US 4,432,638 AGranted

Alignment structure

AssigneeBerkey Photo, Inc.

InventorGiuseppe Tarsia

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Abstract

In a photographic enlarger apparatus having a carriage operatively connected to a vertical column for movement thereon to a selected position, an alignment structure is provided for maintaining the carriage in three-dimensional alignment with the column. In one embodiment, a roller captively eccentrically journaled in the front of the carriage is biased against one face of the column to maintain the carriage in axial alignment with respect thereto. Further alignment of the carriage with respect to the column is provided by four wheels mounted in the back of the carriage to rotatably engage opposed channels formed in the rear of the column, two vertically aligned wheels being spring-biased against one channel and coacting with two vertically aligned fixed wheels riding in an opposite channel to urge the carriage into constant lateral alignment.

Claims32

Dependent claims

An alignment structure comprising:

a column having first track means along one side extending generally the full length thereof and second track means along an opposite side of said column generally coextensive with said first track means;
carriage means associated with said column for movement therealong;
first roller means rotatably mounted on an axle transverse to the longitudinal axis of said column, said first roller means captively journaled in said carriage for movement toward or away from said column;
first bias means urging said first roller means into contact with said first track means;
second roller means including rollers attached to said carriage and in rotational engagement with said second track means, each of said rollers rotatably mounted on an axis transverse to the longitudinal axes of said column and said first roller means, said second roller means including two spaced-apart rollers fixedly aligned with said longitudinal column axis and a biased roller means laterally spaced and movable with respect to said fixed rollers;
and
second bias means urging said biased roller means into lateral engagement with said second track means to maintain said fixed rollers in alignment therewith, whereby the first and second roller means cooperate to maintain said carriage in three-dimensional alignment with said column.

4 more elements

An improved photographic apparatus alignment structure having a generally vertical column, a carriage operatively connected to said column for movement thereon to a selected vertical position, and means for securing said photographic apparatus to said carriage, said alignment structure comprising:

a front roller means rotatably mounted on an axle transverse to said column and disposed at the lower front of said carriage, said front roller engaging a forward face of said column;
means for biasing said front roller against the forward face of said column with an eccentric bushing and urging said carriage into axial alignment with said column;
and
first and second wheels laterally spaced and mounted at the rear of said carriage, said first and second wheels coplanar with the rear of said column and rotatably engaged in opposed generally vertical channels in the rear of said column, whereby said front roller and first and second wheels cooperate to maintain the carriage in three-dimensional alignment with said column.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.