4) which is attached to front side plate 25 by screw 205, and by stripper clamp 206 (see Figure 4) which is ~ttached to back side plate 27 by screw 207.
Take~up side stripper 200 is supported ~rom the bottom by die holders 196 and 198 (see Figure 7~ and constrained in ~he upwards direction by stripper clamp 208 (as shown in Figure 4~ which is a~tached to front side plate.25 by bolt 209 (see Figure 4) and stripper clamp 210 (see Figure 4~ which is attached ; to back side plate 27 by bolt 211 (see Figure 4). Spacer sleeve ; 213 (see Figure 3) is attached to front bearing plate 71 (not shown) and rear bearing plate 73 (not shown) by suitable means (not shown). The purpose of spacer sleeve 213 i.s to insure the proper spacing between bearing plates 71 and 73.
A~ shown in Fi~ure 4, pilot pin spacer 220 ls loosely held betw~en pilot pins 134 and punches 130. Pilot pin wedges ;- .
: 2~2 and 224 are forced into grooves in pilot pin spacer 220 to obtain fine adjustment o~ the lateral position o pilot pin spacer 220.
Figure 5 shows a schematic of the high speed shuttle ~howing the relationship betw~en rocker cam 180, flat cam 149, path of point P on shuttle teeth 184, the film plane, and eccentric drive shaft 69, T~e eccentricity of drive shaft 69 ~111 be designated by e. As eccentric drive shaft 69 rotates in the direction shown, rocker cam 180 rides on flat cam 149, and shuttle arm 102 and shuttle teeth 184 move in such a way as ' 19 ~5~3~

to cause point P on shuttle teeth 184 to move in the path ~hown schematically by the d~tted line in Figure 5. It should be noted that the total stroke length during one s~roke is equal to twice the eccentricity o~ eccentric drive shaft 69 or 2e.
Slnce flat cam 149 is coupled to shuttle arm 102 by U-shaped coupling spring 170 (as shown in Figure 4~ and is ~uspended by flat parallel springs 140 and 156 3 flat cam 149 necessarily oscillates back and forth paralLel to itself and moves up and down parallel to itself. This motion in co~lbin-: ation with the rocking motion of the arcuate surface of rocker cam 180 gives negligible slippage between cams and the desired motion of shuttle teeth 184.
As shown in Figure 5, at the starting point tangle = 0), the point 2 on rocker cam 180 is in contact with flat ~;- cam 149, and the reference point P on t~e shuttle teeth 184 is on the axis (horLzontal line 0-0) with the value of x= e.
The drive point 3 rotates about the fixed point 7 at an eccentricity of e. To some extent the choices of dimensions ~nd shape of rocker cam 180 are arbitrary, but they are largely dictated by consideration o~ the desired film pitch, the amoun~
f in~and-out travel required to clear the stripper, the ~traightness o~ the path a~ter full engagement, and the s~are~-ness oL the corners without incurring excessive upward accelera-t~ons. ~nîle the cam L49 is described above as having a planar sur~ace for cooperation with the convex surface of the rocker cam 180, it is to be understood that the surface of cam 149 ; 20 ~

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need not be planar9 it may be concave or convex. The require~
ment of the surfaces of the cams 180 and 149 is that they should be so formed that as the sha~t 69 rota~es, the value of "Y" should vary by a minimal amount while the claw 184 ~s disposed in a perforation, ~hat is, during a pull~down stroke and that the claw should enter and leave a perforation in directions substantially perpendicular to the film plane~
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Figure 6 shows plots of the path o Point P of the shuttle teeth 184 for 35mm, Super 8, and regular 8 film.
The degree values indicated in Figure 6 correspond to eccen~ric drive shat ~9 angle ~ as shown in Figure 5. For 35mm film, ..
~he eccentricity e of the eccentric drive shaft 69 is 94.2 mils. For Super 8 film, the eccentricity of e~centric drive ~haft 69 is 84.0 mils. For regular 8mm film, the eccentricity f eccentric drive shaft 69 is 75.6 mils. These values are slightly more than one half film pitch to allow for bearing cle~rance and to provide free entry o teeth 184.
In urder to eliminate the necessity of temporarily ; splicing the end o~ a new fi1m to the end of an expiring film, or providing the end of a new web with one or more perforations to insure its being handled by the perforator, this perforator incorporates an automatic threading mechanism which will thread unperfor~ted fil.m to and through the punch mechanism and to the ~huttle mechanism. This automatic threading mechanism inter~
mittently advances the film to the punch and shuttle mechanisms by intermittently frictionally engaging the film and ad-~ancing i~ in increments substantially equal tD the perforation -- - _.. .

pi~ch and the a~vancing stroke o the shuttle mechanism.
In order to investigate this automatic threading mechanism ln more detail, let us return our consideration to F~gures l, 3 and 7~ Shaft 228 is rotatably journaled in bear-ings 230 (as sho~ in Figure 7) whioh are supported by base block 20. Arm 232 is rigldly at~ached to shaft 228 by bolt 234 ~as shown in Figure l). Arm 238 ls attached to arm 232 by bearing stud 236 and a bearing assembly, which will be de~
scribed ln more detail with reference ~o Figure 8. Engagement arm ~r shuttle arm 240 is at~ached ~o arm 238 by shaft 242 and a bearing assembly which will be discussed in more detail be-low. One end of engagement arm 240 rides on eccentric split ball bearing 119 (as shown in Figure 2) in an engaged position, One end of spring 246 is hooked onto spring anchor pin 244 which is attached to arm 232. The other end of spring 246 hooks around pin 248 which is rigidly attached to front side plate 25. The purpose of spring 246 is ~o urge arm 232 and shaft 228 in a clockwise direction. One end of spring 252 hooks around pin 250 which is rigidly attached to ~r~l 238. The other end of spring 252 is hooked around pln 254 which is rigid-ly attached to engagement shu~tle arm 2~0. .The purpose of $pring 252 is to urge the left end of engagement arm 240 in c~unter-clockwise direction in relati~n to arm 238.
Stop 256 is attached to front side plate 25 by bolts 258 ~as sho~ in Figure 7). The purpose of stop ~56 is to l~m~t the counter-clockwise travel of the right-hand end ~f engagemen~ arm 240 when the thread up shuttle is in the - 22 - ~

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disengag~d position as shown in Figure 1~ Stop pins 262 ~nd 266 are rigidly attached to base block 20 to limi~ the travel of arm 232. To the other end of shaf~ 228 is attached bracket 268 ~as shown in Figure 3). Flat spring 270 (see Figure 3) is attached to bracket 268 by screw 272 (see Figure 3).
In order ~Q see how the thread-up shuttle mechanism ls placed in the operative position, le~ us ~urn our attention to Figures 1 a~d 3~ in which the ~hread-up shuttle is presently ~hown in the disengaged or inoperative position, In order to pLace it in the operative position, an electrically energized solenoid 302 (see Figure 12) is energized which ur~es the top of flat spring 270 (as shown in Figure 3) in the counter-clockwise directionO The purpose of flat spring 270 is to aLlow for over travel of solenoid 302. The counter~clockwise moti~n of flat spring 270 rotates bracket 268 in the counter- :
clockwise directlon. S~nce bracket 268 is connected to shaft 228 by screw 272, shaft 228 also rotates in the counter-clock-wi~e direction~ Arm 232 will rotate in the counter-clockwise direction untiL ~et screw 264 is limited in its travel by ~top pin 266. Arm 240 will now be lowered away from stop 256 thus allowing spring 252 to urge the left end of engagement arm 240 into contact with ball bearing 119 (as shown in Figure 2). As the left end o~ engagement arm 240 rides on eccentric bearing 119 the right end of engagement arm 240 will move ~n a path such that it frictionally grips and advances the web to and past the punching position in increments substan-tially equal tc) one perforation pitch. The frictional means by which the filrn is gripped by the right end of engagement arm 240 will be discussed in more de~ail below with reerence t~ Figure 9.
In order to disengage the thread-up shuttle assembly, the electrical solenoid 302 when de energized will cease to press on flat spring 270. Spring 246 will then urge arm 232 in a clockwise direction causing shaft 242 to move in a direction such that the film is disengaged, the arm 240 in so moving ~triking stop 256 causing the left end of engagement arm 240 to move outof engagement with eccentric ball bearing 119 : (as sho~ in Figure 2).
As shown in Figure 8, the lower end of arm 238 is ro~atably journaled to arm 232 by a bearing assembly com-prising bearing stud 236 suitably held by two balL bearings ; 275 and spacers 277. Shaft 242 is journaled to rotate in the upper end of arm 238 through a bearing assembly comprising two ball bearings 279 and spacer 281~ Engagement arm 240 is ~ress ~itted onto shaft 242.
F~gure 9 sh~ws that stop arm 2~3 and one end o flat sprin~s 285 are attached to engagement arm 240 by bolts 287.
Shuttle pad 289 and stop arm 291 are attached to the other end of spr~ngs 285 by bolts 293. The bottom surface of shut~le pad 289 is covered with a high friction ma~erial; such as :~! polyurethane, to furthPr enhance the film driving action.
Four ball bearings 295 and ~wo spacers 297 are at~ached t~
shaft 299 which is rigidly attached to apron member 188. As . 24 ~
: .

sho~ in Fi~ure 9 flat springs 285 in connectlon wlth stop arms 283 and 291 comprises a resilient breakaway connecti~n causing shuttle pad 289 to move with the shuttle at all times except after the shu~tle pad 289 moves into eng~gement with the face of the film, at which time engagement arm 240 moves relative to shuttle pad 289 and stresses springs 285 whi.ch resiliently urge shuttle pad 289 into engagement with the film.
As ~he lef~ end of engagement arm 240 rides on eccentric bearing ll9 (as shown in Fi~ure 2) the right end of engagement arm 240 causes shuttle pad 289 to move ~hrough the open top o~ the film guideway and lnto press;ng engagement with the face of the ~ilm at the beginning of and during the film ad-vancing stroke ~ the shuttle to advance the film~ At the end of the film advancing stroke the right end of engagement arm 240 moves so as to ~tract shuttle pad 289 from engage-ment with the film and hold it retracted during the return ~troke.
In order to determine the correct relationship be-tw~en the locations of eccentric drive shaf t 69, bearing stud 2369 shaft 242, and ball bearings 295 let US look at a scher~tic of the geometry as shown in Figure 13., Figure ll - shows schematically the side ~iew of the zone of the ~ilm path ~o be occupied by the thread~up shuttle, The fiLm path with free turning ball bearings 295 just below the film surface ~nd the location of eccentric drive shaft 69 are known. We ; must establish the location of shaft 242 whi~h swings about the bearing stud 236 and the eccentricity e at the driver required to obtain the desired film advance T~
~ 25 - :

5~

The right cnd of engagement arm 240; shown ln Figure 11 by dotted line, is fitted wlth the shu~tle pad 289 (see also Figure 9) which is spring loaded against a stop and r so adjusted that it pinches the film against ball bearings .
295 during approxi~ately one-half of the eccentric rotation and lifts away frQm the film for the remainder of ~he time when the thread-up shuttle mechanism ls in its operative con~
ditlon. It is also understood t~ t the left end o engagemen~ -arm 240 (as shown in Figure 1) engages ~he split ball bearing 119 (as sho~.~n in Figure 2) during the time requ~red for thread-up and then is disengaged and does not contact the eccentric bearing 119 or the film during the remainder of perforatin~ the roll of film.
It is necessary that the motion of shuttle pad 289 be essentially perpendicular to the plane of the film at the instant of making contact and at the instant of leaving the 11m. This prvduces the most accurate control of the film motion as no longitudinal motion takes place during the short in~erval of time when pinching pressure is being established cr released. We therefore locate shaft 242 in the plane of the film as extended beyond the location o~ ball bearings 295 ~as shown in Figure 11). The length of the arm from point A on ` shuttle pad 289 to sha:t 242 is of secondary importance but it . has been found well to make the distance X from the center of shaft 242 to point A a little shorter than the distance Y
between the center of eccentric drive shaft 69 and shaft 242.

. - 2~ ~

~5~

This produces a motion a t the right end of engagement arn~ 240 which is ess~ntially elliptical in shape, the minor axis being perpendicular to the film.
Now draw the line from the center o~ rotation of bearings 295 which is perpendicular ~o the film and also draw the line from the center of rotation of eccentric shaft 69 which is perpendicular to the line drawn from the center of ~hat 242 to the center of eccentric drive shaf~ 69. The int~rsection of these lines deines the point I, It can be s~n that the two extreme positions- of the travel of engage-ment arm 240 can be anaLyzed as if it had physically been con strained to rotate about point I as an axis. The center of the eccentric bearing 119 (as shown in Figure 3) on the eccen-tric shaft 69, the center of shaft 242, and the point A at their extreme positions all move a distance corresponding to the anglea measured about axis I. It ~ollows directly that the eccentric travel 2e must be equal to the desired film trave~ T multiplied by the ratio of the lengths of the line from the center o eccentric shaft 69 to point I divided X~ by the distance from point ~ to point I. It also ollows that the ~dvance angle is 180+a . The phase relation between eccentric position and film travel is also readily understood fro~ this construction.
The moving pivot, shaft 242, can be constrained by an arm pivoted at I, however lt is usually not practical to ~perate at this grea~ a distance. The a;::tion is entirely ~7 -. . .

~L~5~

satisfactory if another pivot poi.rat such as point 23~ is chosen so l~ng as the point 23~ falls on the line between the cen~er oE shaft 242 at its mid stroke and point I.
Strictly speaking the center of shaft 242 does not rer~in in the plane o the film because the line be~ween the center of shaft 242 and the center of bearing stud 236 i~ not perpendicular to the film plane at ball bearings 295.
However the plane of the shuttle pad 289 slightly modifies the ilm path and does the clamping or lifting of~ strictly ;n a ~0 direction perpendicular to i~sel~.
The automatic threading mechanism described above is combined with the perforator so that it can be selectively en-gaged and will automatically disengage when the end o~ a new f~lm reaches a point in the ilm path following the shuttle mechanism and, after the shuttle teeth 184 have control of the film. To understand this operation better, attention îs called t~ Figure 12, which shows the thread-up shuttle electrical con-trol diagram. There is no ilm in the perforator when it is desired to begin the thread-up sequence. Thread-up button 300 is pressed and then released. Time delay relay TDR is energized, which closes its normally open switch T~R-l~ Solenoid 302 is energized and pushes against spring 270 to rotate shaft 228 counter-clockwise thus causing engagement arm 240 to come into engagemen~ with ball bearing 119 and be driven by eccentric : dri~e shaft 69, hence pUttiIlg the thread-up mechanism in ~he en-gaged or operative condition as described in detail aboveO Re :
:, , - - .
.

lay Rl simultaneously is energized wh~ch closes its normally open switch Rl~l. As normally opened switch Rl~l is cl~sed, motor ~I driving eccentric shaft 69 begins running at 1800 rpm.
The end of a roll of unperforated film is then inserted into the channel bet~en the supply side film apron 188 (as shown in Figure 3) and supply side film apron cover 190 (as shown in Figure-3). The thread-up shuttle mechanîsm then advances the film in the manner described in detail above until normally c~osed switch 307 in the film path defined by the take-up side 1~ film apro~ 192 and take-up film apron cover 194 (as shown in Figure 3) is reached by the filmO When the film reaches n~rmal-ly closed switch 307 it opens it. This causes solenoid 302 - to be~ome de-energized thus allowing engagement arm 240 (as shown in Figure 2~ to move out of contact with ball bearin~ 119 (as shown in Figure 2) hence putting the thread-up shuttle : mechanisrn in the inoperative condition as described in detail .. . .
~bove. Time delay relay TDR then starts a time delay of approx- -imately 10 seconds~ After the 10 seconds has elapsed~ time delay rel&y TDR is de-energized which in turn opens its switch TDR-l which de-energizes relay Rl causing its switch to revert to the position sho~, causing motor M to stop. The thread-up opera-ti~n is now c~mplete.
After the threading operation is complete and the high-speed shuttle mechanisrn is capable of controlling the film, the machlne is put in high speed opera~ion in the following manner.
Again referring to Figure 12, high speed s~art button 310 is ~ILO15~

pressed ar.d released. Relay R2 is energized which malces its normally open switch R2-1. The closing of switch R2 1 turns on 400 ~Iz supply 313 which powers motor 306 at 12~000 rpm through normally closed swi~ch Rl-l. The fllm is then perforated in the manner described in detail above~ ~ocated in the film path adjacent to swltch 307 there is a ~econd switch .~14, normally open, which is closed when film is ln this posi-~ion of the film path but which normally opens when there is no fil~ in this portion of the film path. Since ~llm has already been threaded through the perfora~or past thls switch 314 it is closed which allows the motor M ~o operate at high speed. I~en the trailing end of the film passes switch 314 it returns to it~ normally open s~ate to de-energize relay R2 and this in turn allows its switch R2 1 to return to the normal-ly open condition shown and cut of the 400 Hz supply 313 where-upon the motor stops. The perforation is then complete~
In order to see how the film is guided to and through the perforating station, let us look at Figure 10. As shown ln detail in Figure 10, edge guide buttons 325 are attached to flat sprin~ 327 which is attached at i~s center in spaced relat~on to the front side plate 2S by means of a clamp screw 339 and by spacer 343~ Set screws 329 which are threaded into ront side plate 25 press against spring 327 thus controlling its position. Edge guide buttons 331 are attached to spring 333 which is attached at its center in spaced relation to the back side plate 27 by means of the clamp screw 341 and spacer 3b,5. Spring 333 is maintained in position by compression springs 335 w~ich are pressed against by set scre~s 337 threaded into baclc side plate 27. The purpose o~ edge guide buttons 325 and 331 and the spring arrangement is to control the lateral position of the film as i~ goes ~hrough the per-f~rating sequence. Another advantage of the gate configura-; tion as shown in Figure 10 is that front die holder 196 and rear die holder 198 are cu-rved such that they define a curved pa~h for the film approaching and leaving the perforating p~ition so as to maintain the film in a bowed condition ~or overcoming any transverse cllrl the film might possess at the time it is perforated.
Also, as shown in Figure lO, die 349 and pilot die 347 ~re pressed into die holders 196 and 198. When the machine is ; perforating, punches 130 fit with very small clearance into ;~
dies 349 and pilot pins 134 fit loosely into pilot dies 347.
While an embodiment of the perforator has been described in which the elongated web to be perforated is a photographic ~otion picture film, it will be unders~ood that other web materials, e.g., paper, may be perforated by apparatus in accord-2~ ance wlth the present invention and such perforated webs o~
paper or other material may be advanced by a claw device in accordance with the present invention. Also, while the con-vex cam has been described as being associated with the shuttle . j , .
arm 102 and the flat cam as being mounted by the spring members : 140~ 156, it is to be understood that the convex cam could be mounted on the spring members and the flat cam could be associa ted with the shuttle arm.

. - 31 -.. . . . .

Reference is now made to Figure 13 which i~ lustrates a simpli~ied embodiment of my novel shuttle means which is particularly adapted for use in motion picture cameras where the intermittent pull-do~ speeds required are relatlvely slow. Since motion picture cameras, particularly those intended for amateur use, do not require such long design life, probably less than 100 hours as compared to 16,000 hours for the per~orator, i~ is no~ necessary to elimlna~e slip between the rocker and fla~ cams 180 a~d 149 respectively. In fact3 the ~lat cam need not be mounted in a moveable carriage or driven by an eccentric through the U-shaped coupling spring 170, but may be stationary with attendent simplicity and cost reduc-tion. Also simple bearings will suffice in place of the ball bearings. Referring to Figure 13, we see that drive shaft 3S5 is sui~ably journaled in bearing~ (not sho~) which are m~unted in frame members (not shol~n3~ Drive shaft 355 receives its pow~r input from a motor ~not sho~) in the direction sh~wn. Pin 357 is rigidly attached to drive shaft 355. ~d-~ance arm 359 is suitably journaled to pin 357 by a bearing assembly (not shown). Advance arm 359 contains an arcuate cam surface 180 which rides against stationary flat cam 149~, which is rigidly attached to fr~me member 364 by suitable means (not shown), ~he resulting path of point P on the shuttle to~th portion 184 of advance arm 359 is shown by the dashed line in Figure 13. The shuttle tooth portion o advanc~ arm 359 suitabLy engages the perforations in the film so as to ad-~ance it the desired amount. It can be appreciated that ~he : ~ - 32 .

~ 5~
cams and ecccn~ric drive can be placed to one side of the film with onl~ shuttle tooth 184 being o~-set to align with one of the rows of perforations in the film. In such a case the flat cam surface could be in ~he szme plane as that of the film.
The stationary flat cam scheme sho~ in Figure 13 is satisfactory for camera use since advance will ~ake place during approximately 1/2 of one rotation of drive shaft 355.
For a projector it ~s necessary to interrupt the ligh~ be~m three or more times for each frame advance tu avoid flicker problems. As a result the shut~le when designed for use in ~ motion picture projector must advance the film in about 6 or less of the time allocated for one frame at the usual projection frame rates (16-24 per second). The shuttle mechanism described for the perforator and the stationary ~lat cam version shown in Figure 13 for motion picture cameras require nearly one-half of the frame period. A
~uitab~e embodiment adapted ~or use in motion picture pro-~ectors can easily be provided by u~ing the "skip-frame"
principle.
Figure 14 shows a modification of the perorator high speed shuttLe device as it might be applied to an amateur motion picture projector. Drive shaft 355 is suita-bly journaled in bearings (not shown) which are mounted ~n frame members (not shown). Drive shaft 355 receives its power input frotn a motor ~not shown), and is rotated in the direction shown. Pin ~57 is rigidly attached to shaft ~ - 33 ~
:, ~ . :

7 1 '~ t ~SS , Advancc arm ~59 is attached to pi.n 357 throu~h a ~u~tabl.e bearing assembly (n~t sho~). Gear 387 is mounted on shaft 355 by pins (no~ sho~ Gear 389 i5 mounted on shaft 3~8 which is suitably journaled to rotate through bearings (not sho~ which are mounted in the supporting frame members (not shown). Gear 389 meshes with gear 387 and provides the necessary spe~d reduc~ion needed ko ob~ain ;. ~he proper skip frame rate~ Peripheral 391 is rig~dly moun~ed to gear 389 by pins (not shown)~ Flat cam 149 is attached to mounting bracket 383 through pin 381 and a suitable bear-ing assembly (not sho~). Mounting bracket 383 is attached to frame member 385 by suitable means (not shown). One end of spring 393 is hooked around pin 395, which is rigidly ; attached to flat cam 149 to the left of pin 381~ The other end of spring 393 is hooked around bracket 399 ~hich ~s attached to support member 4,01 by suitable means ~not ~hown). The purpose of spring 393 is to hold the leEt end of flat cam 149 ln contac~ with cam 391. Advance arm 359 has a peripheral cam surface 180 which rides in contact with the portion of flat cam 149 that is to the right of pivot pin 381. One end of spring 361 hooks around pin 362 which is rigidly attached to advance arm 35~ . The other end of spring 361 hooks around bracket 365 which ls rigidly attached to support member 401 by sui~able means ~ot shown). The purpose o~ spring 361 is to hold the cam 180 of advance arm 359 in contact with flat cam 149 . The ~ 34 -", ,, - - - - ~r .

.

~5~
arcua~e cam surface 180 Oll advance arm 359 is of such a shape so as to cause point P on the shuttle tooth portion 184 of advance arm 359 to engage a perforation in the film and to cause point P to follow a path approximated by the dashed line in Figure 14. Cam 39~ has an arcuate sur- :
face such that point P engages the perforation and then pro~
perly disengages the peroration during one rotat~on o drive shaft 355 O The shape of cam 391 also is such that it urges the left end of flat cam 149 in such a way that point P will not engage the perforation of the film during the subsequent two rotations oE drive shaft 355 . Depend-~ng upon the gear ratio, any number of skipped strokes can be provided. It should be noted that flat cam 149 and the arcuate cam portion 180 of advance arm 359 can be placed to one side of the film with only the shuttle tooth 184 being off set to align with ~he row of perforations ln the fiim strip, In such a case the flat cam surface could be in the ~ame plane as that of the film.
The film intermittent drive on the perforator used during thread-up is a shuttling device which is designed to drive a film which has no perforations. F~gure 15 shows a modification of the thread-up shuttle design that may be used in a motion picture camera that can accommodate per-orated or unperorated ~ilm~
.. . .

~ ~ - 34a -.

.

... . . . . . . . .. . ...

Refelring in detail to Figure 15~ we see that drive shaft 415 is suitably journaled to rotate in bearings (not sh~wn) which are mounted to fixed frame members (not ~hown) . Drive shat 415 re ceives its power input from a motor (not shown~ in ~he direction sho~. Pin 417 is rigidly ~ttactled to ec:centric drive shaft 415. Shuttle arm 240 is ro~atably attached to pin 417 ~hrough a sui~able bearing as~embly (not shown). One end of arm 238 is a~tached to ~huttle arm 240 by pin 242 and a suitable bearing assembly ~not shown)~ The other end of arm 238 is rotatably attached t~ bracket 427 by pin 236 and a suitable bearing assembly (not shown)O Bracket 427 is at~ached ~o frame member 429 by suitabl~ means (not shown). Arm 431 is at~ached to arm 238 by link connection 433 having either end pivots . ~r ~nd connections~ The bottom end of arm 431 is attached t~ bracket 437 through pin 435 and a suitable bearing assembly ~not shown). Bracket 437 is attached to frame member 429 by suitable means ~not shown), The top end of arm 431 and pad surface A may be covered by a high-fric~ion material, such as polyurethane, to improve the film driving ~orce with less spring pressure. The upper surface of arm 431 is trimmed accurately to provide optimum driving geometry and ~s muunted JUSt a few thousandths o an inch below the film ~ur~ceO Link connection 433 is so located in relation to 34b ~

' .
..... .... " . ~ .. .. " .. ., ... . ... . ~ ... . . .. ... .... .. . . . .. ........ . . . . . . . . .... . ... . .
. . . . .

~s~

plns 236' and 435 as to produce the deslred film advance trMvel o~ the upper surface of arm 431. 'rhe advantages of the embodi-ment shown in Figure 13 is ~he added positive driving force imparted to the film. This le~ds to hlgh prec~sion as w~s the case in one experimental perfora~or in which this was the sole means of advance and pitch determin~ion of ~he re~ulting ~ilm. Operation with lower clamp for~es or high speed or both are improved by this arrangement, Ihe locations of the center of eceentric drive shat 415, pin 242l, pin 236~ and pin 435 10 are obtained by ~he same considerations 8~; described above ; i~ arriving at ~he corresponding poin~ i~ Figure llo As eccen~ric drive shaft 415 rotates in the direction shown ~n Figure 15 the film is advanced in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 15. Intermitt~nt advance of film F wlll ~ake place during approximately 1/2 of the rotation of drive shaf~
4150 The dr~ving control pad A is suitably attached to arm 240~ by means of resllienc connections and a s~op as described in r~lation to Figure 9.
:: Figure 16 shows a schema~i.c of a further modifi~
ca~ion of the perforator thread up shuttle mechanism that might be used in an amateur motion pic~ure projector application. Drive shaft ~15~ ~ suitably 30urnaled to rotate in bearings ~not shown~ which are mounted on fixed ~ rame members (not shown). Drive shaft 415' receives i~s ; power input from a mo~or (not shown) in the direction shownO
: Pin 417'is rigidly attached eccentrioally to drive sh~ft 415'. Shuttle arm ~40" ~s rotatably journaled to pi~ 17' _ 3~ _ D

5~
~hrough a suitable be~ring assembly (no~ shown). Ge~r 451 i3 mounted on shaft 415' whlch is suitAbly 30urnaled ~o rotate ln the ~rame members ~not shown)~ Cam 457 is rigldly ~tached to gear 453 by pins (not 6hown). Arm 238', is rotat~bly journaled to shuttle arm 240" by pin 242" which in turn is rigidly attached to shuttle arm 240t' by a suit~ble bearlng assembly (not shown). The other end of ~nm 238;' is pivotally attached ~o cam follower arm 465 by pin 463 ~nd a su~table bearing assembly (not shown)0 The righ~ hand end of cam follower arm 465 is pivotally attached to bracket 467 through pin 466 and a suitable bearing assembly (not shown~.
Bracket 467 i5 attached to support member 429l by any suitable ~eans (not shown~, The purpose o spring 471 i~ to hold the left end of cam follower arm 465 in contact with the peripheral surface of cam 457~ Arm 431' is a~tached to arm 23g" by link connection 433' ~hich can have either end pivots or flexible ~nd connections. The ~ottorn end of arm 431' i9 attached ~o braçket 437' through pin 435' and a suitable bearing assembly .. . . .
(not shown)0 Bracket 437' is rigidly attached to support member 20. 429l by any suitable means (not shown). As drive sh~f~ 415' i8 driven in the direction shown in Figure 16 film F is advanced intermittently in the direction shown by the arrow in Figure 16. The purpose o~ cam 457 is to urge the ; le~t end o~ cam follower arm 465 in such a manner so tha~
the relative location of pine 463, 242" and 435' is altered 80 that the film is intermiktently advanced a dist3nce equal '. .

~ - 36 -; . ' :~s~

to one frame pitch du~ing one rot~tion of d~ive sh~ft 415 ~nd not advanced durin~ the subsequent two rotations of drlve shaft 415', Depending upon the gear ratio any number of skipped strokes can be provided. The relative locations of drive shaft 415' a pin 242'9, pin 463 ~nd pin 435' are determined in she sam~ manner as above described or the embodiment sho~n in Figure 11. The loca~ion of ~: link connec~ion 433' in relation ~o pin 463 on cam ollower arm 465 and pin 435' is chosen such tha~ the desir d fllm `
1~ ~ravel is obtained as the film advancing station. The ` driving contact pad A is suitably attached to arm 240" by means of resilient connections and a stop as described in ~ rela~ion to Figure 9.
;, Figure 17 shows a further modification of the thread-up shuttle used in the perf~rat~ng device as it might apply to an amateur motion picture camera that can accommoda~e either perforated or unperforated film. Dr~ve ~haft 490 is suitably journaled to rotate through b~arings ~not shown) which are mounted in a rame support (not shown).
~0 Eccentric pin 492 i9 rigidly ~ttached to drive shaft 490.
Shuttle arm 494 is attached to drive shaft 490 through pin 492 and a suitable be~ring assembly (not shown). The o'cher end of shutt~e arm 494 is pi~votally attached to arm 498 at point 496 and ~erminates in a gripper fin~er 497 which is adapted to pinch she film between itself and top edge of arm 498 during the film advance stroke. Finger 497 with its contact pad ~ is resiliently connected to arm 494 wlth a stop arranged to lift A from the f~lm for ~he return stroke as discussed ln connection with Figure 9, The bottom of arm 498 is attached to bracket 502 through pln 500 in a suitable bearing assembly (not shown), B~acket 502 is rigidly attached to support member 504 by any suitable manner (not shown), Preferably the angle between ~he lines onmed between pin 500 and the center of drive shat 490 and a l~ne drawn between the center o~ drive shaft 490 and pin 496 should be approximately 90 for optimum opera~ion. In like , manner ~he line drawn between pin 500 and point A where the f~lm is gripped by the gripper 497 and to top of arm 498 should be at approximately 90 to the tangent to the film path as drawn at point A, The pivot center 496 should preferably be on the same tangent to the film path, The embodiment sho~l in Figure 17 may be preferable ~o that shown in Figure 15 where ~pace requiremen~s migh~ be restricting or some applica~ions.
As drive shaft 490 rotates in the direction shown in Figure 1~, the film is advanced intermittently in the direction shown by ~he arrow in Figure 17. Note that this intermi~tent film travel is opposite in direction to the applica~ion shown in Flgure 15. The geome~ry can be arranged with equal ease and ~irnpliclty such that pivot 496 falls to the le~t of point A
in which case the film ;s advanced to ~he let for ~he di.rection o rotation shown on Figure 17. In the modification shown ;n Figure 17, arm 498 takes the place of arms 238 and 431 and link connection 433 in the configuration as shown in Flgure 15 o 3~ -i ' , .

4~

In the camera or perfora~or application, as sllown in Figure 17,it is understood tha~ the gripper 4g7 on the right end o~
shuttle arm 494 pinches the fllm against the top o~ ~rm 498 during approximately one-half of the eccentric rot~tion and liftq away from the film for the remainder of the time.
Figure 18 shows a further embodiment o the ~hread~
up ~huttle of the perfora~or as it might be modified to operate as an lntermittent feed appllcable ~o ~n ama~eur motion picture projec~or. Eccentric pin 492' is rigidly attached tn drive shaft 490' w~ich is sui~ably journaled to rota~e in be~rings (no~ shown) which ~re mounted in a support member (not shown)~
The let end of shuttle arm 494' is attached to drive sha~t 490~ by pin 49~9 and a suitable bearing assembly (not sho~l).
Gear 516 is fixedly mounted on drive shaft 490' and gear 518 is rigidly mounted on ~ha~ 520 which is suitably journ~led to rot~te in bearings (not shown) which are su~tably mounted in the ~upport frame (not shown). Gear 518 meshes with gear 516 to give the desired 3:1 or other ratio vf speed reduction necessary for skip frame operation as required in a mo~.ion picture pro3ec~or. Gam 522 is moun~ed rigidly on gear 518 by pins ~not shown). The right end of shuttle arm 4941 is pivotaLly a~tached to arm 498' by pin 496l and ~ermina~es : :
i . in a gripper finger 497l which ;.s adapted to pinch the film between itself and the ~op edge o~ arm 498' during the film advance stroke. Finger 497' wi~h ;~s contac~ pad A' is reslliently connected ~o arm 49~l with a stop arranged to . lit Al from t~le film for the return stroke as discussed in c~nnection with Figure 9.

. ~.... . .:.~ ~ 39 --... .. .... ~ .. . ...... ... . . . ..... . . ..... ., . ... .. . , . , " ., ~ . . , , ,, , ~ , . . . . .
. .

. ~5~
ThP bo~om nd of arm 498' is ~ttached to br~cket 502' through pin 5QO' in a sultable bearing assemblyO
Br~cket 502'1s rigidly at~ached to suppor~ member 504 9 by any sui~able means (not sho~m)O The right end of cam follower arm 530 is pivotally attached to bracket 534 by pin 532 and bracket 534 is rigidLy mounted to support member 5047 hy any sui~able means ~no~ shown)O One end of spring 538 ;s hooked around pin 540 attached to cam follower arm . 530 and he o~h~r end of spring 538 is hooked oneo brs~ke~
542 which is rigidly mounted ~o support member 504' by ~ny ~uitable means (not shown)O The bo~tom end of arm 544 is pi~otally at~ached to cam follower arm 530 through pin 546 and a suitable bearing assembly ~not shown)O Pin 548 i~
rigidly attached to arm 4989 and fi~s through a slot in ~rm 544 so that arms 544 and 498~ m~y have relatl~e motion in the direction o~ the slot onlyO The purpose of spring 538 to^u~e cam follower anm 530 into continuous contact _ 5 '~
~ith th~ peripheral surface of cam 52~o The surface of cam 522 is of such a shape that during the first rota~icn of 8haf~ 490' the film is gripped at point A' between the gripper portion 497' of shuttle arm 494' and the ~op of ;: arm 498i during one-half of the shaft ro~a~ion and lifts 8way from the film for ~he remai.nder of the timeO During the subsequent two rot~tions of shaft ~901, the surface of cam 522 is suc~ that it urges cam follower arm 530 upwards which in turn causes pin 546 and arm 544 to mov~ upw~rds~ ~:
. Arm 546 tl~en contacts arm 497 ' ~nd rai ses it suffiGien~ly : ~ 40 -~ . .

to prevent the fi~m from being advanced durin~ the subsequent revolutions of drive sha~t 490'. Depending upon the gear ratio~ any number of skipped strokes can be provided~ With the dlrection of rotation shown ln Figure 18 for drive sh~ft 490' 9 the film is advanced in~ermit~
tently ~o ~he right as shown by ~he arrow. The pivo~ point 496' can alternatively be located to the left of poin~ A' reversing the film travel direc~ion as explained for Figure . 17~ The top surface of arm 498l in the vicinity of point 10 Al engaged by pad surface A' may be covered with a high friction material, such as polyurethane, to further enhance the f~lm ad~ancing action. The region of Arm ~98' around ~;~ point A9 ~s carefully trin~ed and mounted a few thousandths of an inch below the ilm surface.
It may be desirable to locate pln 546 substantially i~ line wi~h pin 5001 in order to prevent unwanted relative mo~ion between arm 544 and arm 598'. Th~ arrangement shown in Figure 18 ls presented for the sake of clarity.
e inven~ion has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiment thereof, bu~
it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention.

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Claims (3)

1. A film advancing assembly for intermittently feeding an unperforated film strip through a given path comprising the combination of:
1) a curved film guideway defining a portion of said path and including edge guides for guiding the edges of said film, 2) means for intermittently frictionally gripping the film and advancing it through said guideway and including a) a shuttle reciprocatable through a path including a film advancing stroke and return stroke, b) a film supporting member engageable with one surface of said film at said guideway, said film supporting member being mounted to recipro-cate along said curved portion of said film path, c) a film engaging jaw on said shuttle and adapted to engage the other face of said film and pinch said film against said supporting member, d) means for reciprocating said shuttle through film advancing and return strokes, and for causing said film engaging jaw to move into pressing engagement with the other face of said film at the beginning of and during the film advancing stroke of the shuttle to advance the film during said return stroke; and e) means connecting said film supporting member with said shuttle so that said film supporting member is reciprocated by said shuttle and in synchronism therewith.

2. A film advancing assembly as defined in Claim 1, wherein the film engaging portion of said film supporting member and/or said film engaging jaw is with a nonabrasive material having a relatively high coefficient of friction for obtaining a good friction grip on the film.

3. A film advancing assembly as defined in Claim 1 and including means for holding said film engaging jaw from engagement with said film strip during two successive film advancing strokes out of every three of the shuttle to provide a "skip-stroke" film advance suitable for use in a motion picture projector.