GB2094498A

GB2094498A - Magazine for framed transparencies

Info

Publication number: GB2094498A
Application number: GB8205533A
Authority: GB
Original assignee: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
Current assignee: Ernst Leitz Wetzlar GmbH
Priority date: 1981-03-07
Filing date: 1982-02-25
Publication date: 1982-09-15
Also published as: IT1155121B; ATA84982A; BE892308A; DE3108696C2; FR2501386B1; AT373401B; DE3108696A1; GB2094498B; NL8200700A; NL190997B; IT8267259A0; IT8253001V0; FR2501386A1; CH654675A5; NL190997C

Abstract

A one-piece elongate magazine of plastics material for framed transparencies has two open sides and one closed side. The magazine is provided with flexible walls (12) which define compartments for the transparencies and which walls each taper inwardly towards a corner at which an L-shaped retaining element (26) is arranged. The retaining elements (26) prevent dropping-out of the transparencies from the compartments forwardly as well as upwardly. The compartment walls (12) each have an upper portion (22) and a lower portion (11) and are constructed to be of different thickness over their area. Together with the narrowed shape of the upper portion (22) of the compartment wall, a greater yieldability results for this upper portion than for the lower portion (11). The particular shaping of the walls also facilitates gripping of individual transparency frames and removal of the transparencies forwardly and upwardly from the magazine. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Magazine for transparencies The present invention relates to a magazine for framed transparencies, particularly a magazine with compartments which are open towards two mutually adjacent sides and the compartment walls of which are flexible and are provided with retaining elements at both sides in the region of the junction of the open sides, the magazine being provided at its underside and/or in the lower region of one of its longitudinal sides with a toothed drive strip.

A transparency magazine of this kind is disclosed in DE-PS 1 098 236, wherein means are present to provide protection against dropping-out of the transparencies. For this purpose, the compartment walls are provided with blocking members at lateral free edge parts thereof and at least the parts of the compartment walls displaying the blocking members are constructed to be resiliently deflectable transversely to their plane. In addition, each compartment wall is provided with a slot to increase the spring effect. Apart from the fact that blocking of the transparencies towards the open upper side of the magazine is not provided by these blocking members, the individual compartment walls are relatively unstable over their entire area. A secure guidance of the transparencies during projection is not always ensured by this construction.

There is accordingly a need for a transparency magazine in which the compartment walls, although constructed to be springy transversely to their plane in the region of the entry of a transparency slide changer, are nevertheless sufficiently stable to make possible an exact guidance of transparencies of different thickness.

According to the present invention, there is provided an elongate magazine for framed transparencies, the magazine being provided with a toothed drive strip at a base portion of the magazine and with a row of flexible wall members defining a plurality of compartments for reception of the transparencies, the compartments being open at a first longitudinal magazine side adjoining the base portion and a second longitudinal magazine side adjoining the first side, and the wall members being provided with transparency retaining means in the region of the junction of the first and second sides and each comprising a lower portion and an upper portion respectively adjacent to and remote from the base portion and respectively increasing in thickness and decreasing in thickness in a direction away from the first side.

In a preferred embodiment, the wall members have different thicknesses distributed over their surface in such a manner that the lower portion, adjoining the drive strip, of each wall member thickens slightly in wedge shape starting at the open longitudinal side, while the upper portion, remote from the drive strip, of each wall member narrows slightly in wedge shape starting at the open longitudinal side. A problem-free introduction and extraction of the transparencies may be facilitated by this shaping, yet the transparencies have an adequate lateral support in their lower regions and also a transparency slide changer can be securely guided during introduction of the transparencies into a projection stage as well as during return of the transparencies to the magazine.

To enhance guidance of the slide changer and to further facilitate introduction of the transparencies, it can be advantageous if at least a part of each compartment wall member is provided at its thinner side edge with a bevel in the manner of a cutting edge. In order that a continuously increasing flexibility is provided in the upper portion of each wall member, the separating line, determined by the different thickness of the wall member portions, preferably extends at an angle to the horizontal. According to a further advantageous constructional feature, the upper portion of each wall member may have an oblique edge extending over a large part of the width cf the wall member, while each member may have a recess at least in the region of the upper portion of the member at its side edge associated with the open side of the compartment.The resulting appreciable tapering of the upper portion of each wall member provides not only a saving of material compared with the known magazine, but facilitates removal of individual transparencies from the magazine.

Preferably, the oblique edge of the upper portion of each wall member does not extend over the entire width of the wall member but in its lower part protrudes slightly beyond a closed longitudinal side of the magazine and is joined to this side, so that two adjacent compartment wall members in this region form a guide for a transparency slide changer during introduction thereof.

Due to the particular form of the wall members, the thickness thereof may be able to be kept appreciably less than in the case of the known unit magazine, while by comparison with the known magazine the receiving capacity of a magazine embodying the present invention can be increased appreciably with only slightly smaller spacing of the wall members.

An embodiment of the present invention will now be more particularly described by way of example and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an elongate magazine according to the said embodiment; Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section of the magazine of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a horizontal cross-section, to an enlarged scale and on the line Ill-Ill of Fig. 2, of part of the magazine; and Fig. 4 is a horizontal cross-section, to an enlarged scale and on the line IV--IV of Fig. 2, of part of the magazine.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Fig. 1 an elongate magazine 10 of synthetic material, for example polystyrol, comprising a row of spaced apart walls 12 defining a plurality of compartments 1 6 therebetween for receiving framed transparencies 21 (Fig. 2). Underneath the lower part 11 of each compartment wall 12 are three parallei bottom webs 13, 13' and 13", between which are provided a wide and a narrow rectangular recess 14 and 14'. Disposed at the outer bottom web 13 bounding the wide recess 14 is a toothed transport strip 15, into which engages a gear wheel (not shown) for the transport of the magazine 10 in steps equivalent te one compartment 1 6 at a time.The magazine is bounded by two end walls 17 and 17', which in known manner can have coupling means 18 for coupling to a further magazine. The magazine 10 is open upwardly and at a frontal longitudinal side 19, while a rearward longitudinal side 20 is closed.

As is evident from Fig. 2, the height of the rearward longitudinal side 20 is substantially less than the height of a frame, shown in dashed lines, of a transparency 21. Adjoining the lower part 11 of each compartment wall 12 is an upper part 22, which has an oblique edge 23 extending over a large part of the width of the wall. Together with a V-shaped recess 24 at a side edge 25, associated with the open frontal longitudinal side 1 9, of each compartment wall 12, a strongly narrowed shape results for the upper part 22.

At their corners formed by the open sides, the compartment walls 12 have L-shaped retaining elements 26, which comprise upper horizontal limbs 27 to partially engage over the transparencies 21 so as to prevent them from dropping-out even when the magazine 10 is turned through 1800 around its longitudinal axis.

The securing of the transparencies 21 forwardly is achieved by vertical limbs 28 of the retaining elements 26. As a result, the magazine 10 is suitable not only for demonstration, but also for storage and particularly for spill-proof transport.

The internal surfaces of the retaining elements 26 are slightly rounded or bevelled in order to make possible a problem-free ejection of the transparencies 21 forwardly as well as also removal upwardly. The spacing between two adjacent retaining elements 26 is so small that even thin transparencies, for example cardboard slides, can be securely retained.

As can be seen from Figs. 3 and 4, the compartment walls 12 have different thicknesses distributed over their areas. In particular, the lower part 11, adjoining the transport strip 15, of each compartment wall 12 thickens slightly in wedge shape starting at the open compartment side, while the upper part 22, remote from the transport strip 1 5, of the compartment wall 12 narrows slightly in wedge shape starting at the open compartment side. The resulting separating line 29 between the parts 11 and 22 extends at an angle to the horizontal. For further increase in the stiffness of the lower parts 11 , the compartment walls 12 pass over into the closed rearward longitudinal side 20. A constrained guidance for a transparency slide changer (not shown) on introduction thereof is achieved as a result of the fact that the oblique edge 23 of each compartment wall 12 in its lower portion protrudes somewhat beyond the closed longitudinal side 20 and thereby forms a rigid guide portion 30 for the slide changer. The compartment walls 12 provided over at least part of their thinner side edge with a bevel 31, in the manner of a cutting edge, which further facilitates introduction of the transparencies 21 or of the slide changer.

Claims

1. An elongate magazine for framed transparencies, the magazine being provided with a toothed drive strip at a base portion of the magazine and with a row of flexible wall members defining a plurality of compartments for reception of the transparencies, the compartments being open at a first longitudinal magazine side adjoining the base portion and a second longitudinal magazine side adjoining the first side, and the waii members being provided with transparency retaining means in the region of the junction of the first and second sides and each comprising a lower portion and an upper portion respectively adjacent to and remote from the base portion and respectively increasing in thickness and decreasing in thickness in a direction away from the first side.

2. A magazine as claimed in claim 1 , wherein at least one of the lower portion and the upper portion of each wall member is provided at a side thereof remote from the first magazine side with a bevelled edge portion.

3. A magazine as claimed in either claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the junction of the lower and upper portions of each wall member lies in a plane extending at an angle to the base portion.

4. A magazine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the upper portion of each wall member has a side edge extending at an oblique angle relative to the base portion and over a major portion of the width of the wall member in direction across the row.

5. A magazine as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein each of the wall members is provided with a recess in a side edge thereof associated with the first magazine side.

6. A magazine substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.