GB551930A - Improvements in or relating to cinematographic printing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

551,930. Imbibition printing apparatus. TECHNICOLOR MOTION PICTURE CORPORATION. May 28, 1942, No. 7242. Convention date, Feb. 7. Addition to 536,463 dated March 7, 1939, as improved upon or modified by 543,113, dated June 12, 1940. [Class 98 (ii] [Also in Group XVI] Apparatus for printing kinematograph films by imbibition as in the parent Specification comprising a belt having teeth for engaging the sprocket holes of the films and means for guiding the belt along an orbital path having a curved part in which the teeth project from the convex side of the belt and a straight part leading to the curved part, is characterized by a seating belt, which may be endless, having sprocket holes to receive the teeth, and means for feeding the films and the seating belt to the toothed belt in the straight part of its path and thence around the curved part where printing takes place, the pitch of the teeth being approximately equal to or a multiple of the pitch of the sprocket holes in the seating belt so that this belt is drawn towards the toothed belt by the fanwise movement of the teeth relatively to one another as the toothed belt passes over the curved part, thereby compressing the films into intimate contact between the two belts. The apparatus shown has an endless toothed belt 3, Fig. 4, which passes around two sheaves, the printing taking place on the sheave 28 in the following straight run of the belt. The belt is of the kind described in Specifications 307,659, 319,924, [both in Class 98 (ii)], 353,962 and 545,701. The dyed printing matrix 5, and blank film 6 are brought together by rollers on to the upper straight run of the toothed belt 3, these rollers being preferably immersed in water in a tank slotted for the passage of the belt and films. The belt carries the films to the sheave 2 where they are compressed between the belt 3 and an endless seating belt 21 provided with sprocket holes to receive the teeth and passing round fixed rollers 19, 20 and rollers 8, 9 mounted on pivoted arms 13, 14 urged by springs 17, 18 to cause the rollers to press the belts and films upon the sheave. Printing commences on the sheave and continues until the films are separated over the rollers 27, 28. The sheave 2, Fig. 5, has a rubber rim 22 recessed to receive the heads of the teeth on belt 3 ; and the rollers 8, 9 have rings 26 which are held between flanges 23 and clamping rings 24, and have notches in their peripheries to receive the projecting ends of the teeth. The Specification as open to inspection under Sect. 91 refers to, but does not describe, the application of the invention to photographic printing apparatus of the kind claimed in the parent Specification. This subject-matter does not appear in the Specification as accepted.