U.S. patent number RE32,138 [Application Number 06/063,421] was granted by the patent office on 1986-05-06 for motion picture camera.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Panavision, Incorporated. Invention is credited to Robert E. Gottschalk.
United States Patent |
RE32,138 |
Gottschalk |
May 6, 1986 |
Motion picture camera
Abstract
A motion picture camera has a plurality of openings where a film
.[.cartridge.]. .Iadd.magazine .Iaddend.may be selectively mounted,
the film passing through the selected opening into engagement with
the film drive apparatus of the camera and back to the
.[.cartridge.]. .Iadd.magazine.Iaddend.. The various openings
provide for better balance with various support arrangements for
the camera, such as on the shoulder or on a tripod.
Inventors: |
Gottschalk; Robert E. (Los
Angeles, CA) |
Assignee: |
Panavision, Incorporated
(Tarzana, CA)
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Family
ID: |
27370480 |
Appl.
No.: |
06/063,421 |
Filed: |
August 3, 1979 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
|
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582698 |
Jun 2, 1975 |
4121886 |
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388630 |
Aug 15, 1973 |
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Reissue of: |
710164 |
Jul 30, 1976 |
04082436 |
Apr 4, 1978 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
352/72; 352/133;
352/242; 352/243 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G03B
19/18 (20130101); G03B 17/265 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
G03B
17/26 (20060101); G03B 19/18 (20060101); G03B
19/00 (20060101); G03B 023/02 () |
Field of
Search: |
;352/72,35,93,133,242,243 ;354/118,119,110,111,210 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Other References
Pages 350-359 of Book Describing Mitchell 535R/Mark II Camera,
submitted by applicant as prior art..
|
Primary Examiner: Hayes; Monroe H.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Lyon & Lyon
Parent Case Text
This is a division, of application Ser. No. 582,698, .Iadd.now U.S.
Pat. No. 4,121,886, .Iaddend.filed 6/2/75 which was a continuation
of application Ser. No. 388,630 filed Aug. 15, 1973 now abandoned.
Claims
I claim:
1. In a motion picture camera, the combination of: a housing, a
camera movement assembly enclosed .[.with.]. .Iadd.within
.Iaddend.said housing, a support member within said housing, means
for mounting the camera movement assembly on said support member,
sound-absorbing connector means securing said support member to
said housing, said camera movement assembly being spaced from the
enclosing housing and without any contact therewith, the camera
housing having an upper portion provided with a first opening and
having a rearward portion provided with a second opening, .Iadd.the
openings being duplicates, .Iaddend.means for securing .[.a.].
.Iadd.the same .Iaddend.film magazine .Iadd.directly to said
housing and .Iaddend.selectively over either of said openings
whereby a film strip in said magazine may pass through the selected
opening to the camera movement assembly, a lens mount fixed on the
housing and without contact with said support member, and a closure
member for closing either of said openings releasably engaging said
housing and closing one of said openings. .[.
2. In a motion picture camera having a housing, the combination of:
a camera movement assembly and a film strip feeding device both
enclosed within said housing, an electric motor within the housing
and connected to drive both the camera movement assembly and the
film strip feeding device, the camera housing having an upper
portion provided with a first opening and having a rearward portion
provided with a second opening, means for selectively securing a
film magazine in either one of said openings whereby a film strip
in said magazine may pass through said one opening to the camera
movement assembly and film strip feeding device and a closure
member releasably engaging said housing and closing one of said
openings..].
3. In combination, a motion picture .Iadd.housing, a
.Iaddend.camera having a camera movement assembly and a film strip
feeding device both enclosed within .[.a.]. .Iadd.said
.Iaddend.housing, and a film magazine having a supply reel and a
takeup reel mounted within an enclosing shell, the camera housing
having an upper portion provided with a first opening and having a
rearward portion provided with a second opening, .Iadd.said
openings being duplicates, .Iaddend.means for selectively securing
the .Iadd.same .Iaddend.film magazine shell .[.in.]. .Iadd.directly
to said housing at either one of said openings.Iadd.,
.Iaddend.whereby a film strip may pass through said one of said
openings from said supply reel through the camera movement assembly
and film strip feeding device and back through the same opening to
the takeup reel in the film magazine, and a closure member for
closing either of said openings releasably engaging said housing
and closing one of said openings. .Iadd.
4. In a motion picture camera, the combination of: a housing, a
camera movement assembly enclosed within said housing, a support
member within said housing, means for mounting the camera movement
assembly on said support member, sound-absorbing connector means
securing said support member to said housing, said camera movement
assembly being spaced from the enclosing housing and without any
contact therewith, the camera housing having an upper portion
provided with an opening and having a rearward portion provided
with a duplicate opening, means for securing the same film magazine
directly to said housing and selectively over either of said
openings whereby a film strip in said magazine may pass through the
selected opening to the camera movement assembly, and a closure
member for closing either of said openings releasably enaging said
housing and closing one of said openings. .Iaddend. .Iadd.
5. In a motion picture camera having a housing, the combination of:
a camera movement assembly and a film strip feeding device both
enclosed within said housing, the camera housing having an upper
portion provided with an opening and having rearward portion
provided with a duplicate opening, means for selectively securing
the same film magazine directly to said housing in either one of
said openings whereby a film strip in said magazine may pass
through said one opening to the camera movement assembly and film
strip feeding device, and a closure member releasably engaging said
housing and closing the other one of said openings. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.
6. In combination, a motion picture camera having a camera movement
assembly and a film strip feeding device both enclosed within a
housing, the camera housing having an upper portion provided with a
first opening and a socket, and having a rearward portion provided
with a duplicate opening and a duplicate socket, a film magazine
having a projection to fit either of said sockets, means for
selectively securing the same film magazine directly to said camera
housing at either one of said openings with its projection engaging
the socket associated with that opening, whereby a film strip may
pass through one of said openings from said film magazine through
the camera movement assembly and film strip feeding device and back
through the same opening to the film magazine, and a closure member
for releasably closing either of said openings. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.
7. In combination, a motion picture camera having a camera movement
assembly and a film strip feeding device both enclosed within a
housing, and a film magazine having a supply reel and a takeup reel
mounted within an enclosing shell, the camera housing having an
upper portion provided with a first opening and a socket, the
camera housing having a rearward portion provided with a duplicate
opening and a duplicate socket, the film magazine shell having a
projection to fit either of said sockets, means for selectively
securing the film magazine shell directly to said camera housing at
either of said openings with its projection engaging the socket
associated with that opening, whereby a film strip may pass through
one of said openings from said supply reel through the camera
movement assembly and film strip feeding device and back through
the same opening to the takeup reel in the film magazine, and a
closure member for releasably closing either of said openings.
.Iaddend.
Description
This invention relates to motion picture cameras of the
professional type used for producing motion picture photoplays
provided with a sound track. It is essential that the cameras used
for such work produce as little sound as possible in order to avoid
recording on the sound track unwanted sounds produced by the motion
picture camera. It has been customary to provide a "blimp" to
enclose the motion picture camera and thus minimize unwanted sounds
produced by the camera. However, the blimp is awkward and
cumbersome and cannot readily be used unless the camera is mounted
on a tripod.
It is the principal object of this invention to provide a portable
lightweight motion picture camera which can be hand-held or
balanced on the shoulder, and which produces so little sound that a
blimp is not required. Another object is to produce such a motion
picture camera in which the sound level produced is on the order of
27 decibels, when operating with the film in place.
.[.It has been found that sound generated by the moving parts of a
conventional motion picture camera is often "broadcast" by the lens
assembly which is attached to the camera frame through a
metal-to-metal connection. Even though much of the sound generated
by the camera "movement", film feed device, film strip itself,
driving motor, etc. can be muffled within the camera housing, a
significant proportion of the sound is broadcast through the lens
assembly..].
.[.In accordance with this invention, the propagation of sound
through the lens assembly is substantially eliminated by mounting
the lens assembly on the camera housing, and then mounting all of
the moving parts of the camera within the housing on a single
support member or plate, which plate is secured to the camera
housing only through sound-absorbing connectors..].
.Iadd.When the camera is to be mounted on a tripod it is desirable
to place the film magazine above the camera in an out-of-the-way
position. On the other hand, when the camera is to be carried on
the shoulder of the cameraman, it is desirable to use the weight of
the film magazine and film contained therein to balance the camera
and lens, etc. over the cameraman's shoulder. .Iaddend.
.Iadd.In accordance with the present invention, the camera housing
is provided with two duplicate openings, one on top and one at the
rear, so that the same film magazine may be placed to register with
either one of these two openings, as desired.
Other and more detailed objects and advantages will appear
hereinafter.
In the drawings:
FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing a preferred form of the
invention, the camera and its related parts and accessories being
positioned on a shoulder mount.
FIG. 2 is a similar view showing the camera and its related parts
and accessories being positioned on a tripod mount.
FIG. 3 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the lines
3--3 as shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a side elevation partly broken away, taken substantially
on the lines 4--4 as shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the lines
5--5 as shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the lines
6--6 as shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the lines 7--7
as shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 is a sectional detail taken substantially on the lines 8--8
as shown in FIG. 5
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the support plate.
FIG. 10 is a side elevation showing the inside of the insulated
door for the camera housing.
FIG. 11 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the lines
11--11 as shown in FIG. 10.
FIG. 12 is a sectional plan view partly broken away taken
substantially on the lines 12--12 as shown in FIG. 10.
FIG. 13 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of FIG. 11.
Referring to the drawings, the motion picture camera generally
designated 10 includes a housing 11 which may be supported on a
shoulder mount 12 as shown in FIG. 1, or on a tripod mount 13 as
shown in FIG. 2. An interchangeable lens assembly 14 is mounted at
the forward end of the camera 10, together with a view finder
assembly 15, a film speed indicator 16, and a film footage meter
17. A film magazine 18 may be mounted at the back face of the
housing 11 as shown in FIG. 1, or, alternatively, may be mounted on
the top face of the housing 11 as shown in FIG. 2. Various sizes of
film magazines may be employed as shown by the phantom lines in
FIG. 2. A handle 19 mounted on a cover plate 20 is used to close an
opening in the camera housing, whichever opening is not being used
for the film magazine 18.
A mounting plate 22 is positioned within the housing 11 but is
connected to the housing 11 only by means of four sound-insulating
connectors 23, 24, 25 and 26, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. These
connectors are duplicates and each includes a metal pin 27 fixed to
the metal mounting plate 22 and received within an elastomeric
liner 28 carried in a bushing 29. The bushing 29 is threaded
externally for reception of the internal threads 30 within a boss
31 formed integrally with the camera housing 11. The mounting plate
22 is thus supported within the camera housing 11 but the
supporting means are sound-insulated so that transmission of sound
between the mounting plate 22 and the camera housing 11 is
effectively inhibited.
All of the components of the camera which produce sound during the
operation of the camera are fixed to the mounting plate 22, and not
to the housing 11. Thus the electric motor 33 is carried on spaced
metal posts 34 fixed to the mounting plate 22. The flange 33a
carried by the posts 34 grips the outside of the electric motor 33
only through the elastomeric sound-insulating ring 33b. The camera
"movement" assembly 36 which advances the film 37 intermittently
through the aperture plate 38 is also fixed to the mounting plate
22. The drive shaft 39 which is driven by the motor 33 through belt
40 is carried on the mounting plate 22 and serves to drive the
camera movement assembly 36. The gear box 41 which is driven by the
electric motor 33 is mounted directly on the mounting plate 22 and
contains gears, not shown, which turn the drive shaft 42. The
axially spaced bearings 43 and 44 for the drive shaft 42 are
carried on the mounting plate 22. The film drive sprocket 45 is
rotatably mounted on a support 46 fixed to the mounting plate 22
and is driven by shaft 50 which extends through opening 47 and is
connected to the driven gear 48 in mesh with the driving gear 40 on
the shaft 42.
The rotary shutter 51 is fixed to the shaft 42 and turns with
clearance within the arcuate walls formed on the cross flange 54 at
the forward end of the mounting plate 22 (see FIG. 9). The path of
the rotary shutter 51 is indicated by the phantom lines in FIG. 9.
The position of the film aperture "A" is indicated by the phantom
lines in FIG. 3.
A second gear box 56 which drives the rotary mirror 57 from the
forward end of the shaft 42 is positioned forwardly of the rotary
shutter 51 and is supported by the top and bottom portions of the
cross flange 54 on the mounting plate 22. This second gear box 56
does not touch the camera housing and is not connected to it. A
gear train 58 mounted within the gear box 56 serves to rotate the
mirror 57 when the shaft 42 turns.
From the foregoing description it will be understood that all of
the noise-generating components of the camera are fixed on the
mounting plate 22, and none of them touch the camera housing 11.
Moreover, the camera housing 11 completely surrounds all of the
noise-generating components. As pointed out above, the only
connection between the mounting plate 22 and the housing 11 is
provided by the sound-insulating connectors 23, 24, 25 and 26. The
lens mounting ring 61 for the interchangeable lens assembly 14 is
fixed to the camera housing, or more particularly, to the cover
section 62 comprising a part of the camera housing 11.
Another portion of the camera housing 11 is provided by the
detachable housing part 63. An insulated double door 64 mounted on
hinges 65 also forms a part of the camera housing 11. The door may
be swung open to gain access to the film strip 37, or to the camera
movement aperture plate 38, or for any other purpose. The door 64
is an assembly of an inner door 66 and an outer door 67. The inner
door is separated from the outer door (no metal-to-metal contact)
through the use of vibration isolater assemblies 68 connecting the
doors. The details of construction of these vibration isolaters are
shown in FIG. 13.
Closing of the double door 64 causes the seal strip 70 on the outer
door 67 to contact the camera housing and means are provided for
tightening the seal strip 70 under pressure. This means includes
sliding latches 71 and 72 operated by rotary actuator 73 and
pivotal connections 74 and 75. The projecting ends of the latches
71 and 72 move into recess 76 and 77, respectively, provided in the
camera housing. The rotary actuator 73 is turned by means of stub
shaft 78 and pivoted handle 79 accessible exteriorly of the outer
door 67. When the latches 71 and 72 are in locking position as
shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, pressure is applied to seal the inner
door 66 on its seal strip 81. The isolation mounts 68 flex
sufficiently to pull the outer door 67 toward the camera housing to
compress the seal strip 70. A locking arm 82 is also pivoted to the
rotary actuator 73 at 75 and is slidably guided for movement into
and out of a recess formed in the camera housing 11. The transverse
head portion 83 on the locking arm 82 fills the recess 84 to
complete the sealing of the inner door 66. The recess 84 in the
camera housing is required to facilitate removal of the camera
movement aperture plate 38 for cleaning and inspection
purposes.
The opening 86 in the back face of the camera housing 11 is a
duplicate in size and shape of the opening 87 in the upper face of
the camera housing 11. .Iadd.Projecting elements 90 on the shell of
the magazine 18 fit within the socket 85 defined by the size of the
opening 86 or 87. .Iaddend.A manually operated cam locking
mechanism 88 locks the film magazine 18 in place in the opening 86
while a similar mechanism 89 locks the cover plate 20 with its
handle 19 in the other opening 87. As pointed out above, the film
magazine 18 may be installed in the opening 87 while the cover
plate 20 may be installed in the opening 86, if desired.
.Iadd.Duplicate sockets 85 adjacent the openings 86 and 87 receive
the projection 90 on the film magazine 18 or the duplicate
projection on the cover plate 20. .Iaddend.The threading of the
film strip 37 from the film magazine 18 through one of the openings
in the camera housing and to and from the camera movement and feed
sprocket 45 is conventional. The phantom lines in FIG. 4 show how
the film strip is positioned when a film magazine 18 is positioned
in the opening 87 in the camera housing.
A spring loaded threading knob 91 is mounted for both axial and
rotary movement on the back face of the camera housing 11, as shown
in FIG. 5. Manual force may be applied to the knob 91 to bring the
flange 92 into engagement with the flange 93 on the end of the
shaft 42. The knob 91 may therefore be used to turn the shaft 42
and rotary shutter 51 to any desired position, when the electric
motor 33 is not energized. .[.FIG. 7 shows how a portion of the
film magazine 18 is received within one of the openings 86 and 87
in the housing 11. Guide rollers 95 and 96 guide the film strip 37
in a conventional fashion..].
.Iadd.FIG. 7 shows how projecting element 90 of the film magazine
18 is received within sockets 85 adjacent either one of the
openings 86 and 87 in the housing 11. Guide rollers 95 and 96
within the shell of the magazine 18 guide the film strip 37 in a
conventional fashion. .Iaddend.
The fragmentary view of FIG. 8 shows details of the coupling
connection by which the electric motor 33 drives the input shaft to
the gear box 41. Thus a flanged hub 98 driven by the motor 33
carries a plurality of axially extending drive pins 99 each
encircled by an "O" ring 100. The pins 99 extend into pockets 101
provided in the drive pulley 102 for the belt 40. This drive pulley
102 is fixed to the shaft 103 which drives the gear box 41.
The sounds generated within the camera housing by the camera
movement assembly 36, driving motor 33, gear box 41, gears 49 and
48, and the gear train 58 within the mirror driving gear box 56, as
well as the sounds generated by the film strip itself--all of these
sounds are effectively smothered within the enclosing housing 11
and double door 64. The sound vibrations are not transmitted to the
housing 11 because all of the moving parts are mounted on the
support plate 22 and have clearance with respect to the housing 11.
The interchangeable lens assembly 14 does not serve to broadcast
sounds generated within the housing 11 because there is no contact
between any of the moving parts with the housing 11.
The camera of this invention does not require enclosure within a
"blimp". A 35 mm camera of the type disclosed was found to produce
only about 27.+-.1 decibels when operating with film in place.
Having fully described my invention, it is to be understood that I
am not to be limited to the details herein set forth but that my
invention is of the full scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *