Bilateral magazine feed means for projector apparatus

Claim 1

In a slide projector having a light source for emitting light in a first path, a mechanism for transporting slides across said first path, said mechanism comprising: a track for guiding slides in sequence in a second path which is linear and perpendicular to said first path, said track having first and second ends; a first magazine extending from one end of said track in one direction transverse to said track, said one direction and said second path defining an obtuse interior angle; a second magazine extending from the other end of said track in a second direction opposite said one direction and parallel to said first magazine; each of said magazines having two sides, one of which forms one of the sides of said obtuse interior angle, the other of said sides being positioned opposite said one side; said magazines each being configured to hold a stack of slides each slide being maintained perpendicular to the magazine and each magazine including biasing means for urging the stack of slides towards said track so that a slide in each magazine is disposed nearest the track, said magazines alternatively dispensing slides to said track or receiving slides from said track; first cam means associated with each magazine and connecting the track to the magazine at said one side, and first movable means for engaging the slide in the magazine nearest the track and urging the slide along said first cam means, said first cam means being contoured to change the orientation of a slide from perpendicular to the magazine to parallel to the track, and to position a slide on the track as it is urged along said first cam means; second cam means associated with each magazine and connecting the track to the magazine at said other side, and second movable means for engaging the slide in the track nearest the magazine and urging the slide along the second cam means and into the magazine; said second cam means being contoured to act in conjunction with the biasing means to change the orientation of the slide from parallel to the track to perpendicular to the magazine as said second movable means urges the slide along said second cam means; first displacement means for effecting the transport of slides from the first magazine to the second magazine, said first displacement means having coupled thereto the first movable means associated with the first magazine and the second movable means associated with the second magazine, and said displacement means being actuable for moving the first movable means coupled thereto to successively move slides from the first magazine into said track to thereby displace other slides in said track towards the second magazine and for moving the second movable means coupled thereto to move slides at the end of said track adjacent the second magazine into the second magazine; second displacement means for effecting the transport of slides from the second magazine to the first magazine, said second displacement means having coupled thereto the first movable means associated with the second magazine and the second movable means associated with the first magazine, and said second displacement means being actuable for moving the first movable means coupled thereto to successively move slides from the second magazine into said track to thereby displace other slides in said track towards the first magazine and for moving the second movable means coupled thereto to move slides at the end of the track adjacent the first magazine into the first magazine; and means for selectively actuating said first displacement means or said second displacement means.