US3405616A

US3405616A - Photographic composing machine

Info

Publication number: US3405616A
Application number: US415687A
Authority: US
Inventors: Plooij Edward Bernard
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 1963-12-05
Filing date: 1964-12-03
Publication date: 1968-10-15
Anticipated expiration: 1985-10-15
Also published as: NL147364B

Description

Oct. 15, 1968 E. B. PLOOIJ 3,405,616

PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 3, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Oct. 15, 1968 E. B. PLOOIJ PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSING MACHINE Filed Dec. 5, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 II lnl H II II INVENTOR D A'FD 5. JP;

wrfi u ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,405,616- PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSING .MACHINE Edward Bernard Plooij, Willem III Straat 16,

. Zevenbergen, Netherlands Filed Dec. 3, 1964, Ser. No. 415,687 Claims priority, application Netherlands, Dec. 5, 1963,

-3 Claims. (CI. 95-45 I, This invention relates to, a photographic composing machine witha number of type carriers, alight source for lighting each type carrier, alight sensitive film, on which the types have to be projected and means for allow: ing the light rays from any chosen type to move to said It is possible to give such a composing machine a stationary optical system and stationary type carriers, so that it is possible to compose rapidly and to avoid vibrations due to movements of the optical system or of the type carriers. A difficulty in such machines is that any type should be projected clearly in the same plane of the film. This has been solved in a known prior composing machine of the above given kind by having a separate lens for each type.

f It is an object of this invention to obtain a more simple and less expensive composing machine of the given kind.

The invention will now be described further with reference to the attached drawings. In said drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a view from above with parts broken away of a photooomposing machine according to this invention in a preferred embodiment.

,FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-section through said machine.

FIGURE 3 is a diagram of the electric system.

FIGURE 4 is a side view of such a composing machine with part of the side wall broken away and in a somewhat different embodiment with respect to FIGURES 1 and 2.

FIGURE 5 is in vertical section diagrammatically another possibility of embodiment of the machine according to FIGURES 1 and 2. I I

FIGURE 6 gives in plan view diagrammatically the same change in the machine as given in FIGURE 5.

I The machine of FIGURES 1 and 2 has a casing 1, comprising a rigid carrying casing'part with a bottom 2 with feet 3; an uprising front wall 4,

intermediate walls

7 and 8 and side walls 9 and 10. An upper Wall 6 is rigidly connected to a back wall 5 and to parts of side walls and these parts together are connected at 11 pivotally to the bottom 2, so that this upper wall with connected parts may be lifted as a pivoting cover for inspection and repairs. In front of the stationary bottom part 2 there is a bottom part 12, also provided with feet 3 and'rigidly secured to a front wall part 13 and to adjacent parts of the side walls. These parts together are pivotally connected with the stationary bottom 2 at 14, so that when the machine is turned over these parts may be opened as a cover, also for inspection and repairs.

In the front upper part of the machine there is a keyboard 15 with'keys 16.

In the back part of the apparatus there is a space 17 for the electrical equipment.

Behind the keyboard 15 there is, guided by the intermediate wall 7, a type carrier body 18 with a number of small flash lamps'19 therein and provided with a number of' types before the lamps, i.e. to the right of the lamps as seen in FIGURES 1 and 2. In this case it is assumed that the types are openings in a non-transparent front layer. The type carrier itself is also of non-transparent material, so that one lamp, if lighted, will not give rays through another type opening. Only a small number of lamps and types are shown because othrewise the draw- 3,405,616 Patented Oct. 15,1968

ing would become unclear, but it will beunderstood that there are usually as many of them as there are keys 16, The lamps and types could be made so small that a'sufiicient number of them can be positioned side by side if the machine'has sufficient dimensions.

At some distance from this type carrier there is a lens 21, attached to the lower side of the intermediary wall 7. The lamps 19 and the-lens 21 are in an inclined position, the optical axis of the lens 21 being indicated in FIGURE 2 by 22. Opposite each type at 20, to the opposite side of the lens 21, is a vertical mirror 23, each mirror reflecting rays falling thereon back and downwardly as shown in FIGURE2 to the exposed part of a film 24. The film 24 in known mannerhas perforations, sothat it can be conveyed -by a wheel 25 with teeth engaging in said perforations. The'mirrors 23 are arranged in a block with nontransparent parts to the sides thereof as shown. The film not only passes over the driving r0ller'25, but also along a guide roller 26 and over

reels

27 and 28, said reels being driven and coupled in known way through a slip-clutch and a slipping elastic string or the like29, so that the

reels

27 and 28 always tend to move the film in a certain direction, the toothed wheel 25 determining, however, whether the film indeed moves and over what steps.

The roller 25 is fixed on a shaft extending vertically through the intermediate wall 8 and having an arresting wheel 30 with arresting means 31 engaging in indentations therein, so that, if the roller 25 is not driven, it is exactly kept stationary in predetermined positions.

The shaft of the roller 25 moreover has a wheel 32, having ratchet teeth at its outer periphery, there being shown two pawls 33 moved to and fro in known manner by the armatures of solenoids 34. The pawls 33 if moved are moved through mutually different paths, so that for different types the film can move over different distances. There are as many pawls 33 with solenoids 34 as there are possible different steps for the film transport.

Above the intermediate wall 7 in the cover, formed by the top wall 6, there is a counter 35 for counting the number of steps of movement of the film and. for if desired giving a mark on the film after a predetermined number of steps. This counter could be driven by a switch 36 shown in FIGURE 1 as being closed when a ratchet tooth of the wheel 32passes it. f

The type carrier 18 is secured to columns 37.

If a lamp 19 is lighted the concerning type 20 is projected so that the light rays from the lamp give an image of the concerning type 20 on the film 24 in a position immediately below the lens 21. To this end the rays of this type are projected by the lens 21 onto the corresponding mirror 23 and reflected thereby towards the film 24 right below the lens. To ensure that all the types exactly give a clear image on the film the vertical mirrors 23 are positioned in such a way that their horizontal sections are perpendicular to the central ray falling thereon and are all pointing towards the point A being on the central mirror in the optical axis of the lens 21. This is so because care has been taken that all the types are positioned so and that the lens 21 is made so that images of the types, if there were no vertical mirrors 23, are all on the periphery of a circuit, which has been shown in dot and dash lines and indicated by 38 in FIGURE 1. The point A is the midpoint of this circuit and so all the mirrors are halfway between the lens 21 and the point where the central ray for each mirror 23 intersects the circuit 38. The path of the rays from the mirror 23 to the film 24 is of the same length as it would be if there were no mirrors 23 and an image was formed on the periphery of the circle The electrical device will now be explained with reference to FIGURE 3.

In FIGURE 3 accents have been used to indicate the several parts, so that the upper key is named 16', the next key 16" etc. up to 16 the switches and relays belonging to a certain key having the same accents behind their numerals as the key to which they belong. This makes it easy to read this drawing and to check which parts are operated by depression of a certain key.

A suitable source of electric current, whether direct or alternating current, is connected with one pole to a number of electric lines 41, one for each key 16, these lines being mutually connected by. line 42 so that electric current passing through one of the lines 41 is, allowed to pass through line 42 to line 43 and from there. to the other pole of the electric energy source. A line '44 is also connected to both poles of such a. source. Each'key 16 when depressed operates a switch 46 to close the line 41 and in each-line41 there is a relay 47, combined with the usual-means not shown to operate immediately upon closing of the switch 46 but to fall off with a predetermined time lag after the closing of contact 46, independent of whether. this contact is kept closed during a longer or a shorter period.

Each relay 47 cooperates with

switches

48, 49 and 50. The

switches

48 and 49 are for each type taken up in parallel lines both in contact at both ends with the mentioned source of electric energy. In the line of switch 48 there is a flash lamp 19 as described with reference to FIGURES 1 and 2. In the line of switch 49 there is a relay 51 operating

switches

52 and 53.

The mentioned switches 50 in line 44 are connected in series. They are closed when relays 47 are not energized. The switches 52 are in parallel arrangement and are opened when the relays 51 are not energized. The switches 53 are in series connection and are closed when the relay 51 is not energized.

The device 45in line 44 operates one of the solenoids 34 for transporting the film or is itself such a solenoid. If this device 45 is energized it moves the film over a predetermined distance through the pawl 33. When the device 45 is energized it opens a switch 54 in line 43. In the relays 51 there is also a usual time lag device determining the retarded moment on which these relays will fall off after the beginning of energization thereof, as is generally known to the expert.

As stated there could be two or more solenoids 34, each transporting the film over different lengths of path. All keys giving the same escapement path are provided with a common electric system as shown in FIGURE 3, so that there could be two or more of such systems, one for each solenoid 34, if desired mutually combined in that each system has a switch in line 43 of the other systems and possibly also in line 44 thereof, in series connection with the switches shown in said lines in FIGURE 3, to prevent for all the keys the lighting of the lamp when the film is being transported or when another lamp is also lighted.

The operation of the device of FIGURE 3 is as follows: as soon as a key 16 is depressed so that its switch 46 is closed electric current flows through the concerning line 41, through line 42 and through line 43. Thus the concerning relay 47 is energized, this relay thus closing the cooperating switches 48 and 49 and opening switch 50. The closing of switch 48 gives a flash of the concerning lamp 19, this flash lasting a predetermined period in which relay 47 remains energized independent upon the question whether the switch 46 is closed during a shorter or longer period. As meanwhile the concerning switch 50 is opened by relay 47 it is impossible to transport the film by the device 45, which is only possible if a current passes through this device and through line 44. As contact 49 is closed the concerning relay 51 is energized and thus switch 53 is opened and switch 52 is closed. It is thus impossible by depressing another key 46 to project a second type on the film, which would require at least during a short moment a flow of electric energy through the concerning line 41 and the lines 42 and 43, and as long as the lamp 19 is lightedthe concerning switch 50 is opened, so that it is impossible to transport the film. Thus the film remains stationary during the projection. As soon as relay 47 falls oif switch 48 is opened, so that the concerning lamp 19 isno more lighted,f"s'witch 49 is opened, but relay 51' remainsenergized during a short period by its time lag circuit, the concerning switch 50 closes again and because relay 51 keeps one of the switches 52 closed during a short period'a current now flows through line 44 and device 45 so that the film is transported. As soon as the energization of device 45 begins switch 54 is opened, so that it is impossible in this stage to light one of the lamps by depressing one of the keys 16. Shortly thereafter the concerning relay 51 fall s olf, so that the concerning'switch 52 is opened, the film transport is stopped and switch 54 is closed again, so'that it is now possible to depress the next key and project another type on the film. It will be clear that the entire process may take place in only a very small part of a second, such timelag being usual and known to the expert;

FIGURE 4 gives the machine of FIGURES l and 2 as seen from the side with part of the side wall broken away showing the parts of the machine which are different from those in FIGURES 1 and 2. In this embodiment the type carrier 18 has lamps 19 positioned horizontally, the types 20 being present in a thin vertical part. The lens 21 has a horizontal optical axis and there is a prism 56 having reflecting

surfaces

57 and 58 at an angle of 45 to a hori-. zontal plane and at a mutual angle of The paths of the light rays 22 are clearly shown in FIGURE 4 and they do not move along inclined paths with respect to a horizontal plane as in FIGURES l and 2, but horizontally and vertically as shown. The prisms 56 could be replaced by two mirrows with air inbetween, said mirrors extending along the

planes

57 and 58. For each type or set of types one above the other there is a separate prism or set of mirrors, replacing the mirrors 23 of FIGURES 1 and.2 as will be clear.

FIGURES 5 and 6 show another embodiment, showing' diagrammatically only the essential parts determining the path of the light. The machine could for the rest be the same as that of FIGURES l, 2 and 3 and thus has not been shown here in detail. The type carrier 18 is inclined again, and instead of the lens 21 there is a hollow spherical mirror 59 with the center of its curvature being the point B. There are vertical mirrors 23- as in FIGURES 1 and 2 and the film is in part shown in FIGURE 5, this film with its surface, on which the types are projected, being exactly below the point B, the center of the hollow mirror 59.

Also in this embodiment the vertical mirrors 23 are in planes passing through point A, the center of circle 38 (FIG. 1), on which the images of the types would be if there were no mirrors 23. Thusit is not necessary to apply a lens for each type.

Of course the machine could be combined with known punch tape or punch card registration and/or operation known in type writing machine.

The light rays neednot necessarily be visible rays, but they could be rays of ultraviolet or infrared light.

The film, instead of being positioned in the zones given in the drawings below the lens or the center of, the spherical mirror could if desired be moved to amore preferred position, if only suitable means such as a further mirror or a fluorescent screen transmit the light to the film, but if there are no such additional means the film should exactly be in the position shown.

The position of the types 20 will depend upon struc: tural considerations and on the shape and characteristics of the lens 21 or the curvature of the spherical mirror 59.

What I claim is:

1. A photographic composing machine comprising a Set of type carriers, light means associated with said type carriers for lighting each type carrier, means energizing said light means to transmit light rays forward- 1y from any selected type carrier, a substantially spherical mirror common to all types of the set of type carriers positioned forwardly of said type carriers for receiving the light rays from any selected type carrier, a plane mirror for each type carrier positioned rearwardly of said type carriers for receiving the light rays from the corresponding type carrier projected rearwardly from said spherical mirror, a light sensitive film positioned forwardly of said plane mirrors for receiving projected light rays from said plane mirrors, said type carriers and said spherical mirror being positioned so that the images of the types made by the spherical mirror would lie on a circle through the exposed part of the film if the plane mirrors were absent, each plane mirror being perpendicular to and midway of a chord of said circle, said chord extending from the exposed part of said film to the image on said circle of the corresponding type formed if the plane mirrors were absent.

2. A photographic composing machine in accordance with claim 1, wherein the type carriers, the sphere center of the spherical mirror and the plane mirrors are positioned at a distance from the plane of the said circle.

3. A photographic composing machine in accordance with claim 1, characterized in that the type carriers, the sphere center of the spherical mirror and the plane mirrors are positioned at a distance from the plane of the said circle, the plane mirrors including two reflecting surfaces at an angle to one another reflecting the light rays twice to bridge the distance between the type carriers and the plane of the said circle.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,180,417 11/1939 Huebner --4.5 2,600,168 6/1952 Klyce 954.5 2,663,232 12/ 1953 Drillick 95-4-5 2,764,071 9/ 1956 Huebner 95-45 2,900,884 8/ 1959 Coleman 95-4.5 3,003,406 10/1961 Sachs 95-4.5

JOHN M. HORAM, Primary Examiner.

Claims

1. A PHOTOGRAPHIC COMPOSING MACHINE COMPRISING A SET OF TYPE CARRIERS, LIGHT MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH SAID TYPE CARRIERS FOR LIGHTING EACH TYPE CARRIER, MEANS ENERGIZING SAID LIGHT MEANS TO TRANSMIT LIGHT RAYS FORWARDLY FROM ANY SELECTED TYPE CARRIER, A SUBSTANTIALLY SPHERICAL MIRROR COMMON TO ALL TYPES OF THE SET OF TYPE CARRIERS POSITIONED FORWARDLY OF SAID TYPE CARRIERS FOR RECEIVING THE LIGHT RAYS FROM ANY SELECTED TYPE CARRIER, A PLANE MIRROR FOR EACH TYPE CARRIER POSITIONED REARWARDLY OF SAID TYPE CARRIERS FOR RECEIVING THE LIGHT RAYS FROM THE CORRESPONDING TYPE CARRIER PROJECTED REARWARDLY FROM SAID SPHERICAL MIRROR, A LIGHT SENSITIVE FILM POSITIONED FORWARDLY OF SAID PLANE MIRRORS, SAID TYPE CARRIERS LIGHT RAYS FROM SAID PLANE MIRRORS, SAID TYPE CARRIERS AND SAID SPHERICAL MIRROR BEING POSITIONED SO THAT THE IMAGES OF THE TYPES MADE BY THE SPERICAL MIRROR WOULD LIE ON A CIRCLE THROUGH THE EXPOSED PART OF THE FILM IF THE PLANE MIRRORS WERE ABSENT, EACH PLANE MIRROR BEING PERPENDICULAR TO AND MIDWAY OF A CHORD OF SAID CIRCLE, SAID CHORD EXTENDING FROM THE EXPOSED PART OF SAID FILM TO THE IMAGE ON SAID CIRCLE OF THE CORRESPONDING TYPE FORMED IF THE PLANE MIRRORS WERE ABSENT.