Apparatus for image formation and projection

Claim 1

IN APPARATUS FOR FORMING AN IMAGE ON CONTINUOUS PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM AT A FIRST LOCATION AND FOR PROJECTING SAID IMAGE AT A SECOND LOCATION; APPARATUS FOR POSITIONING SAID FILM AT SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOCATIONS AND FOR TRANSPORTING SAID FILM THEREBETWEEN WITH REPEATABLE ACCURACY INDEPENDENT OF THE ACCURACY OF FILM DIMENSIONS, SAID POSITIONING AND TRANSPORTING APPARATUS COMPRISING: AN ELONGATED PHOTOGRAPHIC FILM HAVING FIRST AND SECOND ROWS OF EVENLY SPACED TRANSVERSELY ALIGNED PERFORATIONS RESPECTIVELY ADJACENT AND PARALLEL WITH THE FILM MARGINS; FIRST AND SECOND SPROCKET WHEELS RESPECTIVELY ENGAGING SAID FILM; MEANS FOR RESPECTIVELY ROTATABLY SUPPORTING SAID WHEELS; MEANS RESPECTIVELY COUPLED TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID WHEELS THEREBY TO MOVE SAID FILM IN A DIRECTION FROM SAID FIRST LOCATION TOWARD SAID SECOND LOCATION, SAID WHEELS BEING RESPECTIVELY SPACED FROM SAID LOCATIONS IN THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF SAID FILM; EACH OF SAID SPROCKET WHEELS COMPRISING FIRST AND SECOND SETS OF EVENLY SPACED RELATIVELY ROTATABLE SPROCKET TEETH ON SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR RESPECTIVELY ENGAGING THE PERFORATIONS OF SAID FIRST AND SECOND ROWS, MEANS RESPECTIVELY COUPLING SAID FIRST AND SECOND SETS OF TEETH TO SAID SUPPORTING MEANS FOR DRIVING SAID SETS OF TEETH SO AS TO APPLY EQUAL DRIVING FORCE TO THE LEADING EDGES OF RESPECTIVE PAIRS OF PERFORATIONS, SAID FIRST SET OF TEETH BEING TRANSVERSELY FIXED WITH REFERENCE TO THE RESPECTIVE SUPPORTING MEANS, SAID SECOND SET OF TEETH BEING TRANSVERSELY MOVEABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID FIRST SET, AND MEANS FOR RESILIENTLY URGING SAID SECOND SET OF TEETH TRANSVERSELY AWAY FROM SAID FIRST SET WHEREBY SAID SETS OF TEETH RESPECTIVELY ENGAGE THE OUTER EDGES OF RESPECTIVE PAIRS OF PERFORATIONS; AND MEANS RESPECTIVELY SPACED FROM SAID LOCATIONS IN THE DIRECTION OPPOSITE FROM SAID DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT FOR APPLYING BACK TENSION ON SAID FILM WHEREBY SAID FILM IS TRANSVERSELY AND AXIALLY FLAT AT SAID FIRST AND SECOND LOCATIONS RESPECTIVELY.