US1203035A - Photographic-printing machine. - Google Patents

Description

A. F. MUELLER.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE. I

APPLICATION min NOV. 13, 1915.

1,203,035. I Patented Oct. 31,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

mt Nmmls pzrms wvv ruom-uma. WAsnmcmN. u. c.

A. F. MUELLER.

PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV- 13. 1915.

1,203,035. Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

Z SHEETSSHEET 2.

his now-s mrnns co PHOTO 1.1mm WAsNlmiruN. a (r UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT F. MUELLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

IPHOTOGRAPHIC-PRINTIN G MACHINE.

Application filed November 13, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. MUELLER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Photographic-Printing Machines, of which the following is a specification, and which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The invention relates to photographic printing machines, and has for its object to provide apparatus to facilitate the making of separate prints from a plurality of film negatives when the negatives are connected in strip form, and particularly when prints with a white margin are desired.

The invention accordingly contemplates the provision of a frame to rest upon the film strip, and having members which are adjustable to the size of the print and serve for positioning the printing paper over the film. When a white margin is to be obtained flanges are provided to serve as a mask for the margins of the paper, and these flanges may be of adjustable width to permit of the width of the margins being varied.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a central sectional view of a photographic printing machine embodying the features of improvement provided .by the invention; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same; Fig. 3 is a detail plan view, drawn to a larger scale and showing the printing mask or frame; Fig. 1 is an end view of the parts illustrated in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the parts illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, with the contact board also shown in elevation and a detail of the machine frame shown in section; and Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

The parts of the machine are conveniently associated with a table 10. As shown, the top 11 of the table 'is provided with a printing opening 12 near its front edge, and this opening has a glass insert A light box 14,.hay1ng colored and printmg lamps 15,16, as usual, is secured against the under side of the table top' 11 below the opening) 12, the printing lamp 14 being controlled y a switch arm, as 17, which is normally held in open position, as by a spring 33. The drawings show the switch arm 17 pivotally secured against the under side of the light box 14 and projecting in rear of the same.

In the commercial production of prints Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1916.

Serial No. 61,340.

for amateurs, the negatives from roll films are preferably printed separately while still connected together'in strip form. It is therefore desirable to provide a means for holding a suitable length of the strip flat upon the glass 13. For this purpose it is proposed to use the metal frame generally designated 18. Thu; frame comprises the rigidly connected side and end members 19, 20, 21 and 22, and the adjustably movable intermediate members 23, 24 and 25, all of which are preferably flat metal bars.

During the printing operation the frame 18 rests by gravity upon the fihn strip, and four of the side and intermediate members, as 19, 23, 21 and 25 of the frame, constitute a holder for positioning a sheet of printing paper (not shown) of proper size over the particular section of the film strip from which the print is to be made. In order that the film strip may be shifted from time to time for bringing different exposures into register with the opening formed by the said side and intermediate members 19,23,24 and 25, means are provided for lifting the frame 18. Furthermore, as the hands of the operator are required for shifting the film strip,

the lifting of the frame 18 is preferably accomplished by a foot pedal, as 26. As shown, this pedal is pivoted intermediate its ends, as at 27, to a fixed part of the table. WVhen so made the rear end of the pedal 26 is adapted to engage the lower end of an upright lifting bar 28. This bar slides through an opening 29 in the top 11 of the table, and through suitable guides, as 30, 31, secured against the rear side of the light box 14:, and has its higher end rigidly connected with the rear side member 20 of the frame 18, as at 32 (Fig. 3). The frame 18 is accordingly lifted by downward pressure upon the front end of the foot pedal 26.

To permit a ready adjustment of the apparatus for making prints of different sizes, the two intermediate members 24, 25, of the frame 18 may be operatively connected at both ends for simultaneous movement in opposite directions. As shown, upstanding bracket lugs 34, 35, are formed upon each of the intermediate members 24:, 25, adjacent its opposite ends, and the corresponding bracket lugs of the two members are engaged with right and left screw threaded shafts 36, 37. A compact construction is provided if the intermediate members 24, 25, of the frame 18 extend under the side memhers 19, 20, and each of the last-mentioned members is provided with a slotted opening 38 for receiving the corresponding bracket lugs 34 or 35. In this event each shaft 36, 37, is journaled at its opposite ends in fixed bracket lugs 39 and 40, which are mounted on the corresponding side members 19, 20, of the frame.

A transverse shaft 41 serves for turning both of the screw threaded shafts 36, 37, when an adjustment of the two intermediate members 24, 25, of the frame 18 is to be made. The shaft 41 preferably extends over the end member 22 from endto end, and is journaled in bracket lugs 42 and 43, which are mounted on the adjacent ends of the side members 19 and 20, respectively. Operative connection between the shaft 41 and the screw-threaded shafts 36 and 37 is accomplished by the use of two pairs of bevelgears 44, 45, one gear, as 44, of each pair being mounted on the shaft 41 and the other gear, as 45, of each pair being mounted on one of the shafts 36, 37.

An upright crank shaft 46, located at one corner of the frame 18, may be used for turning the shaft 41. As shown, the crank shaft is journaled in the side member 22 of the frame, and in an inverted U-shaped bracket 47 which has its ends rigidly connected with the adjacent parts: of the frame.

A pair of bevel-gears, 48, 49, one mounted on the crank shaft 46 and the other on the adjacent end of the shaft 41, rotatively connect the crank shaft 46 with the shaft 41.

The adjustment of the intermediate frame member 23 toward and away from the side frame member 19, to accommodate sheets of printing paper of different widths between these parts, is permitted by providing the frame member 23 with apertured bracket lugs 50 and 51 adjacent its opposite ends, which slide upon the shaft 41 and upon a guide rod 52, respectively. The guide rod' 52 extends over the end member 21 of the frame 18, and is supported at its opposite ends in bracket lugs 53 and 54, which are mounted on the side members 19 and 20, respectively. Thumbscrews 55, one of which is mounted in each of the bracket lugs 50 and 51, for'engaging the shaft 41', or the guide rod 52, serve for holding the intermediate frame member 23 in adjusted position.

Prints with white margins are obtained if each of ,the four frame members 19, 23,. 24 and 25is provided with an inwardly projecting flange strip 56 at its lower edge. Preferably the flange strips are of such thin sheet metal as to be readily flexible and to permit the printing paper to make close contact with the film. The width of the white margin may be varied if each flange strip 56 is adjustably secured to the corresponding frame member 19, 23, 24 or 25, as by clamping screws 57. As shown, each clamping screw 57 extends through a clamping nut 58, through a slotted opening 59 in the corresponding frame member, as 23 (Fig. 6), and has threaded engagement'with the underlying flange strip 56.

In order that all of the flange strips 56 may make close contact with the film, those flange strips 56 which are associated with the longitudinal frame members 19 and 23 preferably extend under the underlying transverse frame members 21, 22, 24 and 25. To prevent binding of the said transverse frame members between the longitudinal frame members 19, 23, and their flange strips 56, the corresponding clamping screws 57, are supplied with spacing washers. 60 (Fig. 6). i The usual movable contact 61 is preferably employed for pressing the printing paper upon the film. This contact may be carried by a swinging arm 62, which moves through a slotted opening 63 inthe table-top 11 and is operated. by a foot pedal 64, all in a well known manner. If the contact 61 is of suflicient size to substantially cover the full opening between the rigidly connected side and end members 19, 20, 2-1; and- 22 of. the frame 18, and the printing lamp 16 is only illuminated when the contact is in.

closed position, as by the engagement of a stud 65, carried by the swinging arm- 62, with the projecting rear end portion of the switch arm 17, there will be no objectionable illumination of. unused printing paper or undeveloped prints heldupon the table top: 11. Ample pressure of the contact 61- uponthe printing paper is insured, notwithstanding the interposition of the frame 18, if the con-. tact is shod with a thick layer 66- of sponge rubber.

The film strip is conveniently entered betweenthe glass 13 and frame 18, from one end of the frame, and is shifted endfw-ise: under the frame, when prints are to-be made from different exposures, if the: frame-18-is lifted, asby pressure of the left; foot uponthe forward end of the pedal 26. The-right foot may then be usedv to depress th'e pedal; 64 for operating the contact 61 and switch: arm- 17 WVhen: anexposure has: oncebeen correctly positioned under theframe 1.8, it is onlynecessary to place the printing-paper inthe opening between theframe: members 19, 23, 24and 25, to insure a-proper'registra.-. tion of the'paper with the exposure.. Variations in the sizes of. thepri-nts-which may be made are permitted-up to the full range of movement of theadjustable frame: members 23, 24 and 25. Furthermore, the adjustment of these frame members for changing from one size ofprint to another is readily accomplished. The shortening of the prints toacut out undesirable end portions of some particular exposure, as when consecutive exposures on the same film strip have been overlapped, is instantly permitted by turning the crank shaft 46 to cause a relative approach of the frame members 24, 25. The improved apparatus thereby greatly facilitates the commercial production of prints from assorted sizes of roll films.

I claim as my invention 1. In a photographic printing machine, in combination, a table top having a transparent section, a movable pressure plate cooperating with the transparent section of the table top, a mask frame interposed between the transparent section of the table top and the pressure plate and normally resting upon the table top, and means for lifting the mask frame when the pressure plate is lifted.

2. In a photographic printing machine, in combination, a frame having rigidly connected side and end members adapted to rest upon a transparent surface for holding a film in contact therewith, a pair of intermediate transverse members and a single intermediate longitudinal member crossing the frame opening and adjustably connected with the side and end members of the frame, respectively, for cooperating with one of the side members of the frame for positioning a sheet of printing paper over a selected section of the film, and a thin strip of metal adjustably secured to each of the said intermediate members and the said side member of the frame, the said thin strips of metal constituting flanges of adjustable width projecting from the lower edges of the parts to which they are respectively secured into the opening provided for the sheet of printing paper.

3. In a photographic printing machine,

in combination, a frame havin rigidly connected sides, a set of relative y transverse guide strips crossing the frame opening, each of the said guide strips having its ends adjustably secured to the adjacent sides of the frame, and a thin strip of metal adjustably secured against the side of each of the guide strips and forming a mask flange of adjustable Width projecting from one edge of the guide strip.

4. In a photographic printing machine, in combination, a horizontal frame having rigidly connected sides, a pair of relatively transverse flat guide strips crossing the frame opening at different levels, each of the said guide strips having its ends adjustably secured to the adjacent sides of the frame for movement along the same, a thin mask flange projecting from one side of the lower guide strip at its lower edge, and a thin strip of metal secured against the under face of the upper guide strip at intervals and extending under the lower guide strip and projecting beyond the upper guide strip at one side of the same to form a mask flange which is in substantially the same plane with the first mentioned mask flange.

5. In a photographic printing machine, in combination, a table top having a transparent section, a movable pressure plate .00- operating with the transparent section of the table top, a mask frame interposed between the transparent section of the table top and the pressure plate and normally resting upon the table top, a pair of foot pedals, connection between one of the foot pedals and the pressure plate and connection between the other foot pedal and the mask frame.

ALBERT F. MUELLER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of ratentll Washington, D. O.

Images