US 4,603,952 AGranted

Professional stereoscopic projection

OwnerJohn R. Sybengainventor

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Abstract

This invention relates to an attachment for motion picture projectors to utilize stereoscopic film. The invention contains a quick mounting means to mount it on most standard theater projectors, a means to precisely adjust the attachment to the projector and internal adjusting means to accurately align and project stereoscopic images upon the theater screen. The invention is intended to be used by theater personnel who have no special training with stereoscopic film projection and to be used on most standard theater projectors without modifications.

Claims9

Dependent claims

An improved apparatus for the presentation of stereoscopic images utilizing program material in which the right and left eye stereo pair images are contained upon a single strip of transparency film, such as motion picture film, said images situated in a one-above-the-other configuration, to be projected upon a viewing screen surface by conventional and unaltered projection equipment utilizing an ordinary projection lens system to be used in conjunction with my invention comprising a combination of:

(a) an attaching means with two upright side walls, a horizontal top wall, and a horizontal bottom wall formed as one unit with two protruding members rigidly attached to the central innermost portion of said top wall and facing downwardly, said protruding member being suitably fashioned to form a means capable of receiving a cylindrically shaped object, such as a projection lens barrel, a movable plate member adjacent to said bottom wall, an adjusting means utilizing a rotatable threaded rod member introduced upwardly through said bottommost wall and in contact with the underside of said movable plate so as to apply force to and cause movement of said movable plate toward or away from the said upper receiving surface thereby providing a means for receiving and grasping a said cylindrically shaped object,
(b) a housing assembly comprising two upright side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall containing suitable openings, the rear of said housing assembly being slidably fitted onto said upright side walls of said attaching means in a manner allowing a vertical sliding motion of said housing assembly relative to stationary said attaching means, said slidable motion thereby provides a means to adjust and align said housing assembly so as to be concentric with the longitudinal axis of said cylindrically shaped object being so grasped by said receiving and grasping means,
(c) a securing means to arrest said sliding motion at any position,
(d) a "V" shaped member extending horizontally and affixed between said upright side walls of said housing assembly and bearing two optical reflecting mirrors so aligned with the closed end of said "V" configuration pointing rearwardly and with the reflecting surfaces of said mirrors facing outwardly with said reflecting surfaces fixed at an angle of 92 degrees,
(e) a shaft member suspended rotatably within and between the uppermost portion of said upright side walls of said housing and attached to and bearing the frontmost edge of another reflecting mirror member, the reflecting surface of said mirror member facing frontwardly,
(f) a second identical shaft member also suspended rotatably within and between the lowermost portion of said upright side walls of said housing assembly, also attached to and bearing the frontmost edge of an identical second reflecting mirror member orientated invertedly to the first said rotatably suspended mirror, but with reflecting surface also facing frontwardly,
(g) a second set of shaft members affixed to the rearmost edge of each said rotatably suspended mirror members, one end of each said second shaft member extending through suitable openings in one said upright side wall of said housing assembly,
(h) a mirror reflecting angle adjusting means attached to the outside central portion of one said upright side wall of said housing assembly and comprising of a cylindrically shaped micrometer roller member mounted rotatably but captively between a top and a bottom "L" shaped mounting bracket members which are affixed to said upright side wall, a rotatable threaded rod member mounted lengthwise and midway within said roller member by means of a suitably threaded hole, said threaded hole also containing a means to arrest the turn-on-thread rotary motion of said threaded rod member, said threaded rod member having left hand threading on one end and right hand threading on the other end to suit a top and a bottom "T" shaped members movably but captively mounted on said upright side wall, one of which has left hand threaded receptacle and the other having right hand threaded receptacle, said "T" shaped members each containing angular slot into which said protruding ends of each said rearwardmost mirror bearing shaft engages thereby providing a means for precisely adjusting the reflective angles of said mirrors in an opposidly fashion and in exact unison by the same degree simultaneously, and also providing a means for attaining an independent adjustment of said reflecting angles, also achieved in unison, but relative to and between the rotational angularity of said rotatably suspended mirror members, said independent adjustment accomplished by manipulation of said means to arrest said turn-on-threads rotary motion of said threaded rod member situated within said cylindrically shaped micrometer roller member to a different rotational position for arrestment thereby providing a means to alter the placement in a vertical fashion of respective said left and right eye stereo pair images upon said viewing screen,
(i) an additional mirror orientating adjustment means not related to, and with a distinct purpose from the first said adjustment means, said additional mirror orientation means comprising of an eccentric extension member rotatably affixed to, and provided with a means to arrest said rotation at any position, one end of each said rotatably suspended mirror bearing shaft members, said eccentric members being used to complete the suspension of one end of each said rotatably suspended mirror bearing shaft member within and between said upright side walls of said housing assembly, thereby providing a means for imparting a horizontal tilting adjustment to said rotatably suspended mirror bearing shafts, the degree of said horizontal tilting adjustment being dependent upon the rotational position of said eccentric member, said horizontal tilting adjustment provides a means to independently control the placement in a horizontal fashion of said respective left and right eye stereo pair images upon said viewing screen surface,
(j) a rectangular shaped front wall plate containing a top and a bottom openings, and flange members affixed to the outtermost front surface edges of said front wall plate, said flange members being capable of receiving and retaining other members constituting polarizing or other appropriate light filtering mediums, a centrally located screw member to retain and register said filter mediums in place upon said front wall, said front wall being mounted adjacent to and in front of said housing assembly in a vertical position with said openings being located at the top and bottom portions and aligned with the reflective areas of said rotatably suspended mirrors contained within said housing assembly,
(k) a leveling indicator device adjustably attached in a convenient location upon the body of the invention,
(l) a suitable chemical bonding substance, such as commercially available silicone glue, used to affix said reflecting mirror and other suitable members to their said respective bearing members, thereby providing a means to avoid a prolifera of labor intensive mechanical mounting components, said chemical substance also serving a dual function of absorbing kinetic energy thereby providing a means for protecting fragile or vibration sensitive members.

9 more elements

An attaching means comprising:

(a) two upright side walls, a horizontal top wall, and a horizontal bottom wall formed as one unit,
(b) two protruding members rigidly attached to the innermost surface of the middle portion of said top wall, orientated front to back and facing downwardly with suitably fashioned surfaces forming a receiving means for cylindrically shaped objects such as a projection lens barrel, said receiving means being additionally fashioned to provide a means for accurately aligning said attaching means, and subsequently the housing assembly attached thereon, in a concentric and parallel manner to the longitudinal axis of said cylindrically shaped object being received,
(c) a movable but captively mounted plate member adjacent to the innermost surface of said bottom wall and facing upwardly,
(d) a rotatably threaded rod member introduced through a suitably threaded orifice located centrally on said bottom wall and in contact with the underside of said movable but captively mounted plate member thereby providing a means to raise or lower in a vertical manner said movable but captively mounted plate to provide a capability for receiving and grasping said cylindrically shaped objects,
(e) two or more additional threaded rod members rigidly affixed to said movable but captively mounted plate member and extending downwardly through suitable apertures in said bottom wall thereby providing a means to keep said movable but captively mounted plate member mobile but captive to said bottom wall.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

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Abstract

(a) an attaching means with two upright side walls, a horizontal top wall, and a horizontal bottom wall formed as one unit with two protruding members rigidly attached to the central innermost portion of said top wall and facing downwardly, said protruding member being suitably fashioned to form a means capable of receiving a cylindrically shaped object, such as a projection lens barrel, a movable plate member adjacent to said bottom wall, an adjusting means utilizing a rotatable threaded rod member introduced upwardly through said bottommost wall and in contact with the underside of said movable plate so as to apply force to and cause movement of said movable plate toward or away from the said upper receiving surface thereby providing a means for receiving and grasping a said cylindrically shaped object,
(b) a housing assembly comprising two upright side walls, a top wall, a bottom wall, and a front wall containing suitable openings, the rear of said housing assembly being slidably fitted onto said upright side walls of said attaching means in a manner allowing a vertical sliding motion of said housing assembly relative to stationary said attaching means, said slidable motion thereby provides a means to adjust and align said housing assembly so as to be concentric with the longitudinal axis of said cylindrically shaped object being so grasped by said receiving and grasping means,
(c) a securing means to arrest said sliding motion at any position,
(d) a "V" shaped member extending horizontally and affixed between said upright side walls of said housing assembly and bearing two optical reflecting mirrors so aligned with the closed end of said "V" configuration pointing rearwardly and with the reflecting surfaces of said mirrors facing outwardly with said reflecting surfaces fixed at an angle of 92 degrees,
(e) a shaft member suspended rotatably within and between the uppermost portion of said upright side walls of said housing and attached to and bearing the frontmost edge of another reflecting mirror member, the reflecting surface of said mirror member facing frontwardly,
(f) a second identical shaft member also suspended rotatably within and between the lowermost portion of said upright side walls of said housing assembly, also attached to and bearing the frontmost edge of an identical second reflecting mirror member orientated invertedly to the first said rotatably suspended mirror, but with reflecting surface also facing frontwardly,
(g) a second set of shaft members affixed to the rearmost edge of each said rotatably suspended mirror members, one end of each said second shaft member extending through suitable openings in one said upright side wall of said housing assembly,
(h) a mirror reflecting angle adjusting means attached to the outside central portion of one said upright side wall of said housing assembly and comprising of a cylindrically shaped micrometer roller member mounted rotatably but captively between a top and a bottom "L" shaped mounting bracket members which are affixed to said upright side wall, a rotatable threaded rod member mounted lengthwise and midway within said roller member by means of a suitably threaded hole, said threaded hole also containing a means to arrest the turn-on-thread rotary motion of said threaded rod member, said threaded rod member having left hand threading on one end and right hand threading on the other end to suit a top and a bottom "T" shaped members movably but captively mounted on said upright side wall, one of which has left hand threaded receptacle and the other having right hand threaded receptacle, said "T" shaped members each containing angular slot into which said protruding ends of each said rearwardmost mirror bearing shaft engages thereby providing a means for precisely adjusting the reflective angles of said mirrors in an opposidly fashion and in exact unison by the same degree simultaneously, and also providing a means for attaining an independent adjustment of said reflecting angles, also achieved in unison, but relative to and between the rotational angularity of said rotatably suspended mirror members, said independent adjustment accomplished by manipulation of said means to arrest said turn-on-threads rotary motion of said threaded rod member situated within said cylindrically shaped micrometer roller member to a different rotational position for arrestment thereby providing a means to alter the placement in a vertical fashion of respective said left and right eye stereo pair images upon said viewing screen,
(i) an additional mirror orientating adjustment means not related to, and with a distinct purpose from the first said adjustment means, said additional mirror orientation means comprising of an eccentric extension member rotatably affixed to, and provided with a means to arrest said rotation at any position, one end of each said rotatably suspended mirror bearing shaft members, said eccentric members being used to complete the suspension of one end of each said rotatably suspended mirror bearing shaft member within and between said upright side walls of said housing assembly, thereby providing a means for imparting a horizontal tilting adjustment to said rotatably suspended mirror bearing shafts, the degree of said horizontal tilting adjustment being dependent upon the rotational position of said eccentric member, said horizontal tilting adjustment provides a means to independently control the placement in a horizontal fashion of said respective left and right eye stereo pair images upon said viewing screen surface,
(j) a rectangular shaped front wall plate containing a top and a bottom openings, and flange members affixed to the outtermost front surface edges of said front wall plate, said flange members being capable of receiving and retaining other members constituting polarizing or other appropriate light filtering mediums, a centrally located screw member to retain and register said filter mediums in place upon said front wall, said front wall being mounted adjacent to and in front of said housing assembly in a vertical position with said openings being located at the top and bottom portions and aligned with the reflective areas of said rotatably suspended mirrors contained within said housing assembly,
(k) a leveling indicator device adjustably attached in a convenient location upon the body of the invention,
(l) a suitable chemical bonding substance, such as commercially available silicone glue, used to affix said reflecting mirror and other suitable members to their said respective bearing members, thereby providing a means to avoid a prolifera of labor intensive mechanical mounting components, said chemical substance also serving a dual function of absorbing kinetic energy thereby providing a means for protecting fragile or vibration sensitive members.

9 more elements