US1428845A - Combined phonograph and moving-picture machine - Google Patents

Description

R. n. GRAY. COMBINED PHONOGRAPH AND MOVING PICTURE MACHINE.

Patent ed Sept. 12, 1922.

2- SHEETSSHEET 1.

APPLICATION FILED JUNES, I920 7 Q4; W @51 44, MOT/M R. D. GRAY.

.COMBINED P HONOGRAPH AND MOVING PICTURE MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 5. 1920.

1,428, 45; I PatentedSept. 12,1922.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

$3M; abtdmmgs Patented Sept. 12, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT DJGRAY, 0F RIDGEWOOD, NEW JERSEY.

- COMBINED PHQNOGRAPH AND MOVING-PICTURE MACHIll'E.

Application filed June 5, 1920. Serial No. 386,899.

. Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Phonograph and Moving-Picture Machines; and I do hereby declare the' following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,

such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same. I

Thisinvention relates'to the recordation v and reproduction of motion pictures. simultaneoilsly, with sounds accompanying the action photographed. Y The primary object of the invention is the provislon of means whereby the photogra bio and sound record may be pro erly sync r0- nized both in recordation an reproduction and of means for automaticallystarting the sound recorder or reproducerto ensure syn;

chronism.

A further object of the inventionis the provision of means for accelerating or retarding the visual record to permit adjustment when the synchronism of the records is disturbed.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood by 'refernce to' the following' 'specification when read in connection with the ac-- companying drawing, in which Fig. 1 1s a diagrammatic view in eleva tion of the camera or projector and the sound recordlng or reproducing mechanism arranged and connected for synchronous actuation;

i which Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the film actuated device for controlling the starting of the sound record mechanism;

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the releasing device for the sound recorder; V

Fig. 4 is a plan viewpartly in section; Fig. 5 is an elevation of the'releasing de vice for the sound reproducer;

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the differential; and v Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof.

, In a copending application Serial No.,

386,898 filed June 5, 1920, a method and, means of simultaneously producing sound and photographic records is described, permits a drama, for example, to be photographed while sounds accompanying the action are synchronously recorded. The.

scribed in detail,

invention depends upon the distribution of concealed microphone transmitters about the stage or set in such relation that, at any required position, the. voices of the actor or actors may be recorded, the sounds being conveyed electrically to a central recording station to which the transmitters are connected. Thus the recorded speech of the actors may be reproduced in properrelation to the accompanying movements or gestures and a very life-like representation of the drama is possible. I The present invention has to do more particularly with the mechanism employed for maintaining the synchronism of the photographic and sound records. While the preferred-mode of applying the invention is illustrated, it is to be understood that the underlying, principles thereof may be embodied in varying mechanical constructions which, .within the scope of the accom- V I reproducer are actuated by a motor 8 on the support 5which drives theshaftQ. Suitstruction are provided betweenthe shaft 9 and the moving parts which need not be desince they are familiar to those skilled in the art;

To restore the normal synchronism of the separate mechanisms .when disturbed, a differential 10 is provided in the shaft 9 and adapted to be manually actuated to accelerate or retard the visual record. Thus when parts of the film have been out out, it is necessary to retard the feeding mechanism therefor and if inserts-have been made, acceleration, is required 'to restore synchronism oft-he records. To insure proper starting of the records, the film 11 is provided with a slot'12 which may be formed therein when the filmis prepared. A trip lever 13 is pivoted at 14: and is provided with'a roller 15 adapted to enter as a sprocket 17 intermittently advances the film past a gate or aperture 18. When panying claims, are a part of my invention.

"able connections of usual form and conthe slot under the actuation of a spring 16, w

the trip lever is thus moved by the springfit' ing, a record swings a; eontact device 19 into engagement with a post20 and closes an electrical circuit through conductors 21 and 22. Thus a trip may-be magnetically controlled to release the sound recording or reproducing mechanism as hereinafter described. The contact device- 19 is normally held in inoperative position by a detent 23 which engages a notch 24 therein. A notch 25 is engaged by the detent whenthe contact device-is actuated as hereinbefore described to ensure proper contact and closure of the circuit. The contact device may be released and returned to inoperative position by means of a projecting'finger piece 26 and the same,

means maybe employed to setv the contact device in the positionindicated inFig. 2 of the" drawing. The arrangement illustrated and described permits-the use of a relatively weak spring 16 so that injury. to the film by the roller 15' is prevented.

' If it is not convenient to slit the film before it passes through the camera, a marker may be substituted for the roller 15 and the lever 13 may be manually tripped through the finger piece 26 projecting through the camera wall to mark the film simultaneously with the starting of the sound record. Positives, prepared from the negative thus marked, may be slotted at a corresponding point to ensuresynchronousstarting of the records.

Separate devices are provided for starting recordation and reproduction of sound both of which are controlled electrically by the circuit closure hereinbefore described. Such devices are essential in order that the mechanism may be permitted to attain its normal speed before recordation or reproduction'commences. In Fig. 3 of the drawtable 27 is mounted in the usual manner on a its connection with the motor 8. A recording stylus 29 is supported on a casing 30 which carries a diaphragm to which the' v stylus is connected. The casing 30 may be similar to the usual phonographie sound box and is preferably mounted on a support 31 which isfed across a record blank 32 by a feed screw or other suitable means (not shown) such as is well'known inthe art. A' tone arm 33 is connected to the sound box and is adapted toconvey sounds from a translating device (not shown) in which electrical pulsations from the transmitters. above referred to are translated into sounds.

Obviously the soundsmay be delivered to the tone arm in any suitable manner.

The tone arm 33 carries a finger 34-which normally rests on a cam 35 pivoted on the end of an arm 36, which is mounted on the base 28. The cam has a flat side 37 and carries an arm 38 of magneticmaterial which is held in spaced relation to an electro-magnet 39. The eleetro-magnet is conbase 28 and is rotated through,

nected to the conductors 21 and 22 and to a source of current. Thus when the circuit is closed as the slot in the film passes the roller 15, the magnet is energized attracting the arm 38. The cam is thereby rotated and the finger- 34 drops onto the flat side of the cam 35. The stylus 27 thus moves into engagement with the record blank, the. support 31 being slotted to permit theto nebarrn to move vertically therein.

The blank rotates in synchronism with theflcarnera and the recording stylus is fed across the blank as the action proceeds thus recording the sounds in synchronism with the hotographic record. \Vhen the film is exhausted the apparatus is stopped and both the film and sound record are subjected to the usual processes in preparation for reproduction of-the records.

In reproducing sound records it is necessary to provide a slightly different mechanism permitting the reproducing stylus to rest at the starting point .on'-.the stationary record while the actuating means acquires the necessary momentum. Referring to Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawing, a frame 40 supports a post 41 having a flange 43. A rotatable table 44, mounted, for example, on balls 45, is supported, on the frame 40 and is driven by engagement of a gear 46, on the shaft 9, with a circular rack 47. At the periphery of the table are a plurality of grippers 48 pivoted at 49 and connected by arms 50 to a central disc 51 having a handle 52. The grippers 48 are preferably provided with surfaces 52 of soft rubber or the like, and are adapted to grip the edges of a record 53 which is supported on the stationary flange 43. The disc 51 has a-hub 54 loosely supported on the post 41, and connected by a spiral spring 55 to a yoke 56 beneath the table44. lVhen the disc 51 is turned to swing the grippers 48 away from the edge of the record, the spring 55 is tena lug 58 on a collar 59, which is mounted for vertical movement on the post 41 and y prevented from rotating with respect to the yoke 56 by a pin 60. The collar 59 is held in its upper position by a spring 61 surrounding the post 41 and is engaged near its lower end by the jaws 62 of a non-rotatable 'armature63. An electro-magnet 64 is connected to the conductors 21 and 22 and to a source of electrical energy. Thus when the circuit is closed by the passage of the slot in the film past the roller 15 in the projector, the electro-magnet 64 is energized and the lug 58 is retracted. The spring 55 rotates the disc 51 and carries the grippers 48 into engagement with the sound record which is thereafter rotated with the table. The stylus 65 of the reproducer 7 being previously engaged in the record groove at the starting point, the Sound reproduction will ing synchronism and a differential is illusmits manual rotation of the disc.

start synchronously with the photographic record. i

It is a frequent practice to cut and splice film, sometimes removing portions and frequently inserting additional matter, Obviously the synchronism of the sound and photographic record is thus disturbed, and this may also result by accident, It is necessary, therefore, to provide means for restortrated in Figs. 5 and 6. This differential 10, referred to in the description of Fig. 1, comprisesa frame 65 supported on thebase 5 and furnishes a bearing-for the shaft 9 carrying a gear 66 at its free end. A sleeve 67 is loosely supported on the shaft 9 and carries a gear 75 and a bevel pinion 67 which meshes with a corresponding gear 68 on a shaft 69, which drives the motion pic-- on the sleeve 67 and shaft 9 respectively' WVhcn the disc 70 is held stationary, the shaft 69 is driven from the shaft 9 through the gear train, sleeve 67 and bevel gear connections and at the same angular speed. If-

the synchronism of the mechanism is disturbed the disc 7 0 may be rotated in either direction to accelerate or retard the angular speed of the shaft 69 until synchronism is restored.

The adjusting handle 72 works with the 4 dial 76 so as to conveniently indicate the extent to which the original relation of the machines has been adjusted. be marked in arbitrary divisions indicating a unit of film length, either inches or pictures, and by keeping account of the alterations in the length of the film as, necessitated by revising the subject or cutting out torn and imperfect film, the extent of adjust ment necessary to re-establish synchronism between the phonograph and the projector maybe readily determined. For instance, if it is knownthat the film has been short- The dial may ened five pictures at a certain point in the film, the operator will, when that point is reached in the exhibition of the film, quickly move his handle from zero to 5, thereby being assured that the compensation has been exactly effected, instead of having to approximate the synchronizing by comparison of the picture and the sound.

While the visual and sound reproducing mechanism is illustrated and described as directly coupled for simplicity, they may be separated and various means may be em;-

ployed for driving them in synchronismj This and other variations are within the for gripping the record. means for holding the gripping means in inoperative position and means for releasing the holding means. 2. In an apparatus of the class described, the combination of a motion picture machine, a sound record machine, means for actuating said machines in synchronism, means for altering the timed relation of the two machines without permanently varying the speed relation, and means for indicating the extent to which the timed relation has been altered from-the original setting, said means including a differential connected to the actuating means and manually operable to accelerate or retard one of said machines, and a graduated stationary dial cooperating with the manually operable floating member of the differential to indicate the change in position'thereof from the original setting.

ROBERT 1).. GRAY.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signa- 'ture.

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