US2125895A - Book support - Google Patents

Description

R. H. DRAEGER BOOK SUPPORT Filed Dec. 18, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 El/PfET f1 Q DEHEGEB I 1 Au 9, 1938. R. H. DBAEGEVR Book SUPPORT) Filed Dec. 18, 1935 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 A 1 R. H. DRAEGER 2,125,895

BOOK SUPPORT Filed Dec. is, 1935 s S heets-Sheet s J. mm

fiz/Psz r H. Dzmsqzza Patented Aug. 9, 1938 Rupert H. Draeger, United States Navy Application December 18, 1935, Serial No. 55,000

6 Claims.

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as

This invention relates to a book support for holding an open book so as to expose two open pages in a proper position for making a photographic copy.

The first object of this invention is to provide means for holding a book and exposing two open pages of a book in a plane, preferably horizontal, under a transparent medium while making a photographic copy and at the same time permit of adjustment for books of various thicknesses and sizes without an appreciable displacement of the book when the transparent medium is raised for the purpose of turning the pages, which convenience has not been accomplished in previously designed book supports.

A further object of this invention is to provide two platens which support the two portions of an open book and have the book covers secured thereto; the platens being so hinged and connected that the raising of one results in a lowering of the other and vice versa. Thus it will be seen with this accomplishment that after the platens are adjusted in height for aparticular book, the changing thickness of each of the two positions of the open book will automatically be compensated for, to keep the open pages in a plane as the pages are turned.

Another feature of this invention is to provide means automatically to compensate for the lateral shift of the book pages which invariably takes place as the pages are turned. This lateral shift amounts to the thickness of the. book and as the pages are turnedgradually moves the twdopen pagesof a fixed book out of the center of the field of a fixed camera. In the case of photographing book pages upon a completely filled frame of film such a shift would result in a portion of the film area being unused and a portion of the book notbeing copied. It is therefore apparent that compensating for this lateral shift is most important when. it is desired to use film' efficiently and have aseries of uniformly spaced images side by side on strip filmforuse in reading machines -or enlarging printers which move the film by uniform steps.)

in the book support herein disclosed, theplatens are hinged to a centralsupport at such an angle that the lowering or raising of either platen results simultaneously in a lateral shift toward the' lowered platen approximating the lateral movement of book pages when they are turned. The great variations in books not only as to size and thickness but also as to flexibility and stiffness of spines, makes it difiicult to adapt a rigid mechanical device to a book. In fact, a certain amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) degree of automatic adjustment is necessary if damage to the book is to be avoided.

The book support of this invention provides means for successively handling the pages of an open book with a minimum of effort and attention on the part of the operator or photographer and embodies such features as a transparent cover glass hinged and counterbalanced. Furthermore, a magnetic cover glass release. which operates at the termination of each exposure may be incorporated with the above features.

A further object of this invention is to provide the combination of a book support and a camera, or a book support, camera and lighting system, all connected up in a single electrical circuit. The circuit operates simultaneously the camera shutter and the lighting system and when broken to terminate the exposure and extinguish the lights it automatically raises the glass cover on the book support, so that the page may be turned andthe glass again pressed down into position for the next exposure. Due to this special feature of this invention, it thus becomes possible to more rapidly photograph the successive pages of a book placed on the book support.

a In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the book holder partly broken away.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the book holder showing a book in position to be photographed.

Fig. 3 is a central section elevation normal to the front of the book holder.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an elevation of a platen and its guides.

Fig. 6 is a section at line tt of Fig. 1.

Fig.7 is a schematic diagram of the book support operatively connected to the camera and. lighting device for automatic operation therewith.

In Fig. l a glass plate is shown at ill mounted in a frame it and hinged by extension arms' l2 to the shaft 53. Shaft l3 isattached to the verti-. cal support rods i l by'clamps l5. Bases it receive rods Hi an-dlserve to attach the book support cover glass to the base plate l lo Springs it are adjusted to impart an upward pivotal movement to the glass plate it in frame ll when the magnetic release 59 operates catch 20. One method of adjusting spring I8 is illustrated in Fig. 6. The spring It has one end secured in hole 2| of ring 22 which may be secured to shaft I3 in any of a number of orientations by means of a set screw placed in threaded aperture 23 and engaging one of the recesses 24 in said shaft I3. Arms 25,.

which may be flexible, having pads 26 are secured 5'5 to shaft i3 providing stops to limit the upward swing of frame H.

In Fig. 2 are shown the platens 21 that support the two portions of a book 28 the open pages of which press firmly against glass plate It). Platens 21 are supported by rods 29 which are free to slide in their guides 30 and 3|. Springs 32 provide a cushion for the platens and insure the book pages being firmly pressed against the glass plate It! when it is in the horizontal position. Platens 2? are hinged to a central support member 33 by levers 36, there being a limiting member 35 at the end of each pair of levers 36,fixing their separation and maintaining the vertical position of rods 29. The clamps 31 attach to platen rods 29 and carry internally threaded pivot members 38 through which passes the threaded adjustment rod 39 having right and left hand threads on its opposite ends and .a hand wheel 49 on one end. The turning of adjustment rod 39 brings about a raising and lateral nearing or lowering and a separating of the platens 2! which adjustment is needed to accommodate books of various thicknesses on the holder and at the same time give just the proper space between the platens for the book's spine. This adjustment is a constant for equal thickness books and once set for a book does not have to be altered as the pages are turned.

Since the platens both pivot about the same point on central support member 33, when one platen is pushed down a given distance and the other is thereby pushed up an approximately equal distance, there is also a lateral component to the movement of the platens. The fact that one platen moves up just as far as the other moves down is important in preserving equal pressure by the cover I6 on the two portions of the open book regardless of how the location of the open pages in the book is changed from cover to cover. Also, the lateral movement of each platen, which is substantially equal to the vertical movement and which is away from the elevated and toward the lowered platen, is very important for automatic adjustment of the position of the book in the field of the camera as the pages are turned. This follows from the fact that when a book isopened to the first page, leaving the thick portion of the book on the right, the center-line of the two open pages is inone position, but shifts as the pages are turned until, when the end of the book is reached, this center-line is at a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the book, tothe right of its original position. At the same time, the right platen has moved up and the left platen moved down distances equal to the distance between the first and last locations in the book, which accounts for the need of equal vertical and horizontal motions.

Hand wheel 4|, the shaft of which is threaded into support 33, exerts pressure against bar spring 42 providing means of transmitting pressure between the levers 35 and the supporting member 33 thus bringing about frictional resistance which tends to maintain them in a fixed position.

The tension springs 43 approximately counterbalance the weight of the book being carried by the platens. -When one platen is raised and the other one lowered the spring attached to the raised platen, which carries the least weight, is slackened while the tension on the depressed platen carrying the greater book weight is increased. The straps 44 serve to hold the backs of the book 28 firmly to the platens 21 while the pages are being turned.

Fig. 1 shows the book support base plate I! attached to the camera table 45 by thumb screws 46.

The construction and operation of the electromagnetic release is as follows. Catch 20 has an extension arm 41 through which a rod 48 passes, to the lower end of which is attached an armature 49 within a solenoid 59. Catch 20 is held against a stop 5| by the action of a helical spring 52. Confined within the cylindrical hole through the solenoid 50, around rod 48, and held between the armature 49 and an end plate 53 is a helical spring 54. When current is passed through the solenoid, the armature 49 rises carrying with it rod 48 and compressing spring 54. Now, when the circuit through the solenoid is broken the armature 49 and rod 48 fall with sufiicient force to cause nuts 55 to release the catch 29 from frame II. a, spring 56 in the base of the electromagnet.

The electrical wiring diagram for the book support, camera shutter lights, relay and switch is shown in Fig. '7. Wires 6| connect to the electrical power supply and one circuit to them, containing in series a relay 62, and electrically operated camera shutter 63 and a switch or push button 64 is closed when the switch 64 is closed. Switch 64 is of the normally open type. When relay 62 is energized it closes another circuit connected to wires 6| which contains lamps 65 and solenoid 50 of the book support electromagnet l9. Thus it will be seen that, after the book support cover has been brought into book contacting position, when the switch 64 is closed the camera shutter 63 is opened, the lamps 65 so that when switch 64 is released, after the are lighted and the electromagnet I9 is energized, so that when switch 64 is released, after the desired exposure has been made, the camera shutter closes, the lights go out and solenoid 50 is deenergized permitting the fall of rod 48 and nuts 55 to trip the catch'28, automatically releasing the transparent cover l0 and frame H from book contacting position awaiting the turning to the next page to be copied.

The springs 51 pivot at 58 and carry the knob 59 which has a cylindrical portion adapted to protrude through openings 6| in platens 21. These openings are so placed as to space equal portions of an inch from back to front on the platens and are labeled to indicate the height of a book which would be centered in this direc tion upon the platens if placed against the protruding portions 68 as a stop.

The operation of the book support is as follows. The operator first measures the height of the book, sets stop members 69 in the platen holes bearing this number and places the open book against these members as a stop.

The backs of the book are now secured to the platens. by means of straps 44. The frame II is drawn down and the rod 39 is adjusted until any open pages make firm contact with the glass plate, thus setting the holder for this thickness of book. The frame is then released and the pages are now turned to the first page to be copied, whereupon the frame is again drawn down to the horizontal position where it will remain, being so held by catch 20 engaging frame II. The camera switch 64 is now closed resulting in the copying of the two pages of the book. At the termination of the exposure switch 64 is opened, and the electromagnet 19 will be deenergized, tripping catch 29 and allowing frame II to re- This fall also is cushioned by means of turn to an elevated position determined by stops 26, completing the cycle.

The operator now turns the page and pulls down the glass repeating the process until the desired number of book pages are photographed.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America for governmental purposes without the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

1. A book support comprising two platens, means for keeping constant the average height of the two platens above any plane parallel to said platens when one of said platens is moved and common means for adjusting said average height of and for adjusting the distance between the platens for accommodating books of varying thicknesses.

2. A book support having two platens and means for causing one to move in an upward direction when the other is moved in a downward direction, said means comprising common means for adjusting the average height of said platens above any plane parallel to said platens and for adjusting the distance between said platens for accommodating books for varying thicknesses.

3. A book support having two platens and means for causing one to move in an upward direction when the other is moved in a downward .direction and means for automatically shifting said platens toward the side of the book support upon which the downwardly moved platen is located, both of said means comprising a means for adjusting the said platens to accommodate books of varying thicknesses.

4. A book support comprising two platens, a cover, means for adjusting said platens to accornmodate a book of any given thickness between said cover and said platens, and means for simultaneously separating said platens a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the given book when said platens are so adjusted as to hold said book between said cover and said platens.

5. A book support comprising two platens, a support for each platen, a lever for each support, a guide on one end of said lever, the support being slidably mounted in said guide, a cushioning means between said platen and the corresponding support guide, and an adjustable connection between said supports.

6. A book support comprising two platens, a support for each platen, a lever for each support, a guide on one end of each of said levers, each support being slidably mounted in its guide, a base, the other end of each of said levers being pivoted to said base, a cushioning means between said platen and the corresponding support guide,

and an adjustable connection between said sup- 7

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