Combined shutter and diaphragm assembly for cameras

Claim 1

IN A CAMERA, IN COMBINATION, A BLADE ASSEMBLY LOCATED SUBSTANTIALLY IN A PLANE NORMAL TO THE OPTICAL AXIS OF THE CAMERA; BLADE MOVING MEANS MOVABLE BETWEEN OPEN AND CLOSED POSITIONS AND COOPERATING WITH SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY FOR MOVING THE LATTER FROM A CLOSED POSITION PREVENTING AN EXPOSURE TO AN OPEN POSITION PROVIDING AN EXPOSURE AND THEN BACK TO SAID CLOSED POSITION, DURING IN THE OPEN POSITION OF SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS A CLOSED POSITION TO SAID OPEN POSITION THEREOF AND THEN BACK TO SAID CLOSED POSITION THEREOF, RESPECTIVELY; ADJUSTABLE LEVER MEANS COOPERATING WITH SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS FOR CONTROLLING THE EXTENT TO WHICH SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS MOVES SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY FROM SAID CLOSED POSITION THEREOF SO AS TO DETERMINE THE APERTURE PROVIDED BY SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY, SAID ADJUSTABLE LEVER MEANS HAVING IN THE OPEN POSITION OF SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS A POSITION TEMPORARILY HOLDING SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS AT SAID OPEN POSITION THEREOF; AND SPRING MEANS OF A PREDETERMINED FORCE OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO ONE OF SAID MEANS FOR URGING SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS TO SAID CLOSED POSITION THEREOF AND SAID ADJUSTABLE LEVER MEANS FROM SAID POSITION TEMPORARILY HOLDING SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS IN SAID OPEN POSITION THEREOF, SAID SPRING MEANS EXPENDING A RELATIVELY LARGE PROPORTION OF SAID PREDETERMINED FORCE THEREOF IN MOVING SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS AND SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY WHEN A RELATIVELY LARGE APERTURE IS PROVIDED BY SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY SO THAT THE REMAINING FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS IS RELATIVELY SMALL AND THUS THE BLADE MOVING MEANS AND LEVER MEANS MOVE AT A RELATIVELY SLOW RATE TO PROVIDE A RELATIVELY LONG EXPOSURE TIME WHILE A RELATIVELY SMALL PORTION OF SAID PREDETERMINED FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS IS EXPENDED IN MOVING SAID BLADE MOVING MEANS AND SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY WHEN SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY PROVIDES A RELATIVELY SMALL APERTURE SO THAT A RELATIVELY LARGE PROPORTION OF SAID PREDETERMINED FORCE OF SAID SPRING MEANS REMAINS FOR MOVING SAID BLADE MOVEING MEANS AND LEVER MEANS QUICKLY TO PROVIDE A RELATIVELY SHORT EXPOSURE TIME, WHEREBY EXPOSURE TIMES WHICH VARY DIRECTLY WITH THE SIZE OF THE APERTURE ARE AUTOMATICALLY PROVIDED AND A RETARDING MECHANISM IS RENDERED SUPERFLUOUS, WHILE SAID BLADE ASSEMBLY PERFORMS THE FUNCTIONS OF A DIAPHRAGM AND SHUTTER.