US1400760A - Safety device for moving-picture machines - Google Patents

Description

C. F. MEHL, H. B. LIEBLER, J. NALL AND E. J. NOB,BE.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR MOVING fICTURE MACHINES.

APPLlCATlON FILED JUNE 18. I919.

Patented Dec. 20, 1921.

INVENTOFS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. NEED HENRY B. LIEBLER, JABEZ NALL, AND EDWARD J. NOBBE, 0F

' CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SAFETY DEVICE FOR MOVING-PICTURE MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented De 20 1921 Application filed June 18, 1919. Serial No. 305,203.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we. CHARLES F. MEHL. HENRY B. LIEBLER, Jannz NALL, and EDWARD J. NOBBE. all citizens of the United States of America, residing at Cleveland. in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio. have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Safety Devices for Moving-Picture Ma chines; and we do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention. such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it pertains to make and use the same.

Our invention relates to improvements in motion picture machines and especially to a safety device whereby the ignition of the film is prevented in cases of the film breaking or becoming slack.

The objectiof the invent-ion is to provide a" device of this character whereby when the film breaks transversely or splits longitudinally the light from the condensing lens will be immediately shut off, thereby preventing the film from being ignited owing to it'remaining stationary in front of the lens.

Further object of our invention is to provide a device of this character which will be absolutely automatic in operation and instantaneous in action.

Our invention also consists in certain features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter described in the specification, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

e are aware that a number of devices have been made for accomplishing the same purpose as our device and particularly a certain device which employs a single pivoted roller adapted to restagainst the film and arranged to fall in case the film breaks completely crosswise. Through our experimenting and observation we have learned that the instances in which the film breaks entirely crosswise are comparatively rare and that most cases of trouble result from the film breaking at one side and then splitting lengthwise. Now in case a single roller is em ployed the portion of the film which is intact will support the roller and thereby prevent the other mechanism from operation, while the torn end or side of the film will pile up in front of the lens and become ignited. By our invention we provide a split roller or in other words we provide two rollers arranged in line with each other when resting against the film, but capable of independent movement, in case a portion of the film under either roller becomes split or broken. In whlch case the unsupported roller will fall, even though the other roller is supported by the film, and cause the operation of the mechanism adapted to shut off the light from the condensing lens. 7

Referring now to the drawings Figure l is a top plan of a device embodying the invention. F 1g. 2 is a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 Fig. 1 looking 1n the direction of the arrow.

Again referring to the drawing 4 represents a small base plate arranged to be mounted on the frame of the moving picture machine adjacent to the film carrying rolls. On; the base 4 is a standard or sup-port 5 in which is mounted one end of a stud shaft 6. On the stud 6 is mounted a drum 7 having head or end portions 8 which are provided with teeth or projections 9 to engage with the perforations in the film. On the side of the plate opposite to the standard 5 is a small bracket member 10 and in this bracket member 10 is journaled a shaft 12 which projects at each end of the said bracket. On the inner end of the shaft 12 is keyed a lever arm 13 and on the outer end of the shaft is rigidly mounted an arm 14. At its upper end, the arm 14 carries a stud shaft. 15 on which is arranged a guide roll 16. An adjusting screw 17 is mounted in the bracket 10 and is adapted to engage with the arm 15 for limiting the upward movement of said arm and consequently the relative distance between the guide roller 16 and the drum '7 which engages the film. The film is shown at a and is carried down between the drum 7 and the roller 16. On the base 4 is formed a. shaft 20. Two arms or levers 21 are pivotally supported at their lower ends on the said shaft 20 and the upper end of each lever or arm 21 is forked and between the forks is rotatably mounted a roller 22. Near the lower ends of the arms 21 are arranged lugs 23 the object of which will appear later. The arrangement of the arms 21 is such that when the film is in its normal position and intact the said arms will be inclined toward the film and the rollers will rest on the film. Now in case the film breaks completely across transversely both arms carrying the rollers will fall and assume the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, but should.

the film break across at one side and then split longitudinally the roller adjacent to the side at which the split started will fall and produce the proper operation of the mechanism although the other roller and arm remain upright.

In order to reset the roller carrying arms and also to providea safety arrangement which will prevent the feeding of the film when the rollers are not in their operative position, the following arrangement is provided: From the upper end of the arm 14 is pivotally hung a bar 25 and this bar carries a horizontally arranged rod 26 which rests on top of the arms 21 and is adapted to engage with the lugs 23 on said arms 21. Now, if we assume that the film has broken and the arms have fallen to their lower position, the operator will take hold of the lever 13 and move it upwardly. This will cause the arm 14 to swing down and away from the film carrying drum 7 and carrying with it the roller 16 and at the same time the movement of the arm 14 will shove down the bar 25 causing the rod 26 to engage the lugs 23 on the arms 21 which will cause the said arms 21 to swing up and back to their inoperative position. After the film has been replaced on the device the lever arm 13 is swung down which brings the roller 16 back to its proper position for holding the film against the drum 7 and also lifts the bar 26 away from the lugs 23 thereby ermitting the arms 21 to fall back until the rollers 22 thereon rest against the film. A

which are pivotally supported at a pointadjacent to the ends which lie in the path of the rollers when they fall, so that these .ends stand higher than the opposite ends. These levers form one terminal of an electric circuit and the other terminal of the circuit is shown at 31. Now when either or both rollers fall they come in contact with the shorter ends of the levers 30 causing the therefor, of a switch comprising movable members and a stationary member, a pair of levers pivotally mounted near the movable. switch members and arranged to en- "age therewith, and a roller carried by each ever and adapted to rest against different portions of the film and support said levers in their upper position, the arrangement being such that on the breaking or splitting of any part of said film one or both levers will fall and open said switch members.

2. The combination with a moving picture machine .and the motor and light circuit therefor, of a switch comprising movable members and a stationary member, said movable members being pivotally supported side by side and in the same plane, a pair of levers pivotally mounted near the movable switch members and arranged to engage therewith, and a roller carried by each lever, said rollers being in axial alinement and adapted to rest against and be support ed by the film and each roller extending gyer less than one-half of the width of the 3. The combination with a moving picture machine and the motor and light circuit therefor, of a switch comprising stationary terminal and movable terminals, levers arranged to operate the movable terminals, and a roller carried by each of said levers and arranged to rest against difierent portions of the film and support said levers in their upper position, the arrangement being such that when the film breaks or splits the lever which was supported by the portion of the film which breaks or splits will fall and operate a movable terminal.

In testimony whereof, we sign the foregoing specification, in the presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES F. MEI-IL.

HENRY B. LIEBLE-R. JABEZ NALL.

EDWARD J. NOBBE.

Witnesses:

V. C. LYNCH, J. H. WooDwoR'rH,

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