US2373260A - Multiple sound track film selector device - Google Patents

Description

J. J. RAUscH April l0, 1'945'.

MULTIPLE SOUND TRACK FILM SELECTOR DEVICE Filed oct. 20, 1943 3 sheets-Sheet 1 NVQ@ April 10, 1945. .1. J. RAuscH 2,373,260

MULTIPLE SOUND TRACK FILM SELECTOR DEVICE Filed oct. 2o,v 1943. s sheetsi-sheet-z April 1o, 1945` J J, RAUS'CH 2,373,260

MULTIPLE SOUND TRACK FILM SELECTOR DEVICE Filed 0ct, 20, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 S I l 20 films lsuch as areiused in-motionpicture pro` .fact

graph record.

` a new and improved and relatively. simple and "lector and transversely across and relative to a f time sinned inthe mentes Apr. 1o, i945 l OPAT ' einen mex mM; sumaron Home I Joseph). Rausch, to Litho AEuullunent si Supply Co., Chicagdlll., ,a cov` partnership consisting of Emelia: E. Valetti and Cannot E. Valetti application october# zo,x isis, serial No. somos.

' s claims. (ci. ris-mom' This' invention relates to aselectormechanlsm, for use in coniunction with multi-track sound iectors. per se, and in other devices such, for ex ample, as in coin-operated sound movies, .coinoperated musical instruments, and the like. Sound illms are also now employed for lconducting or j aiiordingmore'or less continuous musical orlike entertainment and for educational instruction which may be In the form of narration or the like with or without theaccompaniment of motion pictures. Moreoverisuch soundlms are being used in certain instances for musical entertainment in place ofphonographs and have the advantage over phonographs which resides in the that theymay be employed as lengthy lms which are alternately windable oi from and onto the feed reel' and the take-up reel of a sound pro--A jector with which they may be used and hence the present invention and the purview of the ap- In the drawings.

Fig. 1 .is a side elevational view illustrating a l preferred form of thepres'ent invention as bodied in a sound projector; Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofthe/'sound lprojector showninFlg. 1; w s. Y

Fig. 3 is an venlarged* centralvertical sectional 'i0 view of the new selectorv deviceon line 3-3 'in Fig. 1; .i

Fig. iis a lvertic sectional view on line B-Ji inFig.3; Fig. 5 is a'sectional planyiew of the new se- -l lector device on line 5-5 in Fig. 4;

Fig. 6 is anenlargedsectlonal view on line 6 6 in Fig. 3 and illustrating the latching mechanism embodied inthe selector device;

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of the condenser lens they may aiord a longer continuous entertain-A l0 housing wiiioi'is emed in the new apparatus;

ment than it is possible to obtain .from a phono An object of the present invention is to provide eiicient selector device for selectively picking up and translating any desired sound 'track of a multiple sound track iilxn .and so as to enable the sound tracksto be picked up one Another object o! the invention is to provide-a. novel manually operable selector device for-mov ing the exciter lamp and the condenser lens unit of the new selector apparatus transversely across f and relative to both the light gate oi a soundpro multiple sound track film passed therethrough.

A furtherobject of the invention is to provide a novel selector device which will positively maintain the exciter lamp and the condenser lens unit associated therewith in properregistry with a selected sound track in thesound iilx'n and relative 'to the photolelectric cell embodied in the light v gateof the apparatus.v

'Other end further objects of the present inapparent from the followlngde'- 45 same or equivalent principles may be used and I structural changes maybe made as desired by art without departing from after the other. v

and

. Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view of a typical multiple sound track film with which the new selector device may be employed in a the like.

The present invention is shown in thedrawings as being embodied in a sound motion picture pro--4 vjector which is generally indicated/at I0 and which is mounted upon a supporting base' or pedestal I I upon which an `electro-audio ampliiier'unit I2 is also arranged. the electro-audio ainpliiier unit I2 being merely indlc'atedin the drawings since the same fornisno part of the present invention.

invention is shown as being'embodied comprises \a pair of reversible reels. namely. a feed reel Il and a take-up reel which are rotatably mounted upon supporting arms I5 and II, and the reels I8 and Il maybe driven by means of suitable -powertransmitting instrumentalities such as the power-transmission belts I1 and I8, respectively.

'A multiple sound trackillm I! is alternatelyv windabler on from kand onto the' feed reel I3 and` the Vtake-up reel Il; and. for the purpose of the present invention, the sound viilinA I0 is being shownasembodying tive sound tracksBT-(Fig`.8)

although it will be understood that the present invention may be employed with a sound iilm embodyingv a greater or smaller number ot sound tracks. 'I'he present invention is primarily concerned with a selector device tion with sound projector or The sound projector` Il in which the present whichis'used in cconiunc -k thelight gate which is embodied in l w N'sound' projector. as II,-such a lightgate being generally indicated at 20. The sound nlm I9 is guided into position for movement across the light gate 20 by means of guide rollers 2|' and 22 which are arranged at opposite ends of the light gate 20, andthe sound film l9 is advanced across the light gate 28 by means of a film-advancing sprocket 23 which is arrangedat one side of the light gate 20; the film ,I9 being maintained in proper mesh with the hlm-advancing sprocket 23 by means ofguide rollers as 24, 25 and 26. The 8l1ide'ro1lers/25 and 26 are carried by rockets 21 and 28 which, together with the rollers 25 and 26 carried thereby, are urged by springs 28 and 3B, respectively, in directions to force ythe sound film |9 intoproper engagement with the film-guiding f roller 24 and the film-advancing sprocket 23.'

of the present invention and is shown in the drawings, and has been referred to hereinbefore.

so that a typical environment and use of the preswall of the focusing lens housing 46 (Fig. 3).

' An electric exciter lamp 58 is arranged within the slidable sleeve or carrier 43. This exciter v Alamp is mounted in a socket 5| which, in turn,

ent invention, which will now be described, may

vention is concerned with a sound track selector device winch is associated with the light gate elcric cell 3i (Figs. l3 and 4) which'is arranged in a housing or casing 32, The photo-electric cell 3| is mounted in a socket 33 and the socket 33, in turn, is mounted in a bracket 34 which is attached to a vertically extending supporting wall 35, the wall 35 being, in turn, mounted upon the supporting base or pedestal at the front of the amplier unit l2 (Figs. 3 and 4). Thesocket or base 33 for the photo-electric cell is electrically connected, in a conventional way, by way of conductors 36 (Fig.'3) with the electro-audio amplifier unit l2.

4As shown in`Flgs. 3 and 4, the bottom wall of the housing 32 for the photo-electric cell 3| is provided with a light aperture `or slot 31. 'This lightV aperture or slot 31 is disposed in registry with a light aperture or slot 38 winch is formed in a curved lm-guiding shoe 39, and the filmguiding shoe 33, in turn, is stationarily fastened, as at S, Fig. 4, to and on the upper wall surface 40 of a generally cylindrical housing 4| which is stationarily mounted at its rear end upon the upl right supporting wall 35 (Figs. 3 and 5) A light aperture or slot 42 is formed in the upper wall 48 of the stationary housing 4|, and thisslot or light aperture 42 is disposed in registry with and below the light` aperture or slot 38 in the nlm-guiding shoe 39 (Figs. 3 and 4). n

A generally cylindrical sleeve or carrier 43 is slidablymounted in the housing 4| and the upper wall of this slidable sleeve 43 fs provdded with a boss 44lin which a socket 45 is provided. A housing or mounting 48 for a condenser lens unit 18 is mounted in the socket 45 and this housing 48= has a reduced upper endy portion "which is slidably guided inthe slot 42 in the upper wall. 48

of the housing..4|. The condenser lens unit 18 (Figs. 3 and 4) is arranged in the housing or mounting 48 but inasmuch as both the condenser -lens unit 18 and its-.housing 48 are of conven- `tional design a :detailed description thereof is l and the lightgate 20 includes a .stationary photois mounted upon the rear wall 52 of the slidable sleeve 43 (Fig. 5) and the socket 5| has an elec- The rear end portion of the housing 4| is provid; d with a pair of bosses 54 and formed in each `of these bosses 54 is a socket 55 (Fig. 5).` The apparatus thus far described forms no part A pair of guide lugs or pins 58 areattached to the rear wall52 of the slidable sleeve' or carrier '43 (Fig. 5) and each of these guide lugs 56 projects into and is slidably guidrd in one of the sockets 55. A coil spring 51 is arranged in each of the sockets 55 and these springs 51 normally urge the slidable sleeve or carrier 43 and the exciter lamp 50 and the condenser lens unit 18, and its housing 46-41 carried thereby outwardly, that is to say, from right to left as seen in Fig. 3, or from top to bottom as seen in Fig. 5.

The generally cylindrical housing' 4| includes a removable and flanged end closure Wall 58 which is detachably secured to the body of the housing 4l by suitablefastening elements such as the thumb screws 14 (Fig. 5).

The-closure wall 58 of the housing 4| has an outwardly projecting boss 89 formed thereon and provided in this boss 69 isa bearing opening 15 in which a rotary shaft 59 is journaled. A circular cam 80 is mounted upon the near end -portion of the rotary shaft 59, and rearwardly ofthe inner surface of the closure member or end wall 58 of the housing 4'|, as shown in Fig. 3. The cam has an inwardly projecting annular skirt (Figs. 3Y and 5) and the inner edge of this skirt .slots 1l) are formed in the boss 89 ofthe wall 58 (Figs. `3 and 6) and a socket 1| is formed in the rotaryv shaft 59. A latch element in the form of a latchball 12 is arranged in the socket 1| and this latch element or ball 12 is urged radially .outwardly in the socket .'ll, and into wiping en the socket 1| (Fig. 6).

(lil

A circular selector dial or cap 86 is mounted upon and xed to the rotary shaft 59, by means of a suitable fastening element, such as the bolt 18, and numerical -or other soundtrack selector inldicia, as 81, are provided upon the peripheral surface-of the yselector dial 88 (Fig. 5), to indicate deemed unnecessary. It will be understood, how'- "A pair of spaced finger grips orknobs are pro-` vided onthe selector "dial '68, each of these knobs being inthe Vform of a-screw having a knurled heads!) (Figs. 3 and 5).

The use and operation of the present invention are as follows: I'he springs 51 normally urge the sliding sleeve or carrier 43 in a direction (right to left.. Fig. .3) to dispose the head 63 of the bolt to bring the light slit 11 in tion 41 of the condenser lens housing- 46 into` other selected sound'. track in thesounddlm I9.v

sans@ Saeed with the spiral cam surface 8l of the rotary cam', and when the .stop arm .82.v of tliecam surface 6| is also engaged with the head, of the bolt 84, as in Fig. 3,. the light aperture or slit 11 in the upper endportion 41 of the condenser lens housing 46 is disposed in registrywith one of thesouter-s'ound tracks in the sound film I9 andfw sound track. In this arrangement of the parts the numerical indicium 1 on the rotary selector dial 68 is disposed in the position in which it is ,shown in Fig. 5, namely, at the top and center of the dial so as to indicate the particular sound track on the film whichhas been selected. The entire length of the sound lm IS/may then :be runthrough the light gate.20 in the projector vI9 so-as to reproduce thev selected sound track.

'io may beidentifled as the No. 1

During this operation light from the exciter lampv I9 passes through the condenser lens unit 18 and through the light aperture end portion" of the condenser lens housing 48, thence .through the upper end portion of the slot 4;, through the-light aperture or slot 38 in the` u film guide shoe 39, thence through the selected No. l sound track in the sound illm I9, and then through the slot 31 into the photo-electric cell 3l. In this manner the photo-electric cell is jenergized and translates' variations from the sound trackv into corresponding variations of electrical current in the photo-electric cell 3l.

Such electricalV current variations in the 'photof -electric cell 3l are thereupon passed, by way of the conductors 36, into the electro-audio amplifier unit l2 by which such variations in electrical energy in the\photoelectric cell 3| Vare reconvertedl or retranslated from electrical `energy or impulses into corresponding audio variations or Isoundswhich are amplified by the electro-audio amplifier. unit I2, inA a manner understood in the art.

After the selected No. v1 soundtrack on the'film has thus beenrun through the light gate' 29, and translated and reproduced,'the nlm I9 may bereversed and rewound, or merely reversed,'in a or slit 11 in the upper which is well manner andy by means well understood in the art, whereupon the slldable ,carrier sleeve 43 and the exciter lomp so and the condenserv lens housing-M and the condenser lens unit 18 carrled thereby may be shiftedin and relative to -the v sound Ifilm I9 andthe soundtracks therein so as the upper end porregis'try- 4with the No.1'2 or 'riiis is ccomplisiied Vby manually grasping one of the hand knobs 89 on theI selector dial 99 and rotating the selector glial 89, and-its supporting shaft 59, and fthe?. thereby a predetermined. v circumferential distance (counterclockwise,y 'as circular' cam 60 carried' seen'f-in'Fig. 5); During this operation. the head "I8 of the vbolt 94 rides over and down thespiral cam surface 6I on .gagement with the wider portion of the skirtof bolt 94 spiral cam surface 6I of the rotary cam 80, under (right to left,'Fig. 3), thereby moving the exciter lamp and the condenserlens housing 48--41 and the condenser lens unit 19 carried thereby relative to the light aperture or slot 42 and the sound ii1mI9.` This moves the light aperture or slit 11 in the upper end portion 41 ofthe condenser lens housing 46 into registry with the No.2 (or other selected) sound track on the sound lm I9..

shaft 59 and therotary earn Sli-8l carried thereby are thus rotated a predetermined circumferential distance suiilcient to move the light aperture or slit 11 in the condenser lens housing L41 into registry with the selected sound track tin the lm. I9 the spring 13 in the socket 1I c B3 on the bolt 94 will bedisposed in .engagement with `the narrowest portion of the skirt on the rotary cam 60 and the numeral 5 onthe selectr dial 66 will be disposed uppermost and centrally on the selector dial 66. However, rotary motion imparted to one of the knobs 6B and the selector dial 66 and cam 90 will force the latching detent or hall 12 out of latching engagement in one of the latch slots 10 whereupon the shaft 59, selector dial 68 and the rotary cam 69 may then be rotated in a direction to bring the widest portion of the cam surface 6I and the stop arm 62 into engagement with the head 62 of the bolt 94. This movement of the cam 69 acts, through the bolt Bt-tt, to move the sliding sleeve or carrier 43'and the exciter lamp 50 and the condenser lens housing B--M and the condenser lens unit 18 carried thereby back into their normal and initial position. as in Fig.-\3, and in which position the light aperture or slit 11 in the upper end' portion 41 of the condenser lens housing 68 is disposed in registry with the No. 1 sound track on the film I9.

The present invention thus provides a novel 'but simple and efficient selector device for use in conjunction with sound motion picture proiectors. coin-operated sound movie projectors and the rotary cam 90. out of enf the action of the springs 51, and the springs 51, c

,acting upon thelugs 58, urge the sliding sleeve or carrier andthe parts carried' thereby,

the like,'for easily and readily enabling any one,

v and-successively all, of ,the sound tracks in a sound nlm to be -picked up and translated ao reproduced into sound, and for maintaining the exciter lamp and condenser lens units 49--41--11--18I in proper registry with the selectedfsound track upon'the sound ims It-.will thus be seen that the present .invenftion accomplishes its intended objects and has the desirable advantages and characteristics including those which have' been speciically pointed out hereinbefore aswell as others which are 4inherent in the' invention.

, .Iclaimz i 1. A'sound nlm track selector device compris- Jinga supporting frame,l a photoelectric cell, stationarily` mounted upon said supporting frame, a housing enclosing said photoelectric cell and stationarily mounted on said'supporting frame, said photoelectric cell housingl including a. lower wall having an elcngatedlight slit formed therein, a

As the rotary selector dial 96 and the rotaryl second housing stationarily mounted upon' said supporting frame below said photoelectric' cell housing and including an upper wall having an elongated light slit formed therein in registry with but below the said elongated light slit in the said lower wall of said photoelectric cell housing, a nlm-guiding shoe mounted upon the said upper wall of said second named and stationary housing, and having an elongated light slit therein in registry with the said light slit in the said lower wall of said photoelectric cell housing and in registry with the said light slit in the said upper wall of thev said second named housing but between the said rst and second-mentioned light slits, a carrier slidably mountedl in the said second named housing for movement in a direction parallel to the long axes .or the said elongated `light slits, an exciter lamp mounted in the said second named housing and upon the said carrier for `slidable movement therewith, a part of the said lower wall of said photoelectric cell housing being spaced slightly above the said nlm-guiding shoe and above the said upper wall of the said second named housing and cooperating therewith to provide a film gate through which a multiple sound track iilm may be run in a direction transverse Arelative to the long axes of the said 4elongated light slitsfa condenser lens unit mounted upon acum sound track wm be selected and che latching means on the shaft will automatically .reg-

lster with and engage one of the latch receiving l openings within the hollow boss, thus iixing the in claim 1 in which the condenser lens unit includes a condenser lens housing having an upper the said carrier between the said registered light slits andthe said exciter lamp for directing a beam of light from the said exciter lamp through the said registered light slits and through a selected sound track of a sound lm run through the said lm gate, and means including a manually operable selector member affixed to a shaft and carrying therewith radially outwardly4 Dro- .lected latehing means rotatably mounted upon a wall ofthe said second namedhousing within a 'xed hollow boss which is provided with a series l of spaced radially disposed latch receiving openings adapted for registry with the said latching means for selectively sliding the said carrier and the 'said exciter lamp and the said condenser lens unit carried thereby within and relative to the end portion extending into and slidably guided in the said elongated light slit inthe said upper wall of the said second named and stationary housing. l,

3. A sound. film track selector device as defined in claim l in which the condenser lens unit includes a condenser lens housing' havingan upper end portion extending vinto and s'lidably guided in the said elongated light slit in the said upper wall of the said second named and stationary housing, and in which the said condenser lens housing has a light aperture formed therein in registry with the said light slit in the upper wall of the said second named and stationary housing and in registry with but below the said light slit in the said nlm-guiding shoe and the the said lower lwall of said stationary photoelec` tric cell housing to provide a wall defining one side of said film gate. l

5. Asound nlm track selector device *as defined in claim 1 in which apart of the lower wall of said stationary photoelectric cell housing rests upon a part of the upper wall of said secondnamed stationary housing, and in which a portion of the upper wall of said second-named and upon rotation ofthe shaft and the latching v -means carried thereby and the cam selector whicheffectsjmovement of the carrier, the parstationary housing 4cooperates with a. portion ot the said lower wall of said stationary photoelectric cell housing to provide a wall'dening one side of said lm gate, and in which thespacing of a part of the lower wall of said photoelectric cell housing from the upper Wall of said -second-'named and stationary housing provides:I an open throat through which a soundfllm may be moved laterally into and out of said illm gate.

' JOSEPH J. RAUSCH.

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