Slide mount with pin lock registration

In a slide mount formed of first and second frame portions connected along an outer border to form a pocket therebetween, the first and second frame portions having rectangular film windows, the film windows of the first and second frame portions defining a central aperture, the slide mount including a slit at the outer border through which a film transparency having sprocket holes along lateral edges thereof can be slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount to prepare a photographic film slide wherein, the improvement comprises:

• pin locks located on the first frame portion, the pin locks comprising:
• a bottom surface integral with the first frame portion;
• a top surface spaced from the bottom surface and dimensioned smaller than the bottom surface;
• first, second, third and fourth sloped contact surfaces connecting the bottom surface and the top surface, with the first and the third sloped contact surfaces being positioned in spaced opposed relation and the second and the fourth sloped contact surfaces being positioned in spaced opposed relation, the first, the second, the third and the fourth sloped contact surfaces being positioned to engage edge surfaces of the sprocket holes of the film transparency when the film transparency is slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount to fix the position of the film transparency;
• and
• non-contact connecting surfaces joining the first and the second, the second and the third, the third and the fourth and the fourth and the first sloped contact surfaces, the non-contact connecting surfaces being positioned so as not to engage edge surfaces of the sprocket holes to facilitate placement of the pin locks through the sprocket holes of the film transparency when the film transparency is slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount;
• and
• a film track formed of cooperating raised guide rails extending along opposed sides of one of said frame portions configured to cooperatively define:
• a tapered mouth portion adjacent to the slit, the tapered mouth portion having an opening at a forward end of the slide mount, the distance between the cooperating raised guide rails at the opening to the tapered mouth portion defining a first width;
• and
• a throat portion extending from the tapered mouth portion toward a rear end of the slide mount along a remaining extent of the pocket, the distance between the cooperating raised guide rails forming the throat portion defining a second width which is smaller than the first width, wherein the tapered mouth portion initially guides the film transparency when the film transparency is slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount for placement and the throat portion fixes the film transparency to restrict lateral movement thereof.

In combination:

• a film transparency having sprocket holes along lateral edges thereof;
• and
• a slide mount including:
• first and second frame portions connected along an outer border to form a pocket therebetween, the first and second frame portions including rectangular film windows, the film windows of the first and second frame portions defining a central aperture,
• a slit at the outer border through which the film transparency can be slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount;
• and
• pin locks located on the first frame portion, the pin locks being sized smaller than the sprocket holes along the film transparency for extending through the sprocket holes of the film transparency when the film transparency is slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount, the pin locks comprising:
• a bottom surface integral with the first frame portion;
• a top surface spaced from the bottom surface and dimensioned smaller than the bottom surface;
• first, second, third and fourth sloped contact surfaces connecting the bottom surface and the top surface, with the first and the third sloped contact surfaces being positioned in spaced opposed relation and the second and the fourth sloped contact surfaces being positioned in spaced opposed relation, the first, the second, the third and the fourth sloped contact surfaces being positioned to engage edge surfaces of the sprocket holes of the film transparency when the film transparency is slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount to fix the position of the film transparency;
• and
• non-contact connecting surfaces joining the first and the second, the second and the third, the third and the fourth, and the fourth and the first sloped contact surfaces, the non-contact connecting surfaces being positioned so as not to engage edge surfaces of the sprocket holes to facilitate placement of the pin locks through the sprocket holes of the film transparency when the film transparency is slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount.

In a slide mount formed of first and second frame portions connected along an outer border to form a pocket therebetween, the first and second frame portions having rectangular film windows, the film windows of the first and second frame portions defining a central aperture, the slide mount including a slit at the outer border through which a film transparency having sprocket holes along lateral edges thereof can be slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount to prepare a photographic film slide wherein, the improvement comprises:

• pin locks located on the first frame portion, the pin locks comprising:
• a bottom surface integral with the first frame portion;
• a top surface spaced from the bottom surface;
• first, second, third and fourth contact surfaces connecting the bottom surface and the top surface, with the first and the third contact surfaces being positioned in spaced opposed relation and the second and the fourth contact surfaces being positioned in spaced opposed relation, the first, the second, the third and the fourth contact surfaces being positioned to engage edge surfaces of the sprocket holes of the film transparency when the film transparency is slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount to fix the position of the film transparency;
• and
• non-contact connecting surfaces joining the first and the second, the second and the third, the third and the fourth and, the fourth and the first contact surfaces, the non-contact connecting surfaces being positioned so as not to engage edge surfaces of the sprocket holes to facilitate placement of the pin locks through the sprocket holes of the film transparency when the film transparency is slidably introduced into the pocket of the slide mount.