Microfiche reader printer with interchangeable carriages
AssigneeBell & Howell Company
InventorAlexander G. Jastrab
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A microfilm reader/printer has a plurality of interchangeable film carriers to accommodate microfiche of different sizes and format. The film carriers are normally latched into two orthogonally oriented pairs of spaced, parallel rails so that film movement is limited. However, if a film carrier is unlatched from said rails, one of the carriers may be interchanged for another.
Claims8
A Microfilm reader/printer comprising a film carrier means mounted on two orthogonally oriented pairs of spaced, parallel rails whereby said carrier means may glide over said rails to any position defined by the rails, keying guideways means formed by said film carrier in association with said rails for releasably enabling said film carrier to be secured onto said rails whereby a plurality of said film carriers may be used interchangeably, means for indicating the position of any said interchangeable film carriers relative to an optical path through said reader and means for securing saidrails to said reader/printer whereby neither of said pairs of rails is removed from said reader/printer when changing film carriers.
A microfiche reader/printer comprising a film carrier and support means having a lateral keying guideway system which enables easy film carrier sliding motion in a horizontal direction with said carrier being captured in a vertical direction, said film carrier mounted on one pair of spaced parallel guide rails whereby said carrier may glide over said rails to any position defined by said rails, and said film carrier having thereon a second pair of guide rails whereby said carrier may glide over said second pair of rails to any position defined by said second pair of rails, latch means for limiting said horizontal sliding motion along said second pair of guide rails, and means for releasing said latch means so that said film carrier may move beyond said limit and out of said keying guideway system whereby a plurality of carriers may be used interchangeable without removing either of said pairs of guide rails from said reader/printer.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.