Film loop apparatus

Abstract

An apparatus is described herein which when used in conjunction with a continuous film duplicator or printer, stores and transports micrographic, motion picture, and other masters during the printing cycle to eliminate rewinding when making multiple duplicate copies. The apparatus is modular utilizing a pair of carriages so that it may be expanded either horizontally or vertically to accommodate more footage. A single motor is employed to adjust the spacing between top and bottom roller sets disposed on the carriages for various lengths of film while a three-position sensor arm controls the motor. A slack sensor controls the speed of rollers mounted on shafts on the carriages and a motor drives each shaft controlled by the sensor. Low-mass plastic film rollers equipped with soft-touch rubber surfaces are employed for transporting the film and low inertia PM motors provide high acceleration and torque for driving the shafts. A transparent enclosure houses the above mechanisms and film that travels through the enclosure and suitable electronic circuitry is provided for sensing, driving, and controlling the various functions while operating at speeds up to and exceeding 1500 ft/min.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.