US1733433A - Safety attachment for moving-picture apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Oct. 29, 1929. SZELIGA 1,733,433

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR MOVING PICTURE APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1926 s Sheets-Sheet 1 gvwemboz V Z 9%?" WITNESS! 5;); f

3 Sheets-Sheet A. SZELIGA Filed April 29, 1926 SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR MOVING PICTURE APPARATUS Oct. 29, 1929.

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A. SZELIGA Oct. 29, 1929.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR MOVING PICTURE APPARATUS Filed April 29, 1926 3 Sheets-Sheet Patented Oct. 29, 1929 ANTON SZELIGA', OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FREDERICK 'IIGHY,

PATENT OFFICE OF YORK, N. Y.

SAFETY ATTACHMENT FOR MOVING-PICTURE APPARATUS Application meal April 29, 1926. Serial no. 105,459.

My invention relates to an attachment for moving picture apparatus and more particularly to such devices which are used in .conjunction with the projecting'machine to prevent fires or explosions due to the inflammability of the film employed in said apparatus. As it is known films used in combination with moving picture exhibiting machines are highlyinflammable and as a general rule fires which have taken place in moving picture theaters or halls Where such exhibitions take place originated in the picture exhibitingmachine itself, the film having been inflamed either by the sourceof light employed in. the

machine or by external means through the v neglectand carelessness of the operator. The objects of the present invention are to provide an attachment of the character above described capable of being manufactured at 90v a low cost and which can be easily, quickly and cheaply applied to all the standard and existing forms of moving picture exhibiting machines and at' the same time will be foolproof, positive and unfailing in its'operation, and as soon as the film becomes ignited automatically severs the same and instanta neously cuts out the burning section of the film and stops the motor actuating the film feeding mechanism, thereby preventing the spread of the fire to the severed and separated portions of the unwound and rewound pictures of the film and other inflammable portions within the operators booth.

Another object of the invention is to construct and arrange the' different elements comprising the attachment whereby the actuating parts are held in the operative and proper position and the film is properly adjusted and threaded through the exhibiting machine only when the energizing electrical current is properly passing through the mechanism on a closed circuit, thereby eliminating all questions of personal equation and assures that the safety attachment will perform its functions under all conditions for Y which it is designed independent of the failure of proper inspection and adjustment of the machine by theoperator.

Other objects and advantages of applicants invention will appear from the detailed description of the several parts, the mode of assembling the same and manner of cooperation to be presently explained.

The invention consists of structural characteristics and relative arrangement of ele-.

ments to be hereinafter more fully disclosed and particularly pointed out in the appended claims. a

In the three sheets of drawings in which similar reference characters indicate the same parts in the several figures: Figure 1 is a fragmentary and side elevation, partly in section of a picture exhibiting machine provided with the attachment comprising the present invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the attachment partly in section and with the cover of the casing removed.

Figure 3- is a side elevation partly in section. v 1

Figure 4 is a; side elevation opposite to that shown in Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a section taken on line VV of Figure 4, and

Figure 6 is a diagram of the electrical circuits showing the manner of wiring up the attachment.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawings 10 is the feed or upper reel mounted in the usual feed reel or upper magazine 11. 12 is the upper steady-sprocket and 13 the film steady drum or filmsteadier which cooperate with the presser or friction rollers or idlers 14. 15 is the film'gate cooperating with the tension spring 16, said ate 15 being provided with a shutter 17 ,as s own. I 18 is the-intermittent sprocket and 19 the lower steady feed sprocket which cooperate with the lower friction rollers or idlers 20. The lower magazine 21 is provided with the take up reel 22. 23, 23 are upper and lower film shields.

The foregoing elements are of the usual and standard type used in connection with projecting or motion picture machines and form no part of the present invention.

Attached preferably at the bottom of the upper magazine 11 and at the top of the lower magazine 21 is a casing 24- containing the mechanism of the safety attachment of the present invention to be presently described. Said casings 24 are provided with upper and lower openings 25 and 26 and cooperating film guide rollers 27 for purposes to be hereinafter disclosed.

F is the film which passes from the upper 'or feed reel 10, through the upper opening 25 of the upper casing 24, thence through the upper casing 24 and its lower opening 26 and between. guide rollers 27. Said endless film F is then passed forward and backward around the upper steady sprocket roller of the idlers 20, and thence downwardly between the upper guide rollers 27 through theupper' and lower openings 25 and 26 of and through the lower casing 24 and between the lower guide rollers 27 on to the take'up reel 22, as .clearlyshown and needs no further explanatiom.

The safety attachment comprislng the present invention, as will be seen by reference to'Figures 2, 3, 4 and 5, consists of a base plate'28 on which is mounted a standard or post 29. On the upper end of said post or standard 29 is ivoted by means of screw pintle' 30, an oscil ating catch 31, havin at one end a hook or curved recess 32, as s own in Figures 3 and4, while the other end of the oscillating or pivoted catch is provided with a depending arm or extension 33 for pur poses to be presently described.

34 isan electro-magnet also fixed to em base28, having a core 35'and an armature 36, said armature 36 being pivoted at 37 to an uprightor bracket 371, w 'le' its other or movable end 38 is adapted tobe attracted by the 39 w ose head freclprocates or has slight l movement in an elongated slot 40 formed in the depending arm or. extension 33,, as shownn'Figures 2, 3 and4 and for purposes tobe hereinafter explained,

. At the opposite end' of the base plate 28 from that on which the electro-magnet 38 is secured is fastened by means of screws 431,

l 431 a casing 441 having ends 451 and 46Land 49 incylinde-r 47 to eflect guided or supported by means of screw 1 to the 5m pivoted end or point 37 opposite to eachother and register with a narrow slot or opening 50 formed in the end 461 flush with the edge of the base plate 28 as shown in Figures 2 and 5. v

The opposite end 451 ofthe casing 441 is provided with a circular opening or hearing 51, through which'is inserted a stub shaft 52 having formedor secured on its inner end a disk 53' to which is: attached a thin cutting blade 54, semi-cylindrical in cross-section and of the same curvature as the interior surface of the hollow cylinder 47 and itsslanting cutting edge adapted to closely pass over the lower opening or slot 49 of the cylinder 47, as clearly shown in Figures 2 and 3, and for purposes to be later explained.

56 is a rocker arm or lever secured to the outer endof the stub shaft 52 bymeans of a pin 57, see Figures 1, 4 and. 5, said arm or lever being provided preferably with an ad ustable weight 58, and so arranged and disposed that in the oscillation of said. lever or rocker arm 56 from the vertical position shown in full lines to the position shown in dotted lines in F igure 4g the shaft 52 with the attached disk 53 and cutting blade 54 will be partially rotated and the cutting edge 55 madeto pass over the lowerslot or opening a shearing cut, as

will be readily understood. Supported or at- Y tached to said arm or lever 56 is a spring actu-' a tcdcatch or pin 59 movable in a slot 60 and ,normally held in its upper position, as shown in Figure 5, by means of a spring 61 attached to the sliding bar 62 carrying at its lower end the. pin 59, said pin 59 being so constructed, arranged and adapted to be engaged by the hooked end or curved recess 32 at one end of the oscillating catch 31, and said hooked end 32 capable of being released from the pin 59 by the movement of the depending arm or I. extension 33 towards the standard 29 due to core 35 of the electro-magnet 34, and. said end V the action of the coil spring 63, said spring iaving one'end secured to said extension 33 441, as shown in Figures crating in the manner and to be presently described.

64 is a spring bufier secured near one edge of the base plate 28 and in the path of the rocker arm or lever 56, see Figures 2 and 3, so as to enable said spring buffer 64 to take up the impact of said lever 56 when dropped and assume the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 4.

Under one casing 24 and preferably attached to underside of the base 28 of the upper safety attachment is provided a section or block of insulating material. 65, through which is passed and secured two 3 and 4, and opfor the purposes and its other end to the end 451 of the casing terminals or connectors 66'and 67 for attaching the conductors C of electricity for energizing the electro-magnet 34, as shown in Figure 3, said terminals passing with clearance through properly disposed openings 68 ing post 29 and pin 30 due to the action of the and 69 in the adjacent portion of the base lilting catch.

28. Attached .to the underside of said insulating material 65 and by means of nuts 70, 70," are the fixed and movable conducting elements 71 and 72. respectively which comprise the thermostatic bar of any form of heat controlled means for the control of the electric circuit and said movable or expand ing and contracting element 72 is preferably of U-shape, as shown, and having its free end '7 3 normally resting on and in contact with the stationary element 71 and adapted to expand when heated and elevate the free end 73 from contact with said element 71, as will be readily understood. Said expanding and contraeting'element 72 of the thermostatic bar is preferably made of a compositionknown as the Wilco thermostatic bar metal, and is'protected from displacement or injury by means of a cover 74, having an opening '75, which opening will permit the heat of any accidental fire or'explosion in proximity to said cover and safety attachment toinstantaneously enter and expand said movable and closed circuit controlling element 72. i

The upper and lower safety attachments are preferably connected up in series, as

shown diagrammatically in Figure 6, in

which341 and 342 represent respectively the energizing coils of the electro-magnets of the upper and lower safety attachments, and 343 is the thermostatic bar which normally closes the circuit under control of a manually opcatch.

erated switch 344, and while I prefer and have shown and described an upper. safety attachment with a thermostatic bar control and -a lower safety attachment without a thermostatic bar control, a single fety attachment with a thermostatic bar control as shown in the upper safety attachment will carry out the essential features of the pres-- ent invention. Y I 76 is a leaf spring attached by screws77, 77, to the top of the oscillating catch 31, and 78 is a'pin acting as a stop for said oscillating The manner of using theinvention is as follows: v

The switch 344 being closedthecurrent will flow through the elements 71 and '72 of the thermostat by way of the terminal con nectors 66 and 67 into the conductors and the coils of the upper and lower electro- magnets 34, 34, and hence energize their cores 35 so that their armatures 36 will be attracted/and held in the position shown in Figures 2 and 3. In this position of the armature 36 the recessed end 45of the finger v44 attached to and held by said armature 36 will engage the The free end of the rocker arm or lever 56 is now rotated with its stub shaft 52 as an axis and raised from its lowest position, shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, until the spring actuated pin 59 carried by said arm'56 is forced and rides over the beveled free end of-the oscillating catch 31 and drops back into and is seated in the curved recess 32 and held'in this'position by the action of the leaf spring 76 abutting against the adjacent edge of the arm 56, as shown in Figure 4.

After the arm 56 has been raised and locked in the position, as just described, the-attached and'oscillating cuttingblade 54 will have uncovered the lower slot 49 with its edge 55 adj acent thereto. and as will be readily seen by reference'to Figures 2 and 3 there is produced by such position of parts a direct, narrow and continuous passageway extending through the one side and top of the casing 24, through the base 28 due to opening 26, end 461 by means of the narrow slot 50, the top and bottom sections of the hollow cylinder 47 due to the alined slots 48 and 49, where-' by a flat endless'sheet of material as a moving picture film can be inserted laterally and through one side of the safety attachment andquickly into said passageway and without disturbing-in any way the adjusted posicomprising the safety attachment, or its casing.

After a suflicient length of the film F has been unreeled from the upper or feed reel 10 to be laterally inserted through the slitted opening formed in the upper safety attach- -ment 24, as explained above, the end of the reel -is laced or properly adjusted ,around and with respect to the guide rollers 27, steady sprocket 12, upper idlers 14, steady drum 13, film gate 15, tension spring 16, intermittent sprocket 18, idlers 20, feed sprocket 19, guide'rollers 27 as is the. common practice .in such machines and then through the lower tion or arrangement :of any of the elements safety attachment 24 by laterally inserting the end of the film F in the continuous slit or passageway in the same manner as previously explained with reference to the up er safety attachment. and the end of the film is then attached to and started on the take up reel'22 w'ithin the lower magazine 21 and all the parts are adjusted so that the film F and coacting elements assume the position as illustrated in Figurel.

I The several parts of the moving picture ap- 1 paratus and the safety attachments having been arranged and adjusted, as shown in Figure -1, and the motor started to feed the film F from the upper or feed reel 10 through the machine past film gate 15 on to the take up reel 22, should any unforeseen condition arise to ignite the film F, the heat of the burnin film would be immediately conveyed throu the opening 75 to the expanding member 2 of the thermostatic bar and said expansion would cause the end 73 to break contact with the stationary element 71 and hence instantly and automatically open the closed circuit and deenergize the cores 35 and release the armatures 36 and owing to the action of the coil spring 63 the catch 31 would simultaneously rock on its pivot pin 30 and release its hooked end or curved recess 22 from the pin 59 and permit the rocker arm or lever 56 under the action of the spring 7 6 and its weight 58 to immediately drop into the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 4, and in so doing carry the cutting edge 55 of the blade 54: over the lower slot 49 and sever the film F and prevent any further portion of -the film being conveyed into the operators booth to feed further fuel to the fire and hence instantly stops the spread of the fire to either the upper or lower magazines, as will be readily understood, and the only portion of film burned was the section between said upper and lower ma azlnes.

11 view ofthe present improvements operated on a closed circuit and said attachment elements must be all adjusted and set on such a closed circuit before the film can be properly threaded, through the moving picture machine and its cooperating safety attachment, there is no possibility of an operator being able to start the movement of the being film through the machine unless the safety ati tachment has been previously correctly and which also fully adjusted to immediately set in operation the filmcutting elements of the safety attachment in case of a sudden rise of temperature in the operators booth and hence eliminates all the elements of personal equation and makes the attachment not only efiicient and absolute but fool proof.

It will also be seen that should the operator suspect that something is wrong or suspect the ori in of a fire or'desires to instantly stop the feeding of the film he may break the closed circuit by operating the close at hand manual switch 344, as will be readily understood,

stops the actuating motor.

From the foregoing description of the construction and arrangement of parts, mode of assembling the same and their operation, it will be seen that all the objects and advantages recited in the statement of invention have been fully, efiiciently and cheaply carried out, and while the preferred form has been shown and described, it is to be understood that many changes will suggest themselves without in any way varying the essential features of construction or departing from the. spirit of the invention as expressed in the claims.

safety sage of a film, an oscillating film cutting element within said cylinder, electrically con trolled means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, a closed circuit for energizing the means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, and heat controlled means for opening said closed circuit.

2. In a safety attachment for moving picture projecting apparatus comprising a hollow cylinder having aligned slots for the passage of a film, an oscillating film cutting element within said cylinder, electrically controlled means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, a closed circuit for energizing the means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, and heat controlled means for controlling said closed circuit.

3. In a safety attachment for moving picture projecting apparatus comprising a hol low cylinder having aligned slots for the passage of a film, an oscillating film cutting element within said cylinder so constructed, arranged and adapted to permit an endlessfilm to be passed therethrough, electrically controlled means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, a closed circuit for energizing the means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, and heat controlled means for automatically controlling and opening said closed circuit.

4:. In a safety attachment for moving picture projecting apparatus comprising a hollow cylinder having a pair of slots arranged in alinement, an oscillating film cutting element within said hollow cylinder and ada ted to pass over one of said slots, electrica ly controlled means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, a closed circuit for energizing the means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, and heat controlled means for controlling said closed circuit.

5. In a safety attachment for moving picture projecting. apparatus comprising an upi per magazine an a lower magazine and means for feeding a film from said upper to said lower magazine, a hollow cylinder having aligned slots for the passage of a film, an

oscillating film cutting element within said T cylinder and interposed between the upper and lower magazines and in'the path of the electrically controlled means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element, a closed circuit for energizing the means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element and heat controlled means for controlling said closed circuit.

6. In a safety attachment'for moving picture projecting apparatus comprising an upper magazine and a lower magazine and means for feeding a film from said upper to said lower magazine, hollow cylinders having aligned slots for the passage of a film, two oscillating film cutting elements within said cylinders and interposed between the 7. In a safety attachment'for moving picture projecting apparatus comprising an upa a lower magazine and per ma azine and means or feeding a film from said upper to said lower magazine, two film cutting elements interposed between the u per and lower magazines and in the path 0 the film,

a hollow cylinder having a pair of slots arranged in alinement to receive said film and a surrounding ments, electrically controlled means for normally holding inactive v ments with respect to one of said slots in each of said hollow cylinders, a closed circuit energizing the means for normally holding $0 inactive said'film cutting elements and heat controlled means for controlling and automatically opening said closed circuit. a

8. In a safety attachment for moving picture projecting apparatus comprising an up- 85 per magazine and a lower magazine and means for feeding a film from said upper to said lower magazine, ments interposed between the upper and lower magazines and in the path of the film, each of said cutting elements consistingof a hollow cylinder provided with diametrically opposed slots and a cutting blade within said cylinder and passing over oneof said slots, electrically controlled means for normally holding inactive said film cutting elements, a closed for normally holding inactive said film cuttin tergosed in the circuit for controlling and automaticall opening said closed circuit.

9. In a sa ety attachment for moving picture projecting apparatus comprising an upper ma azine and aLlower magazine and means or feeding a film from said upper each of said film cutting ele-- for circuit for energizing the means elements and heat controlled means into said lower magazine, a film cutting element closed circuit for energizing the means for normally holding inactive said film cutting element and. heat controlled means for controlling said closed circuit. .7

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature.

ANTON SZELIGA.

said film cutting eletwo film cutting ele- J

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