US2488955A

US2488955A - Device for forming and projecting composite images

Info

Publication number: US2488955A
Application number: US617341A
Authority: US
Inventors: William W Wood
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1945-09-19
Filing date: 1945-09-19
Publication date: 1949-11-22
Anticipated expiration: 1966-11-22

Description

Nov. 22, 1949 w. w. WOOD 2,488,955

DEVICE FOR FORMING AND PROJECTING COMPOSITE IMAGES Filed Sept. 19, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR.

W/LL/AM W WOOD BY WM riug Nov. 22, 1949 w. w. WOOD 2,488,955

DEVICE FOR FORMING AND PROJECTING COMPOSITE IMAGES Filed Sept. 19, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. WILL/14M W. WOOD ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 22, 1949 DEVICE FOR FORMING AND PROJECTING COMPOSITE. DIAGES William W. Wood, Washington, D. 0. Application September 19, 1945, Serial No. 617,341

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a device for forming composite images, and more particularly to a device whereby engineers, architects, and others may assemble composite images for devices and structures of all kinds, especially rooms where the details are subject to pre-selection and rearrangement by the buyer or builder.

An object of the invention is to provide a device whereby an architect, for example, may show to a client the outline of a room and place in the plan of the room various windows, doors, floor coverings of difierent colors, et cetera, until the client has made a selection, whereupon numbers associated with the various individual images in the device can be read off to indicate how the complete composite image is assembled.

Other objects will be apparent from the following specification where, by way of illustration, the device is shown as applied to assembling composite images of rooms. Obviously, however, the device could be used to assemble composite images of a machine or an object of any other character and description. The invention is therefore not limited to the specific use herein disclosed, which is merely illustrative.

Experience has shown that architects can effect substantial savings for their clients if they can show the client in advance of actually preparing floor plans just what comprises the details. In a room for example the client often desires to see how a certain type of window would look, how a door should be located, or how the complete room would look withwalls and ceiling of one color and the floor of another. By present methods, this entails a great deal of drawing and many sketches, often in color, and many changes occur as the consultation proceeds; much work must be done which is ultimately discarded and for which the client or the architect must pay. The result is that in planning many rooms details are ig-- nored, as the prospective builder cannot afford an architect's services or that of an interior decorator. Accordingly, the design is often selected from ready made designs, with unsatisfactory results.

The present invention eliminates this difliculty as it provides the architect with a device by which he can quickly show the buyer just what a room will look like and make a wide variety of changes in order to meet the buyer's requirements without any drawing and at very little expense. When the final design is selected an enlargement can be made of the composite image hereinafter described and this enlargement can be made to scale so that by the use of this device a great deal of drawing is eliminated in of the final design.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the base of the device with parts broken away to show the construction;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, but looking at the front of the device, and partly in section on the line 2-2, Figure 3;

Figure 3 is a sectional view through the line 33 of Figure 2; and I Figure 4 is a diagrammatic as applied to a projector.

Referring to Figure 1, the numeral I0 denotes a back plate forming a support and made of any suitable material. If made of metal or opaque material the plate has an opening ll therein adapted to frame images displayed therein. If the plate is of transparent material, this opening is merely a frame defined in any suitable manner thereon, and it will be understood that the word opening is used in this specification and claims in this sense and describes an area of the surfaces l 0 and 26.

The plate or support I0 has riveted or otherwise secured therein the hollow shaft l2 upon which is supported a plurality of transparent discs l3, l4, l5. Any suitable number of discs can be used.

Each disc carries thereon a plurality if images or indicia such as those indicated on disc I5 at l6, ll, [8, IQ of various parts of a building. The example given is that of windows. Disc It may have side walls and ceilings such as shown at 2|], 2|, 22, 23. Disc 13 may have floors such as shown at 24. Another disc (not shown) may have doors such as shown at 25. Obviously other discs could be added having furniture, fixtures or any other parts or equipment for a room, building or any object.

The discs may be of suflicient size to accommodate as many images on each disc .as desired.

The images can be put on the discs in any manner such as by printing, or photography and can be colored if desired.

The images on all the discs are so related to the axes thereof that these images can be superposed to form a single composite image when the discs are revolved to bring the desired images thereon into registry within the opening I I so as .to be framed therein.

By revolving any disc While the others are held stationary, changes can be effected in the composite image. For example, the window I! can be substituted for the window IS in Figures 1 and connection with prints view of the device 2 by rotating disc I5 clockwise until H is in proper registry in the composite view at l i.

It will now be seen that by moving the discs 9. wide variety of combinations can be produced. This is of particular advantage when images are colored, as various color combinations of floor. walls, and ceiling can be tried out, various door and window arrangements tried out, all with a minimum of eflort, no accurate fitting of the various images being necessary.

Means for clamping the discs in any desired position is provided by the plate 26 which has a tongue 26 extending into an opening in stem l2. whereby this disc is positioned with its frame opening 21 aligned with and overlying opening II in the plate I, plates l and 28 together with shaft l2 forming a framework or support for the revolvable discs [3 to Hi, inclusive, lying therebetween.

A washer 28 and clamp nut 29 are provided, the nut engaging the threaded outer end of shaft (2 as best seen in Figure 3. When the nut is loose the discs l3 to l5 inclusive may be adjusted. and when so adjusted may be clamped in position by tightening nut 29.

Means for moving each disc is provided by perforating the freely extending edge thereof as indicated at 30, or notching the same as indicated at 3|. By inserting a pencil or any suitable object in these holes or notches, each disc can be moved independently of the others. The nut 29 can be loosened when moving the discs which readily slide on each other.

Means for indicating the relative positions of the discs is provided by placing a mark, such as the arrow 32, on the plate 26, and numbers as shown at 33 on the edges of the discs as shown in Figure 2. In that figure the numbers 632 appear below the arrow 33 thus indicating that the sixth image on disc IS, the third image on disc I4 and the second image on disc l3 are combined to form the composite image in the opening 21. If instead of the window image IS on disc I5, image I1 thereon was used, then the figures below arrow 32 would read 2, 3, 2. Thus, for each image on a disc, there is a corresponding number or other indicia on the free edge of the disc, so that any set-up having been selected, it is only necessary to note the numbers below arrow 32 in order to reassemble the images to duplicate the original set-up or composite image.

As the openings ll, 21 are aligned, the device can be held between the user and the light to readily view the composite images in these openings. The openings can be of any convenient size to tak Kodachrome pictures of standard size, or microfilm, and if the latter are of the proper sizes, these may be viewed directly or a magnifier can be used.

In some instances it is desirable to project the composite image, and this may be accomplished as shown in Figure 4 where the numeral 34 denotes the framework of a suitable projector having the usual lens system including the projection lens 35. The plate It has an extension 36 thereon adapted to engage a portion 34 of the framework 34 and is clamped thereto by clamp screw 31. The openings H, 21 are aligned with the optical path of the projector and the composite images lie in the focal plane of the back focus of lens 35. These images may now be projected to screen 38 in the usual way, and by adjusting discs [3 to l5, inclusive, the projected image can be readily changed.

The instant invention may be used to advantage in connection with making plans for structures in accordance with the method disclosed in the copending application Serial Number 604,847, filed July 13, 1945, abandoned June 30, 1948, and entitled Planning methods. In the said application there is disclosed a projector employing a plurality of films which are used to assemble a composite image. The instant invention can be used instead of said plurality of films to form the composite image to be projected as disclosed in said copending application.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device of the character described, a plate having an opening therein, a plurality of transparent members rotatably carried on said plate and having their axes in the center of said plate and having indicia thereon adapted to be framed in said opening, each of said members being independently movable to bring any indicia thereon into registry with indicia on any other member and said opening, whereby the composite image formed by all said indicia appearing in said opening can be viewed therein, all said members being in frictional surface contact with each other.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 including means for clamping said members to said plate.

3. In a device of the character described, a circular plate having an opening therein, a plurality of transparent disc-like members revolvably mounted on said plate, each of said members having indicia thereon adapted to be brought into cooperative relationship with indicia on at least one other of said members, said indicia in such cooperative relationship being visible through said opening, said members being of increasingly less diameter so that there is a freely projecting peripheral edge on each of said members adjacent the periphery of said plate, and indicia on the peripheral edges of said members adapted to indicate the relation position of same in reference to said plate.

4. The device as claimed in claim 3 including a cover plate overlyin said disc-like members and having an opening therein adapted to register with said first opening, and means for clamping said plates together with said disc-like members therebetween.

5. In combination, a projector having a projection lens, a support having an opening therein adapted to be positioned in the optical path of said projector whereby images in said opening may be projected, a plurality of transparent members rotatably carried on said support pivoted to the center thereof, each of said members having a plurality of images thereon and each of said members being independently rotatable in respect to said support, means for rotating said members to bring the images thereon into registry with each other, the composite image produced thereby being framed in the opening in said support, and means including a knob for clamping said members together whereby said members closely overlie each other and are in surface contact to form said composite image at approximately the back focus of the projection lens of said projector to be projected thereby.

6. In combination, a projector havin a projection lens, a support having an opening therein adapted to be positioned in the optical path of said projector whereby images in said opening may be projected, a plurality of transparent circular plates rotatably mounted on said plate and having common axes extending through said 2,4ee,au

plate, each of said plates having a plurality 01' images thereon, means including a knob projecting from said plate for rotating said plates to superpose any of the images thereon within said opening in said support and thereby form a composite image in the focal plane of the back focus of the lens of said projector to be projected thereby, said plates being in frictional surface contact with each other.

'7. The combination as claimed in claim 6 including means for clamping said plates in any desired relative position to maintain said superposed image in the opening in said support.

WILLIAM W. WOOD.

6 nmnmcns crrm The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PA'I'ENTS Kroner Aug. 6, 1940