US1731345A - Method of and tape for reproducing pictures or the like - Google Patents

Description

Odie-'15, 1 M. D. M FARLANE ET AL METHOD OF'AND TAPE FOR REPRODUCING PICTURES OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 7,.1926 5 Sheets-Sheet l J v l W INVENTOR 06b 1929- M. D. M FARLANE ET AL 1,731,345

METHOD OF AND TAPE FOR REPRODUCING PICTURES OR THE LIKE Filed Oct. 7, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR 5 BY %r/K aLM' Y U m 5 z a F m 4 rm J m g 1 y ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1929. M. o. McFARLANE ET AL 1,731,345

uumon or AND TAPE FOR nnrnonucxue PICTURES on THE LIKE Filed Oct. 7, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 1 .5 i .5 J a] T E 0 7 0 o o 0 0 06 600 00 000 0 0 CO 00000 0 Q 00 0 v o 0 O0 7 06 00 0 O0 ""7 O 0 o av/NM -N4 32V 2,

ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 15, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MAYNARD DEEDES MCFARLANE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., AND HARRY GUY BABTHOLO- HEW, OF LONDON, ENGLAND METHOD OF AN D TAI PE FOB REPRODUCIN G PICTURES OR THE LIKE Application filed October 7, 1926. Serial No. 140,049.

rated tape having a series of rows of perforations,-each of said rows corresponding to the tone value of a small area of the picture or the like which is to be reproduced. Such systems are described in the following British patents No. 195,577 to Batholomew z McFarlane,

No. 197,402 to Bartholomew & McFarlane; No. 209,816 to Bartholomew & McFarlane.

Another object of this inventioii'is to devise a method of and tape for reproducing said pictures whereby the perforations in said tape are permitted to control the passage of light through apertures which vary in size according to a suitable formula, for causing the reproduced picture to have substantially the same tone values as the original picture.

Another object of this invention is to devise a method of and tape for reproducing pictures whereby the numerical magnitude of a tone value will depend not merely upon the number of perforations in a given row on a tape, butalso uponthe relative locations of the said perforations. It is thereby rendered possible to reproduce a number of tone values or gradations which exceeds the maximum number of perforations in each row.

Other objects of this invention will be set forth in the following description and drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments thereof, it being understood that'the above general statement of the objects of this invention is intended merely to generally explain the same and not to limit it in any manner.

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus which may be used for carrying out the invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical central section. v

Fig. 3 is a view on the line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 shows the record tape.

Fig. 6 shows the variation and the size of the light apertures and a graph illustrating the relationship between the diameters of the light apertures in one embodiment of this invention,

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6 and illustrating the same relationship in another embodiment of this invention.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the connections between the relay magnets for locating perforations on the record tape in accordance to the magnitude of the tone value of each area of the picture which is being reproduced.

Fig. 9 diagrammatically illustrates 9. rec 0rd tape in which the magnitude of the tone values is represented solely bythe number of perforations in a given row. i i

Fig. 10 diagrammatically shows a record tape according to the second embodiment of this invention, in which the magnitude of a tone value is also recorded by the location of 70 the perforation or perforations in a given row, with respect to the central line of the tape.

In the previously issued patents above mentioned, mechanism has been described wherebya plurality of reader points pass over the suitably prepared picture to be reproduced, said picture consisting of an image formed in an insulating layer or coating located on a conducting metal plate, so that said reader points open and close separate circuits, dependent upon their contact either with the said conducting plate or the said insulating layer or coating. The circuits which are opened and closed by said reader points include electromagnets which actuate se-- lectors in a punch mechanism whereby the number of perforations formed in a given row, in a tape which is passed adjacent the punch ,mechanism, is dependent upon the number ofcontacts of the respective reader points with-the metal base of the picture to be reproduced. In these previously issued patents, apparatus was also described whereby the perforated tape was led between a source of light and a suitable lens system which concentrated the light. shining through the perforations in a point upon a light-sensitive film, so that the tone value of each point or small area of the image formed upon the light-sensitive film was in proportion to the number of perforations in the respective row on the tape.

In making reproduced pictures with the apparatus set forth in the previously issued patents, it has been found impossible to accu rately'reproduce very dark .tones, because if the record tape only had a single perforation in a given transverse line thereof, which corresponded to a very'dark tone of the picture to be reproduced, the reproducing apparatus allowed too much light to shine through this single perforation. Likewise, the number of tones which could be reproduced could .not exceed the number of perforations on a transverse line of the tape, and this would have required the use of a very wide tape to represent a large number of tone values or gradations. Since the width of the tape must be' standard in order to utilize existing apparatus forforming a reproduc'tion'of a perfo' rated tape over a telegraph line or the like, this made it practically impossible to properly represent the requisite number of tone gradations for producing a good reproduction.

According to" the present invention, and in the first .embodiment thereof, a tape T is formed, as shown in Fi s. 5 and'9. This tape T has a rowof feeding perforations 32- by means of which the tape is fed through the reproducing apparatus. It is also provided with transverse rows of message perforations 31, the maximum number of such perforations on a given transverse line of the tape being five. The tape is also provided with what may be termed end of the row perforations 33,. there being three such perforations in the embodiment shown in Fig. 5, and these end of the row perforations designate the end of a seriesof message perforations corresponding to a single lateral strip of the picture which is being reproduced.

The apparatus shown in'Figs. 1 and2 has a lamp-house 1 provided with a lamp 3 of any suitable type, to which currenti is supplied by means of the cable 2. The optical apparatus comprises a condenser lens 4, apertures 5,-a movable stop-diaphragm 6, a con-' centratinglens 7 focusing lenses 8, a movable safety shutter 9, and a film drum 10 which is mounted in a light-tight casing 11. The

various lenses before mentioned are mounted in tubes 12 and 14 which are held in adjustable fixed position by means of the set screw 15. The tape is fed transversely between the lenses 4 and 7 by means of the drum 16 which has a row of teeth 16, which engage with the feeding perforations 32. A guide drum17 is provided for the tape and this is provided with a similar circumferential row of teeth.

. The tape T is fed through the apparatus from topv to bottom, a's'indicated by the arrow in- Fig. 2. Guide rollers 18 mounted on pivoted arms are also provided, and a guideT is provided at the bottom of the apparatus.

As shown in Fig. 4, the lamp-house is mounted upon a hinge 24 so that it can be rea'dily swung away from the rest of theapparatus. Also, and as shown in Fig. 4, the drum 16 is provided with grooves or recesses 25 and 26. As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, stripping fingers 27 are provided, these stripping fingers being'adapted to enter the grooves 25 and. 26 so as to strip the film from the drum 16, as indicated in Fig. 2. The width and location of the stripping fingers are such that they bear on the-film intermediate the message perforations 31, so that the action of. the stripping fingers does not enlarge the message perforations 31 and thereby injure the film.

In order to control the amount of light passing to the light-sensitive film, five separate shutters 20 are provided, as shown in Fig. 4. Likewise, two apertures 5 areprovided through. which the light passes from the condensing lens 4, to then pass through the message perforations in the tape. As shown in Fig. 4, one of these apertures 5 has a width equivalent to twoof the message perforations .31,.and the other aperture 5 has a width equivalent to three of the message perforations 31. The shutters 26 are separately adjustable by means of the screws 21, which pass through a clamping plate 22 having five openings provided with suitable internal threadings, so that the turning of ecah screw 21 moves the respective shutter 20 up and down with respect to its adjacent aperture 5. A guide plate 23 is provided.

.As shown in Fig. 4, the bottoms of the shutters 20 are of angular shape so as to permit a more flexible adjustment of the said apertures. It likewise will be noted in Fig. 4 that the plate having the apertures 5 therein, is solid at the point corresponding to the feeding perforations 32.

As shown in Fig. 6, the shutters 20 are adjusted so that the five separate apertures in the openings 5 formed thereby have the area relationship indicated by the circles A, B, G, D and E in- Fig. 6. As shown by the graph 35, the-relationship between the respective areas I of the said five perforations A-E inclusive is substantially linear. Hence, if ascertain area of'the picture to be reproduced is very dark,

almost a pure black, and only a single perforation is formed in the record tape, the location to the light-sensitive film. Likewise, when the picture has the next gradation or tone value at a given area thereof, so that two per-. forations are formed-in the record tape, these two perforations will control the apertures vA and B. Experience has shown that by thus regulating the light which falls upon the to a very dark tone value, and the other rows of perforations corresponding respectively to lighter tone values.

According tothis method, only five tone values or gradations can be reproduced, and this is frequently insuflicient to secure an accurate reproduction.

In order to permit a record tape having no more than five perforations in a given lateral line to record ten tone values, the record tape shown in Fig. 10 is utilized. In this tape, the bottom perforation represents the darkest tone value of the picture which is being reproduced,'it being noted, however, that if the corresponds to the lightest tone value of the object which has been photographed. The single perforation in the next row corresponds to the next tone value, which would correspond to the first row of message perforations from the bottom depicted in Fig. 9. In other words, in the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, the magnitude of a tone value is not merely represented by the number of perforations in a given transverse line of the tape, but it is also represented by the lateral location of said perforation or perforations.

In the embodiment shown in Fig. 10, the two perforations shown in the third transverse line represents the third tone value, the single perforation shown in the fourth row represents the fourth tonevalue, and so on, until nine tone values are represented, the tenth tone value, which is an absolute black,

being indicated by the total absence .of all perforations. By suitably choosing the permutations of the five message perforations,

a maximum of thirty-two tone values can be recorded, but the recording of ten tone values has been found suflicient for practical purses.

In order to form the message perforations I as indicated in Fig. 10, the apparatus diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 8 is utilized. This shows nine relay magnets 36 having armatures 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46 and 47 re-.

spectively, these armatures serving as switch levers which may be moved from their normal positions shown in Fig. 8, so that. the armatures 39, 41,43, 46 and 47 can contact with the switch terminals 39',-41, 43', 46' and 47 Likewise, when these magnets are ener- I gized, they cause the armatures 40, 42, 44 and '45 to. separate from the switch terminals with which they are in contact, and to respectively contact with the terminals 40,.42', 44' and 45.

' The nine relay magnets 36 are connecte'din series to a source of electric current 37, and the circuit includes a photo-electric cell 38.

A second source of current 48 has one terminal thereof connected to the armatures, as shown in Fig. 8. The other terminal of the source of current 48 is connected to each of the coils of the five selector magnets, which are not illustrated, as selective punch mechanism of this type is described in the patents previously mentioned, and has also been known for a great many years in connection with telegraph systems. The other ends of the five coils of the five selector magnets are respectively connected to the conductors S, S S", S and S The picture to be reproduced is formed upon a substance such as celluloid or the like which is permeable to light, and a beam of light is allowed to shine through the successive areas of the picture and to then fall upon the photo-electric cell. The resistance of the picture which 1s being reproduced 1s a negative, that'this darkest tone value of coursephoto-electric cell therefore varies in accordance with the tone value of each small area of the picture which is being reproduced, and the amount of current flowing through the coils of the nine relay magnets also varies accordingly. The nine relay magnets are of uniformly graduated sensitiveness, so that the left-hand magnet 36 responds to the smallest current to actuate its armature 39, the second magnet 36 (as well as the first magnet) actuate their respective armatures when the current has reached its-second stage of intensity, etc., so that all'nine magnets respond when the picture which is being reproduced has its lightest tone value, it being understood that the picture which is being reproduced is preferably a negative.

When the armature 39 contacts with the switch terminal 39', the current from the battery 48 passes through the armatures 45, 44, 42 and 40 to the switch terminal 39, through the intermediate connections shown in-Fig. 8, so that the selector magnet corresponding to the left conductor S has its coil energized, thereby actuating the selector which causes the formation of a perforation corresponding to the bottom row in Fig. 10.

When a current of the second degree of intensity passes through the relay magnets, this causes the armature 39 to touch the switch terminal 39' and the armature 40 is also moved to contact with the terminal 40. The current now passes from the plus terminal of the battery 48 through the armatures 45, 44

and 42 as before, but the current does not pass to the switch terminal 39' because of the change in position of the armature 40. Hence, the current from battery 48 only passes to the conductor S thus causing the energizing of a single selector magnet and the formation of through the armature 41 to the terminal 41,

and thence to theswitch terminal 39' by the connection shown. The current also passes through the armature 40' to the switch termi- . armatures 39, 40, 41' and 42 are moved to the right to respectively'contact with the terminals 39, 40, 41 and 42. This causes the current to pass only to the conductor S because the movement of the armature 42 to the right. throws the conductors S" and S out of the shown in the second embodiment, the lateral circuit. Hence, the single perforation shown in the fourth row of Fig. 10 will be formed.

When acurrent of the fifth degree ofintensity is passed through the relay magnets, the armatures 39,140, 41, 42 and 43 are moved to respectively contact-with the switch terminals 39, 40, 41, 42' and 43. The current therefore passes to the three conductors S, S and S by the connections shown.

When the current passing through the relay magnets has the sixth degree of intensity, then the armatures 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44 are actuated to respectively contact with-the switch terminals 39, 40, 41, 42, 43 and 44. Since the armature 44 is moved.

to the right of the osition shown in Fig. 8,

this throws the con uctors S, S and S out 44 and 45 are actuated torespectively contact with the switch terminals 39, 40',-41, 42',

43', 44 and 45. Since the armature-45 is moved to the rightof the position shown in .Fig. 8, this position cuts out of the circuit the conductors. S S S and S, so that only the conductor S is-maintained in the circuit,

thus producing the single perforation shown in the seventh-row of Fig. 10;

When the circuit has theeighth degree of intensity, the ' armatures 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45and-46 aremoved to respectively con tact with the switch terminals 39, 40, 4 1,

the two perforations shown in the eighth row of Fig. 10.

When the circuit has the ninth degree of intensity, all the armatures are moved to respectively contact with the switch terminals 3947 inclusive, and the five selectors are thrown into the circuit of the battery 48- because of the cross-connections between the switch terminals-39 47 inclusive which are shown in Fig. 8. For example, there is a direct connection between terminal 47 and terminal 41 so that current will pass through the armature 41, to the armature 40 and the I terminal 40, to conductor S As shown by graph 35 in Fig. 7, the relationship between the apertures A, B, C, D. and E is expressed by a graph having different inclinations at the ends thereof with respect to a horizontal axis.

It can be-seen from Fig. 7 that the location of a perforation or perforations shown in Fig. 7 substantially affects the amount of light shining upon the reproducing film.

Hence, according to the improved method location of a message perforation or perforations is associated with light apertures of method utilized in connection with a standard type of machine which forms perforations in therecord tape, it is understood that the invention is not limited to this particular type of record or marking of the tape. Preferred embodiments of this invention have been shown, but it is clear that numerous changes and omissions could be made-withof message perforations varyingin number in proportion to the magnitude of the successive tone values, which consists in causlng said message perforations to control the passage of light to a light-sensitive film through a row of a ertures whose size varies in accordance with the tone values to be reproduced.

2. A method of reproducing a picture or I the like whose successive tone values have been recorded upon a tape by means of rowsof message perforations varying in number and transverse location in proportion to the magnitude of the successive tone values which consists in causing said message perforations to control the passage of light to a light-sensitive film through a row of apertures. whose size varies in accordance with the tone values to be reproduced.

3. A method of reproducing a picture or the like whose successive tone values have been recorded upon a tape by means of rows of message perforations varying in number a nd lateral location in proportion to the magn1tude of the successive tone values, which consists 1n causing said message perforations to control the passage of light to/a lightsensitivefilm through apertures whose size vanes in-accordance witli the tone values to be reproduced, the relation between the areas the successive tone values by varying the lateral number and the locations of the said perforations.

5. A record tape havlng successive rows of message perforations which respectively correspond to the successive tone values of a picture, the said tone values being recorded by the number and lateral location of the message perforations in the said successive rows, the black tone being represented by the absence of perforations.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

MAYNARD D. MQFARLANE. In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

HARRY GUY BARTHOLOMEW.

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