Film guided playback and recording mechanism

Claim 2

A magnetic recording and playback apparatus comprising a head mechanism, a moving film strip having a magnetic sound track on one face thereof and a photographic emulsion and an at least initially fluid processing composition on the opposite face thereof, said head mechanism including: a housing; means cooperable with said housing for operably receiving and supporting said film strip; a transducer for magnetically transcribing and replaying audio signals on said sound track; means for biasing said transducer toward engagement with said sound track; means connected to said housing and to said transducer for effecting movement of said transducer into and out of engagement with said sound track whilst maintaining said transducer parallel to an initial position; means for registering said transducer with respect to said sound track and maintaining such registration notwithstanding changes in the path of movement of said film strip, said registering means including guide means secured to said transducer and adapted to engage the opposite edges of said film strip whereby said transducer will move in response to changes in the path of said film strip to maintain said registration; said head including upper and lower mounting means; and said biasing means comprising spring means connected between said mounting means.

Claim 3

The invention in accordance with claim 1, wherein said upper mounting means comprises a bracket fixedly secured to said housing and pivotably secured to an end portion of said spring means and said lower mounting means comprises a bracket fixedly secured to said transducer and pivotably secured to the opposite end portion of said spring means.

Claim 4

The invention as recited in claim 2, wherein said spring means comprises a leaf spring having identical spaced, parallel leaf members whose corresponding end portions are fixedly secured in spaced, parallel relation.

Claim 5

The invention pursuant to claim 3, wherein said leaf spring is pivotal with respect to said upper mounting means in a plane parallel to that of said film strip''s face.

Claim 6

The invention according to claim 4, wherein said leaf spring is pivotal with respect to said lower mounting means in a plane parallel to the pivotal plane of said leaf spring with respect to said upper mounting means.

Claim 7

The invention as described in claim 5, wherein said film strip is disposed within a cassette having a supply reel and a take-up reel, and said film strip is movable in a general path between said supply and take-up reels whilst deviating slightly from said path.

Claim 8

The invention in accordance with claim 6, wherein said cassette is provided with an aperture and said transducer is adapted to partially enter said aperture and engage said sound track.

Claim 9

The invention as stated in claim 7, further including means disposed within said cassette for resiliently supporting said film strip.

Claim 10

The invention as set forth in claim 8, wherein said resiliently supporting means is configured so as to prevent contact thereof with said processing composition such that said film strip may pass over said supporting means without any attendant interference with the processing of a photographic image.

Claim 11

The invention as related in claim 9, wherein said film strip is adapted to record a photographic image on a central portion of said opposite face and said supporting means is adapted to engage and resiliently support said film strip at spaced edge portions on opposite sides of said central portion.

Claim 12

The invention as described in claim 10, wherein said supporting means is pivotably connected to said cassette at one end portion and is provided with outwardly extending ears adapted to extend over opposite edge portions of said film strip such that any lateral or rotational shift in the position of said film strip will cause the edges thereof to engage at least one of said ears and effect pivotal movement of said supporting means.

Claim 13

The invention as recited in claim 11, wherein said ears are each provided with an arcuate face adapted to tangentially engage an edge of said film strip whilst facilitating the movement of said film strip therepast.

Claim 14

The invention as stated in claim 12, wherein said cassette is received by and cooperable with a photograPhic camera to effect exposure of said emulsion and the recording of said image and is receivable by and cooperable with film drive and projection apparatus for the viewing of such image.

Claim 15

The invention as described in claim 13, wherein said cassette is provided with means for coating the emulsion bearing face of said film strip with said processing composition subsequent to said exposure to develop said image from subsequent projection.

Claim 16

The invention as set forth in claim 14, wherein said transducer is operatively connected to said housing and cooperable with said cassette and said resilient supporting means whereby said sound track may be resiliently sandwiched between said supporting means and said transducer.

Claim 17

A magnetic recording and playback apparatus comprising a self-processing moving photographic film strip having a sound track on one face and a photographic emulsion and a wet processing composition on its opposite face, a housing; a transducer for transcribing and replaying audio signals on said sound track; means for biasing said transducer toward engagement with said sound track; means connected to said housing and to said transducer for effecting movement of said transducer from an initial position into such engagement while remaining parallel to its initial position; and means for registering said transducer with respect to said sound track and maintaining such registration notwithstanding changes in the path of movement of said film strip, said registering means including first guide means secured to said transducer and adapted to engage the opposite edges of said film strip whereby said transducer will move in response to changes in the path of said film strip to maintain said registration; movable means for supporting said film strip and resiliently sandwiching said sound track with said transducer; second guide means secured to said movable means and adapted to engage the opposite edges of said film strip whereby said movable means will move in response to changes in the path of said film strip and maintain said movable means in predetermined relationship to said film strip, whereby both said movable means and said transducer are cooperable with each other and said film strip so as to follow any variations in the path of said film strip.

Claim 18

A magnetic recording and playback apparatus comprising a self-processing moving photographic film strip having a sound track on one face and a photographic emulsion and a wet processing composition on its opposite face, a housing; a transducer for transcribing and replaying audio signals on said sound track; means for biasing said transducer toward engagement with said sound track; means connected to said housing and to said transducer for effecting movement of said transducer from an initial position into such engagement while remaining parallel to its initial position; and means for registering said transducer with respect to said sound track and maintaining such registration notwithstanding changes in the path of movement of said film strip, said registering means including first guide means secured to said transducer and adapted to engage the opposite edges of said film strip whereby said transducer will move in response to changes in the path of said film strip to maintain said registration; movable means for supporting said film strip and resiliently sandwiching said sound track with said transducer; second guide means secured to said movable means and adapted to engage the opposite edges of said film strip whereby said movable means will move in response to changes in the path of said film strip and maintain said movable means in predetermined relationship to said film strip, whereby both said movable means and said transducer are cooperable with each other and said film strip so as to follow any variations in the path of said film strip.

Claim 19

Apparatus for recording and reproducing sound signals comprising a moving film strip having a magnetic sound track on one face thereof and a photographic emulsion and an at least initially fluid processing composition on the opposite face thereof, a cassette; film transport means mounting said film strip in said cassette for movement along an appropriate determined path past a sound station, said film strip having freedom for limited excursions from said path; support means in said cassette adjacent said opposite face of said film strip; resilient means mounting said support means in said cassette for limited movement relative to said cassette into and out of engagement with said film strip, said resilient means allowing movements of said support means to follow said excursions of said film strip when in engagement therewith; said support means comprising first spaced guide means for engaging the edges of said film strip to cause said support means to maintain a fixed alignment with said film strip when in engagement therewith; said support means comprising spaced side support means for engaging said opposite face of said film strip at the sides thereof while allowing the free passage of processing composition on a central image portion of said opposite face; means forming a housing adapted to receive said cassette; a transducer; compliant means mounting said transducer in said housing for movement into and out of engagement with said one face of said film strip; said compliant means comprising second resilient means biasing said transducer into engagement with said film strip to move said film strip into engagement with Said support means; said compliant means comprising follower means mounting said transducer for movement relative to said housing to follow said excursions of said film strip in planes parallel to said faces while remaining substantially parallel to an initial position of said transducer; second spaced guide means mounted on said transducer for engaging the edges of said film strip to cause said transducer to follow said excursions while maintaining said transducer in operative relationship with said sound track; and means connected to said housing and to said transducer for moving said transducer into and out of engagement with said film strip.

Claim 20

Apparatus for recording and reproducing sound signals comprising a moving film strip having a magnetic sound track on one face thereof and a photographic emulsion and an at least initially fluid processing composition on the opposite face thereof, a cassette; film transport means mounting said film strip in said cassette for movement along an appropriate determined path past a sound station, said film strip having freedom for limited excursions from said path; support means in said cassette adjacent said opposite face of said film strip; resilient means mounting said support means in said cassette for limited movement relative to said cassette into and out of engagement with said film strip, said resilient means allowing movements of said support means to follow said excursions of said film strip when in engagement therewith; said support means comprising first spaced guide means for engaging the edges of said film strip to cause said support means to maintain a fixed alignment with said film strip when in engagement therewith; said support means comprising spaced side support means for engaging said opposite face of said film strip at the sides thereof while allowing the free passage of processing composition on a central image portion of said opposite face; means forming a housing adapted to receive said cassette; a transducer; compliant means mounting said transducer in said housing for movement into and out of engagement with said one face of said film strip; said compliant means comprising second resilient means biasing said transducer into engagement with said film strip to move said film strip into engagement with Said support means; said compliant means comprising follower means mounting said transducer for movement relative to said housing to follow said excursions of said film strip in planes parallel to said faces while remaining substantially parallel to an initial position of said transducer; second spaced guide means mounted on said transducer for engaging the edges of said film strip to cause said transducer to follow said excursions while maintaining said transducer in operative relationship with said sound track; and means connected to said housing and to said transducer for moving said transducer into and out of engagement with said film strip.