Photographic print apparatus

A photographic printer comprising a frame, a negative holder assembly supported by said frame, said assembly being adapted to support a negative for photographic printing, means supported by said frame on one side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for supporting light sensitive photographic print material, means supported by said frame on the opposite side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for projecting a light beam through a negative at said negative holder assembly toward print material at said print material supporting means, and lens means supported by said frame in the space between said negative holder assembly and said print material supporting means, said photographic printer being particularly characterized in that:

• a. said print material supporting means is housed within light-excluding walls of a chamber not enclosing said lens means therewithin, said chamber having a shutter-controllable window thereinto located in the path of said light beam between said lens means and print material at said print material supporting means,
• b. said shutter-controllable window of said chamber is equipped at said window with a shutter mechanism capable of being closed to block and opened to unblock the passage of said light beam through said window, said shutter mechanism being normally closed and adapted to be momentarily opened for passage of said light beam through said window for printing on said print material, and
• c. said lens means is removable independently of said shutter mechanism.

A photographic printer comprising a frame, a negative holder assembly supported by said frame, said assembly being adapted to support a negative for photographic printing, means supported by said frame on one side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for supporting light sensitive photographic print material, means supported by said frame on the opposite side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for projecting a light beam through a negative at said negative holder assembly toward print material at said print material supporting means, and lens means supported by said frame in the space between said negative holder assembly and said print material supporting means, said photographic printer being particularly characterized by the fact that said negative holder assembly comprises

• a. a foundation plate supported by said frame and adapted to permit the passage of said light beam centrally therethrough,
• b. a subassembly comprising a negative back-up plate adapted to permit the passage of said light beam centrally therethrough, said subassembly being supported by said foundation plate in substantially parallel relationship thereto,
• c. means for moving said subassembly in a rotary manner between positions at least at right angles to one another while said subassembly remains in said substantially parallel relationship to said foundation plate,
• d. a negative mask adapted to permit the passage of said light beam centrally therethrough and adapted to be juxtaposed in substantially parallel relationship to said negative back-up plate of said subassembly for movement in said rotary manner therewith,
• e. arm means mounted on said subassembly for movement in said rotary manner therewith, said arm means being mounted on said subassembly at a location out of the path of said light beam,
• f. means for interlocking said negative mask to said arm means, and
• g. means for actuating said arm means to part said negative mask from said negative back-up plate, said actuation means being adapted also to permit return of said negative mask to said juxtaposed relationship to said negative back-up plate.

In a photographic printer comprising a frame, a negative holder assembly supported by said frame, said assembly being adapted to support a negative for photographic printing, means supported by said frame on one side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for supporting light sensitive photographic print material, and means supported by said frame on the opposite side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for projecting a light beam through a negative at said negative holder assembly toward print material at said print material supporting means, the improvements comprising, in combination:

• i. a lens carrier assembly supported by said frame, said lens carrier assembly including at least a first lens carrier subassembly supported in the space between said negative holder assembly and said print material supporting means, said first lens carrier subassembly consisting essentially of a plurality of lens boards each having different lens means mounted therein, each said lens board being mounted for movement within said subassembly between at least primary and secondary stations for the same, said primary station being a station normally occupied by a said lens board when at a position of rest in said subassembly, either said station for any said lens board of said subassembly being an operative station wherein the said lens board is located within the path of the light beam from said projecting means and the other said station for the said lens board being an inoperative station wherein the said lens board is located out of the path of said light beam,
• ii. power means supported by said frame, said power means being in engagable relationship with lens boards of said first lens carrier subassembly but disengagable therefrom,
• iii. means for actuating said power means to selectively move lens boards of said first lens carrier subassembly between said primary and secondary stations,
• iv. means for moving said first lens carrier subassembly as a unit out of said space when said power means is at a position of rest, which movement of said subassembly simultaneously moves each said lens board of said subassembly out of said engagable relationship with said power means, whereby an alternate lens carrier subassembly of different lens boards may be placed in an engagable relationship with said power means, and
• v. cooperatively mating members on said frame and on said lens carrier assembly, said mating members being adapted to permit complete removal of said lens carrier assembly as a separate distinct unitary structure, not including said power means, from its position of support by said frame when said power means is at said position of rest.

In a photographic printer comprising a frame, a negative holder assembly supported by said frame, said assembly being adapted to support a negative for photographic printing, means supported by said frame on one side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for supporting light sensitive photographic print material, and means supported by said frame on the opposite side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for projecting a light beam through a negative at said negative holder assembly toward print material at said print material supporting means, the improvements comprising, in combination:

• i. a lens carrier assembly supported by said frame, said lens carrier assembly including at least a first lens carrier subassembly supported in the space between said negative holder assembly and said print material supporting means, said first lens carrier subassembly consisting essentially of a plurality of lens boards each having different lens means mounted therein, each said lens board being mounted for movement within said subassembly between at least primary and secondary stations for the same, said primary station being a station normally occupied by a said lens board when at a position of rest in said subassembly, either said station for any said lens board of said subassembly being an operative station wherein the said lens board is located within the path of the light beam from said projecting means and the other said station for the said lens board being an inoperative station wherein the said lens board is located out of the path of said light beam,
• ii. power means supported by said frame, said power means being in engagable relationship with lens boards of said first lens carrier subassembly but disengagable therefrom,
• iii. means for actuating said power means to selectively move lens boards of said first lens carrier subassembly between said primary and secondary stations,
• iv. stop means for preventing overtravel of each said lens board when such lens board is moved into said operative station,
• v. yielding means adapted to absorb any excess energy of motion effected by said power means after the movement of a said lens board is stopped by said stop means, and
• vi. means for moving said first lens carrier subassembly as a unit out of said space when said power means is at a position of rest, which movement of said subassembly simultaneously moves each said lens board of said subassembly out of said engagable relationship with said power means, whereby an alternate lens carrier subassembly of different lens boards may be placed in an engagable relationship with said power means.

In a photographic printer comprising a frame, a negative holder assembly supported by said frame, said assembly being adapted to support a negative for photographic printing, means supported by said frame on one side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for supporting light sensitive photographic print material, and means supported by said frame on the opposite side of said negative holder assembly and spaced apart therefrom for projecting a light beam through a negative at said negative holder assembly toward print material at said print material supporting means, the improvements comprising, in combination:

• i. a lens carrier assembly supported by said frame, said lens carrier assembly consisting essentially of a first lens carrier subassembly supported in the space between said negative holder assembly and said print material supporting means, said first lens carrier subassembly consisting essentially of a plurality of lens boards mounted in substantially parallel stacked and spaced relationship to one another, each said lens board having different lens means mounted therein, each of said lens board being mounted for movement within said subassembly between at least primary and secondary stations for the same, said primary station being a station normally occupied by a said lens board when at a position of rest in said subassembly, either said station for any said lens board of said subassembly being an operative station wherein the said lens board is located within the path of the light beam from said projecting means and the other said station for the said lens board being an inoperative station wherein the said lens board is located out of the path of said light beam,
• ii. power means supported by said frame, said power means comprising a plurality of power members, each said power member being supported by said frame in engagable relationship with a respective lens board of said first lens carrier subassembly, but each said lens board being disengagable from said relationship,
• iii. means for actuating said power means to selectively move lens boards of said first lens carrier subassembly between said primary and secondary stations, and
• iv. cooperative means for complete removal and replacement of lens boards of said printer independently of and without removing said power means.