US1480265A - Film lettering and titling device - Google Patents

Description

Jan. 8 1924.

H. H. HOOD FILM LETTERING AND TITL ING DEVICE Filed Aug. 51 1922 IN VENT'O'E:

HARRISON H.

Hoop,

Patented Jan. 8, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRISON H. HOOD, 0]? LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR T0 THIMMEWAY TITLES, INCL, OF HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA.

FILM LETTERING AND TITLING DEVICE.

Application filed August 81, 1922. Serial No. 585,471.

To all wit-0m it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRISON H. H001), a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county. of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Film Lettering and Titling Device, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for holding and arranging lettering and identifying matter to be photographed in conjunction with moving picture films and other similar matter.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a device by which thin films can be used in arranging lettering, identification marks, titles, inscriptions, and other similar matter, so that the arranged and assembled matter may be photographed to be used in connection with the picture films.

Another object is to provide a device by which thin films can be used in exchangeably holding and arranging lettering, identification marks, titles, and inscriptions for moving pictures and similar purposes.

Another object is to securely hold individual characters to be exchangeably arranged and held in lettering, identifications, titles, inscriptions, and other similar indications for moving picture films and other similar matter.

Another object is to securely hold and protect individual characters produced on thin films to be exchangeably held and arranged for lettering, identifications, titles, inscriptions, and other similar indications, for moving pictures. and other similar articles.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a perspective illustration of a holding member for individual and detail characters.

Fig. 2 is the holding member of Fig. 1, as it appears when first cut in form of a blank.

Fig. 3 is a eneral horizontal section through the hol ing member of Fig. 1, on approximately the ine 3-3 of Fig. 1, having a film and a protecting body plate behind the film inserted in the holding member.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of an assembly of character-holding members arranged in a base or framework, to show the assembled characters in a desired form of lettering, identification, title, or inscription, this illustration being in a smaller scale than the other illustrations.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view of the holding member, on a similar plane as the illustration of Fig. 3, illustrating a slightly modified form of engagin edge;

Fig. 6 is another slightly modified form of engaging edge.

Fig. 7 is still another slightly modified form of engaging edge.

Fig. 8 is another slightly modified form of engaging edge.

A continuous operation of moving picture machines being most practical and desirable, it has become customar to insert at suitable points of the whole hn a suitable number of feet of title, identification, or other desirable inscription. Such title or inscription is therefore photographed in a similar manner as the pictures or other matter of the film. On the other hand, it is very desirable to have the same type of writing, lettering, or indications throughout the whole of one and the same film. Producers, and people interested in the display of moving pictures, furthermore, show preference in the hand-writing or lettering of certain artists.

However, on finishing a moving picture film, it is very often impossible to obtain the necessary lettering for all the titles, inscriptions, and other matter from certain artists in the time allowed for such work.

With devices made according to this invention, a master sheet of the hand-writing of any artist, or characters, or any identification marks, or any other desired matter to be shown in connection with such pictures, can be photographed, and the individual or desired characters can be cut out from such thin films and securely held in these devices, to be used individually or arranged in desired groups. Such assembled groups can then again be photographed in the usual form of moving picture films, to be inserted into the whole film of a complete moving picture.

In Fig. 4 is, for instance, a practical arrangment for grouping and holding a group of characters, to eventually serve in titling of the character-holding members may hold a single letter, or a group of characters usually appearing together.

The holding member illustrated in Fig. 1 is preferably made of sheet metal, stamped in blanks of the form illustrated in Fig. 2.

The central portion 12 is provided with an aperture 13, to leave the transparent portion of an inserted film unobstructed. The aperture 13 is of a size and shape large enough to make the holder applicable for various characters. For instance, large letters or characters like the letters W and M may easily be inserted in a certain size of holder;

while other characters or letters like E, R, U, and others may easily be inserted in holders of narrower size; and characters as narrow as the letter I may easily be inserted in especially narrow holders. This principle is illustrated in Fig. 4 by the holding members indicated at 10.

Projecting and extending laterally from the central portion 12, several flaps are provided, as indicated at 14, 15, 16 and 17. These. flaps are bent in relation to the'central portion 12, to form, in its completed shape, a box-like member, into which character-displaying bodies can be placed. One of the fiaps is preferably left unbent until the character-displaying bodies are placed in the receptacle. In Fig. 1, the flap 14 is illustrated still unbent in relation to the center portion 12.

A film is normally rather thin, and easily breakable. A handling of characters, produced on films, unprotected by other bodies, plates or members, is therefore not very practical or advisable. The exposed side of a film is furthermore very sensitive, and liable to be marred or damaged by a mere touching with other objects.

With a holding device as disclosed hereby, a film 22 is placed with its exposed side 23 towards the inside, and a protecting plate or body 24 is placed against the exposed side of the film, as illustrated in Fig. 3. The illustration of Fig. 3, and in fact all illustrations, may be said to be out of scale. A film is very much thinner than indicated at 22, and a protecting body, as indicated at 24, does not have to be much thicker than one sixteenth of an inch, or perhaps even less, as long as the material of the protecting plate is strong enough to protect the flexible film. The edges of the protecting plate or body are preferably shaped so that the adjoining plates engage or interlock one another, the edge 25 being of enace and any other similar identification mark,

commonly used in connection with moving pictures. The whole assembled set, securely contained in such a holding member or receptacle, can easily be arranged on a base 11 and between bars 9, as illustrated in Fig. 4, to be'photographed in a suitable manner for moving pictures as described above.

Any kind of film can be used in such holding members, since fully protected in the member. The exposed side of the film, in-

dicated at 23 in Fig. 3, is on the inside protected by the protecting block 24, but even the smooth side of the film is protected, since back of the front face 27 of the holding member.

The films are normally transparent to clearly display the characters when a light is placed or arranged behind the films. The protecting bodies are also preferably of suitable transparent material. The diffusing back 11 is used to equalize the illuminating effect through the arranged and assembled characters in Fig. 4, since plain lights disposed behind such arrangement without such diffusing back would naturally produce spotted illuminating effect.

The bars 9 are normally of the same shading as the surrounding back around the characters, so that the characters alone stand out in the final film.

The edges of the receptacles are provided with the engaging edges to avoid any refiection through adjoining receptacles when arranged as illustrated in Fig. 4.

In Figs. 5, 6, 7 and 8, slightly modified forms of engaging-edges for the receptacles are illustrated. In Fig. 5., an extension flap 28 is illustrated to extend over the back of the protecting body, inserted in such receptacle. In Fig. 6, the engaging edge 29 is evenly rounded, instead of being cornered as illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 3 and 5. In Fig. 7, only the central portion 30 of the one side fiap 31 is formed for engagement with another cooperating flap. The central portion 32 of the flap 33 in the slightly modified form illustrated in Fig. 8 is rounded. From the above, it will be understood that the engaging edge of the holding member can be modified to quite an extent without departing from the principle of the invention.

claim: I

1. In a device of the class described, a film having detail characters impressed thereon disposed in a protecting holding member adapted to be arranged in a combination of holding members to be photographed for lettering, identifications, titles, and inscriptions of moving pictures.

2. In a device of the class described, a character holding member having means for firmly closing the space between adjoining ing means for arranging adjoining films so as to display the transparent characters within a solid opaque back-ground and having means for transmittin light through the holding member and tfirough the film in the holding member, and a protecting member for protecting the exposed face of the film securely in the holding member.

5 In a device of the class described, a

4 diffusing basei) character-holding members;

means on the ase for supportin the holding members adjustably and exc angeably;

Having thus described my invention, I

a film, diiplaying detail characters, disposed in each 0 tectin member in each of the holding members or securely holding the films in the holding members.

6. In a devicerof the class described, a film being exposed to display detail characters, a holding member to support the film, a protectin member having means to securely hol the film within the holding vmember, and a base member to exchangeably and adjustably support a required number of holding members to form a group adapted to be photographed into lettering, identification marks, titles, and inscriptions for moving pictures.

7. In a device of the class described, a holding member having an apertured central portion and having flaps around the edges adapted to be bent for securely engaging inserted matter in suitable relation to the aperture in the central portion.

8. In a device of the class described, a

the holding members; and a proholding member stamped of sheet metal having an apertured central portion and having flaps around the edges adapted to be bent for securely engaging and holding inserted matter in suitable relation to the aperture so as not to affect the transparency of the inserted matter.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention'I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribin witnesses.

HARRISON ii. HOOD.

Witnesses: 7

O. H. KRUEGER, J ESSIE A. MANooK.

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