US 4,053,230 AGranted

Full-width film-supporting, driving, and stripping arrangement for motion picture film printing machines

OwnerRonald R. Balousekinventor

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Abstract

The present invention replaces the film supporting and stripping arrangement in the most widely-used conventional motion picture film printing machine with a film driving sprocket and a combined supporting and stripping drum which drive and fully support both the superimposed negative film and copy film throughout their entire widths and prevents them from moving apart from one another as they pass through the exposure zone wherein the exposure light passes through the two films but not beyond the combined supporting and stripping drum which obstructs the further passage of the light so that it is either reflected or deflected backward from the drum. While they are passing through the exposure zone, the two films are driven by a single toothed sprocket which maintains them in synchronism while the stripping drum supports them throughout their entire width and thus prevents the intermittent separation of the negative film and copy film in the exposure zone occurring in conventional machines wherein the films are supported only at their opposite edges, and consequently prevents the lack of sharp definition in the copy film caused by such intermittent separation.

Claims7

Dependent claims

An improved film-width-supporting, driving, and stripping arrangement for superimposed edge-perforated negative and positive films adapted to replace the conventional film-edge-supporting and stripping arrangement in a conventional motion picture film printing machine having power-driven mechanism operatively connected to film-supplying and film-receiving devices disposed respectively preceding and succeeding a film exposure zone disposed adjacent said conventional film-edge-supporting and stripping arrangement and illuminated by an optical illuminating system, said improved arrangement comprising

- an arrangement-carrying structure adapted to be mounted adjacent said film-exposure zone,
- a rotary film drive sprocket rotatably mounted on said structure and drivingly connected to said power driven mechanism and rotatable on a first axis of rotation with a portion of its periphery disposed substantially in said film-exposure zone and having film-driving teeth adapted to project into the edge perforations of the superimposed negative and positive film fed thereto from said film-supplying devices,
- and a rotary film-supporting and stripping element of greater diameter than said drive sprocket rotatably mounted on said structure upon a second axis of rotation disposed in spaced parallel relationship to said first axis of rotation and having a periphery with a portion thereof disposed in said film-exposure zone adjacent to and in lateral alignment with said sprocket peripheral portion and having a width adapted to extend across said support substantially the entire width of said superimposed films exclusive of their respective perforations.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.