Motion picture camera

Abstract

A motion picture camera has a plurality of openings where a film cartridge magazine 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 magazine. The various openings provide for better balance with various support arrangements for the camera, such as on the shoulder or on a tripod.

Description

This is a division, of application Ser. No. 582,698, 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. 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. 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. 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.

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.

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.

Claims

1. In a motion picture camera, the combination of: a housing, a camera movement assembly enclosed with 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 a first opening and having a rearward portion provided with a second opening, the openings being duplicates, means for securing a 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, 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 housing, a camera having a camera movement assembly and a film strip feeding device both enclosed within a said 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, said openings being duplicates, means for selectively securing the same film magazine shell in directly to said housing at either one of said openings, 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.