Film registration and ironing gate assembly

A film registration and ironing gate assembly, for positioning longitudinally successive, uniform rectangular frames bounded between a pair of parallel rows of equidistant, uniform rectangular edge perforations of common cross sectional size, on a strip film, each perforation in one row being transversely aligned with a corresponding perforation in the other row, said gate assembly comprising:

• a gate member having a front face and a rear face with a rectangular, focal positioning location, the positioning location being complemental to an image frame of the strip film and having longitudinally extending first and second transverse sides and transversely extending third and fourth longitudinal sides, and the front face having film perforation seating, and first and second surfaces correspondingly extending longitudinally along the first and second transverse sides;
• registration means comprising first and second pins of smaller cross sectional size than the film perforations and disposed perpendicular to the surfaces in fixed alignment with a reference line extending transversely from a first point on the first surface to a second point on the second surface, and at a fixed longitudinal location adjacent one longitudinal side of the positioning location, and corresponding to the positioning of a pair of transversely aligned film perforations on the surfaces at the first and second points, the pins being arranged for entry into the perforations;
• force applying means for engaging the film at a third point spaced longitudinally from the second point for moving the film in a direction oblique to the reference line, upon entry of the pins into the perforations, to produce a resultant force on the perforation at the first point and on the perforation at the second point for registering precisely a film frame with the positioning location by the pins;
• and
• longitudinally extending ironing and clamping means adjacent the front face and having a proximate end adjacent one longitudinal side of the positioning location and a distal end adjacent the other longitudinal side thereof, and arranged for moving from a retracted position progressively toward the surfaces for incrementally increasing contact with the film in a direction from the proximate end to the distal end to iron the film in such direction and clamp against the surfaces the film perforations adjacent the positioning location for maintaining the frame in precise focal position at the positioning location.