Photographic apparatus for producing curved lines

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR PHOTOGRAPHICALLY GENERATING AN OPTICAL CAM DEVICE IN THE FORM OF A CURVED LINE OF SMALL PATCHES WHEREIN CLOSELY SPACED POINTS ON THE CAM SHAPE TO BE GENERATED ARE EACH DEFINED BY SPECIFIED MEASUREMENTS IN TWO COORDINATES, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A SENSITIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENT, A MOVABLE SUPPORT FOR SUCH ELEMENT, A MOVABLE PHOTOGRAPHIC ILLUMINATING UNIT, MEANS FOR IMPARTING COMPONENT MOVEMENTS IN ONE COORDINATE IN EQUAL SMALL INCREMENTAL STEPS TO ONE OF THE TWO MEMBERS CONSTITUTED BY THE ELEMENT SUPPORT AND THE PHOTOGRAPHIC UNIT RELATIVELY TO THE OTHER OF SUCH MEMBERS, AND MICROMETER MEANS FOR MOVING THE OTHER OF THE TWO MEMBERS IN DISCRETE STEPS WHEREBY IN ASSOCIATION WITH EACH OF THE COMPONENT POSITIONS DETERMINED BY SUCH INCREMENTAL STEPPED MOVEMENTS AN ACCURATELY MEASURED COMPONENT MOVEMENT IN THE OTHER COORDINATE CORRESPONDING TO THE SPECIFIED MEASUREMENT APPROPRIATE TO SUCH COMPONENT POSITION FOR DEFINING THE CAM SHAPE IS IMPARTED TO ONE OF SUCH TWO MEMBERS RELATIVELY TO THE OTHER, WHEREBY SUCH COMPONENT MOVEMENTS COMBINE TO PRODUCE A RESULTANT STEPPED RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN SUCH TWO MEMBERS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CAM SHAPE TO BE GENERATED, THE PHOTOGRAPHIC ILLUMINATING UNIT INCLUDING A SOURCE OF LIGHT, A SMALL APERTURE, MEANS WHEREBY LIGHT FROM THE SOURCE CAN BE CONCENTRATED WITH THE AID OF THE APERTURE ON TO A SMALL AREA OF THE SENSITIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENT, AND MEANS NORMALLY SHUTTING OFF SUCH LIGHT BUT OPERABLE AT WILL TO PERMIT THE LIGHT TO PASS TO THE SENSITIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENT, WHEREBY BY OPERATING SUCH MEANS IN TURN IN EACH OF THE STEPPED RELATIVE POSITIONS DETERMINED BY SUCH RESULTANT STEPPED RELATIVE MOVEMENT AND SUBSEQUENTLY DEVELOPING THE SENSITIVE PHOTOGRAPHIC ELEMENT A NEGATIVE WILL BE PRODUCED BEARING ON A TRANSLUCENT BACKGROUND A LINE OF SMALL DARK PATCHES, OF SHAPE CORRESPONDING TO THAT OF THE APERTURE, CONSTITUTING AN OPTICAL REPRESENTATION OF THE CAM SHAPE DEFINED BY THE SPECIFIED COORDINATE MEASUREMENTS.