CA1193478A - Reader-filler machine for inserting film strips into microfiche jackets - Google Patents

Abstract

READER-FILLER MACHINE FOR INSERTING
FILM STRIPS INTO MICROFICHE JACKETS

ABSTRACT

A reader-filler machine adapted to insert a discrete strip of microfilm having a series of image frames into a selected channel of a microfiche jacket. The jacket is pro-vided with parallel channels each having an entry slot adjacen-the front end. The machine includes a film drive mechanism which cooperates with an optical viewer. The film strip is advanced by the mechanism along the track of a track block which terminates adjacent the front end of a pivoted table which is spring-loaded. The block includes a pair of pressure fingers projecting from either side of the track exit and a pair of flat locating guides flanking the fingers. In operation, the user first tilts the table downwardly with respect to the track exit and places the jacket thereon to cause the guides to enter the channels on opposite sides of the channel to be loaded, thereby orienting the selected channel with respect to the track exit. The table is then released to cause the pres-sure fingers to engage the borders of the selected channel and to bring the entry slot of this channel into registration with the track exit. The drive mechanism is then operated to advance the film strip or a section thereof into the selected channel, the frames on the strip being optically viewable to determine the point at which the strip is to be severed.

Description

~ACKGROUND OF lNv~NllON

This invention relate6 generally to reader-filler machines or loading micro~iche 3ackets~ and more particularly to ~ machine adapted to handle d.Lscrete microfilm strips and to optically ~iew the image frame therPon befvre insertion to facilitate ~evering the strips at the desired junctions.

Transparent microfiche jacket~ housing 16 or 35 millimeter film are currently in widespread use in connection with the storage and retrieval of informa~ion photographically recorded on a reduced s~ale. One wel~-known form of microfiche jacket i~ disclosed in U.S. ~atent 3,23~,Ç55~ the jacket being composed of two ~ransparent plastic panels in ~uperposed relation l~m; ~Ated toge~her by parallel xibs which define a plurality of open-ended ch~nnel~ adapted to accommodate micro-film strips, each carrying a series of image frame~ of recorded text and other docwnentation. To facilit~te ~he insertion of mlcrofilm, slots are cut in one of the panels adjacent an end ~hereo~ to provide an entry into each channel.

The loaded multi-çh~n~el jacket f~nctions as a micro-fi~he mas~er from which low ~os~ dupli~a~e~ or reference copies can be ~uickly made ~y contac~ printing~ u~ing diazo-processing ~e~hn;ques for this purpose. A similar mi rofiche jacket i~
aisclosed in U.S~ Patent 3/866,~48, ~he m~l~iple film~xeceiving c~nnel~ in ~hi~ in~ance being d~ined by parallel bonding lines ~o~med ~y ultrasonically fu~ing the pla~tic panels together~

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U.S. patents 37238,655 and 4,167,842 disclose reader-filler machines for loading and updating a mulki-channel mierofiche jacket with film chips. Xnsertions are made by placing the jacket to ~e filled on an inclined platorm that is ind xible in the Y-direction to regis~r succes~ive jacket channels with the leading edge of an incoming film web drawn from a reel, the film ~eing guided in the X-direction along a ~rackway termi n~ting adjacen~ ~he edge of the platform. In opexation, a ilm ~ection constituted by one or more image frames i~ advanced into a selected ch~n~el~ the trailing edge of the section ~hen being severed to form a film chip which re~; n~ in the channel. The platform is then jn~exe~ to the nex~ ch~nnel or the next insertion.

Reader~filler mach;nes of the type disclosed in these paten~s are relatively ¢omplex mechanisms which are designed for use with microfilm in r~el form, the frames on the film drawn from t~e reel being optically viewable so that the point at which the ilm is to be ~evered for insertion in a micro~
fiche jacket can ~e prec~sely determined.

- ~n recen~ year~, complete docume~t microfilming mach~ne~ des~gned for ofic~ use ha~e ~ecome available, these copier~ being as sim~le to operate as a conventional of~ice xexographic copier. Typical of such microfilmi~g machines is the ta~l~ Model 6~00 m~chine marketed ~y Electro-Op~ical ~echanisms5 Inc~ of Pomona, California~ ~his sel-contained maChln~ i5 a mlcroilm proce~sor ~ha~ produees a 16 mm ~ully-processed film s~rip of six inches in length having u~ to 1 images ~hereon reduced to o~e twenty ~our~h the original document sizeO

~3-LP7~

Thus ~he opera~or of the Model 6100 copier, very much - in the fashion o~ an office xerographic copier, æuccessively places documen~s of up to 8-1/2 X 14 inches in si~e in the machine. The machine ~akes reduced-scale pho~ocopie~ of these docilments on film which is automatically processed, advanced and cut to yield a single microfilm strip of s~andard size.
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~nother simplified offi~e microfilm copier is the 'Micle 120~" copler ma~u~tured by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., . of Tokyo, Japan~ This copier is adapted to microfilm documents at a high speed (.50 frames per minute), the film roll being automatically 5U~ into s~rips of 12 frames each, to allow microfilming in smal~er ~atches. Thi~ results in quicker accass to required infoxmation and greatly cuts down on wai~ing .
time and film waste.

Because reel-type reader-filler machine~ of the type disclosed in U.S. patent 3,238~555 and 4,167,842 are mechanic-ally complex, cum~ersome and expensive, and are intende~ for use wi~h microfiche jacket insertion on a large scale, such ~ch;nP~ are inappropriate for use with office microfilm ~0 copiers which yield di~crete film s~rips con~ining 12 or 14 frames.

. . .
In order ~o provide a microfilm ins~r~er for strips o~ the type produced by th~ Fiji Photo and other of~ice ~opier~, ~OS. patent 4,064,67i of Takahishi et al. discloses a device having a ~a~le for re~; ni ng a microfilm jacket into which a ~ilm strip is inserted by means of feed rolls. Such strip~ have eikher a ~lank leader or a ~lank trailer.

~r '~ In a conventional microf.ilm inserter, the ilm strip j is ir~t inserted in t~e jacke~ channel and the ~railer i~ then out along the end of the jacke~ to o~tain a strip of proper length. Because the channel ent:ry slot is somewhat inset from the jacket end, ~he cGnventional method of cutting the , film strip along the e~d of the jacket makes neces~ary an i additional positional adjustment wherein the end of the film is pushed inward until it reaches the slot. ~n the Tak~hAShi patent machine~ the trailer of ~he film strip is inserted as ~ar as the entry slot of the jacket and the leader is there-after cut off.

The T~k~h~.qhi inserter and other known inserter~ for f ilm strips are adapted to fill all channels of a microfiche jacket with micro~ilm ~trips of standard size having 12 or 14 frames. Such in~erters are incapable of loading the channels with sections cut from stAn~Ard strips for the purpose of pro-~iding an updata~le microfiche record.

In many instances, a given record may consist of, say, 7 documents to be copiedO The conventional of ice copier will copy thr2e documents and release a standard s~rip con-t~;ning 7 fra~es, e~en ~hough it has a capacity of 12 or 14 frames. Hence if the ull ~rip capaci~y is not used, ~he ~txip will have a blank zone. ~ut wi~h a conventional in-s~rter for stAn~7~rd office copi~r ~trips, the blank zone cannot ~e excised, for the inserter is capable only o~
ins~rting khe ul~ strip, ~hereby wa~ting channel space and precluding updating.

~5--i An inherent advantage of a micro~iche jac~et as com-pared to a microfiche card having film f.rames permanently ~onded or incorpoxated therein is tha~ the jacket permits the record to be updated. ~hus each jacket ch~nnel having a 12 frame capacity can first be partially loaded with a film section or chip containing; say, 5 frames. At a later time, an additional film section may be inserted in ~h~ same channel to update the record.

A reader-filler of ~he type disclosed in U.S. patent 3,872,645has an updating capability, or the film being insertedis optically viewa~le and it may be s~ver~d at any desired junction between successive frames. But, as noted previously, a reader-filler of this type which includes an indexing mechanism and other complexities is inappropriate for inserting discrete film stripg of ~he type produced by office copiers.

SUMM~RY OF lNV~'l'lON

In view of the foregoing, the main object of this inv~ntion is to provide a reader-filler machine for inserting di~crete strips of microfilm or sections thereof into the rh~nnels of a microfiche jacket and for optically viewing the image frame~ thereon before in~ertion to facilitate severing the strips at ~esired junctions~

More particularly~ an ob~e~ of theinvention is to ` p.ro~ide a machine of the above type in which a selected channel ~ on the ~trip has it~ en~ry 510t ~rought into positive registra-tion with the track ~xit of a film drive mechanism without requix:ing an indexing mechanism or o~her complex mean~ or thi~ purpos~.
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~ ~ ~g Also an object of this invention i5 to provide a machine of the above type which makes it possible to insert into a selected channel of a microfiche jacket a sec~ion of standard film strip which only partly occupies the channel, the remaining portion of the channel being available for future updating of the record.
Still another object of the invention is to provide an inexpensive reader~filler machine which is simple to use and which operates efficiently and reliably.

Briefly stated, these objects are attained in a reader-filler machine adapted to insert a strip of microfilm having a series of image frames thereon into a selected channel o a microfiche jacket. The jacket is provided with parallel channels, with each channel having the same wldth and having an entry slot adjacent the front end thereof. The machine comprises a track block having a track for receiving the film strip and conducting it toward an exit, a film drive mechanism for advancing the film strip along the track toward the track exit or to retract the strip, and a table whose front end is adjacent the track exit for supporting a microfiche jacket which is shiftable thereon toward the block. A pair of planar locating guides projects from the block, wîth each guide having a width substantially e~ual to the width of the channel.
The guides are spaced apart to an extent that when the jacket is shifted on the table toward the block and the channel selected to be filled has adjacent channels on either side thereof, the guides then enter the entry slots in the adjacent channels to properly orient the selected channel with respect to the track exit. A means coopera-tes with the block to slice the film on the track.

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In operationt ~he us2x fiLrst tilts ~he ~able downwardly with respect to the track exit aIld places the jacket thereon to cause the guîdes to enter the channels on opposite sides of the channel to be loaded~ khereby orien~ing the selected channel wi~h respect to the track ex.it~ ~he table is then released to cau~e the pressure fLngers to engage the borders of the selected ch~nnel and to bring the entry slot of this channel into registration with the track exit~ The drive m~chanism is then operated to advance the film strip or a section thereof into the selected channel, the frames on the strip ~eing optically ~iewable to de~ermine the point at which ~he strip is to ~e severed.

OUTLINE OF DRAWINGS

For a ~etter under~An~; ng of the invention as well as lS othex o~ect~ and further features thereo~, reference is made to the following detailed descr.lption to be read in c~njunction :

with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a reader-filler ma~hine in accordance wikh the invention, as vi~wed from ~he ~0 operatox~s position~
Fig. 2 is a per~pective of the machine looking between th~ viewing screen and th~ ~ilm--drive mechanlsm;
Fig. 3 is a top plan view of ~he machine;
Fig. 4 is a longit~l~;n~l sectio~ taken through the ~5 machine;
Fig. 5 is a transverse section taken in th.e plane indicated ~y line 5-5 in Fig. 2 showing ~he opexaking mechanism fox ~he film~cu~ting blade;

Fig. 6 i~ the same as ~ig. 5, but with the operator key d~pressed to effect a film-cutting action;
Fig. 7 is a transver~e section taken i~ the plane indi~ated by line 707 in Fig~ 4 s~owi~g the optical viewing system, Fig. 8 illustrates, in perspective r the manner in which a microfiche jacket is first placed on the do~nwardly tllted table of the machine;
Fig. 9 shows the microfiche jacket lying flat on the tilted table with the locating guides inserted therein;
Flg. 10 illustrates ~he relationship of the laading end of the microfiche jacket lying on the downwardly-tilted table to a ledge projecting ~rom the film dxive mechanism;
Fig. ll shows the relationship of the leadiny end of the mic.rofiche jack~t to the ledge when the table is released, at which point the entry slot of the selected channel lies in registration with the ~ilm;track exit, Fig. 12 shows the film strip entering the channel through the slot; and Fig. 13 is a trans~erse section taken thxough the micro~ he jacket i~ the plane indicated ~y line 13-13 in Fig. 3, appearing wi~h. Fig. 3.

DESCRxPTI~N OF lNv~~ ON

Referring now to Fig5 ~ 1 ~ 2 and 3, there is shown a reader-filler machine i~ accordance with the invention for in~sexting a strip 10 Q~ microfilm in~o a select~d channel of a multi-channel microfiche jacket 11~ Strip 10 i5 of the 16 mm type produced by an o~fice copier such as ~he "Micle 1200"
and theref~re ha~ a serie~ o image fx~mes 10A, 10B, 10C et~., and a blank trailer 10T.

~3 I Microfilm strip 10 is slidably received within the track 12T of a tra~k block 12 formQd ~y upper and lower plates 12U and 12L machined of aluminum or similar material, the block being mounted above a film-dri~e mechanism 13 provided at one ~ide with an operator's k~ob 14. When knob 14 is turned clockwise5 it advances film strip 10 ~oward a microfiche jacket lying on a table, countexclockwise rotation effecting a retraction of ~he stripO

As the image frames on the strip are successively advanced into the selected chann~l, the fram~s may be viewed by th~ operator on the shielded ~creen 15 o~ an opt~cal projection system. The frame images are cast o~ the scr~en by means including a lens barr~1 16 which is axially shiftable along a vertical axis by a focusing knob ~7, the illuminated image from the barrel being directed toward the screen by an incli.ned reflector 18. The ~creen is provided with a shiftable pointer 19 wnich is set to indicate the poink at which a film cutting blade operates with respect ~o the film~

Microfiche jacket 11 is.placed on a table 20 which is pivo~ally suppor~ed and spring b.iased, the ~able being tiltable relative to the exit of track lOT by means o a depressible key 21~ Film skrip 10 is cut by means of a manually-operated key 23 ~hich actuat~s a rocker arm 22 supportlng ~ blad~.

~10 ~3~

As best seen in Fi~s. 3 and 4, the drive mechanism for advancing film strip 10 includes a roller 24 whlch is disposed within an opening in track 12T to frictionally engage the underside of the film confined therein. Roller 24 is sup-, port d on a shaft 25 which carri~es a gear 26. ~nob 14 serves ! to turn a geax 27 on the knob shaft, gear 27 meshing with an idler gear 28 which engages rolller gear 26, so that w~en knob 14 is turned in the clockwise direction, the film is advanced.

The mechanism for cutting the film includes, as shown in Fig. 5, a blade 29 detachably coupled to the ree end of rocker arm 22 whose other end is pivoted on a vertical plake 30.
Rocker arm 22 is operatively coupled by a linked 31 to a lever 33 also pivoted on plate 30, khe free end of lever 33 having key 23 secured thereto~ ~ bias spring 34 connected between lever 33 and plate 30 serves to normally maintain I lever 33 in its raise~ position, thereby holding blade 29 ! above the film strip. But when key 23 .is depressed, as shown in Fig. 6, this acts to swing rocker arm 22 downward to cause blade 29 to enter a transverse slot 2gS in the rack to slice the fiim. When k~y 23 is releasedt bla~e 29 returns to its raised position.

As shown in Figs, 4 a~d 7, the optical projection system further includes a lamp 35 disposed within a concave reflector 36 and a condenser plate 37, the light rays passing ~hrou~h a well 12W in ~he ~rack block at a position just in fro~t of slit 29S in the film slicing station. Thus displayed on the scxeen is the illuminated image o~ khe rame which is about to enter the selected channel in the microiche jacket r the pointer on the screen indicating the ~lade position relative to the displayed frame.

~.- 7~

i Microfiche jacket 11, as shown in Figs. 3 and 13, comprises superpo~ed transparent top and ~ot~om panels llA
and llB of synthetic plastic material~ such as polyester film or Mylar, which are joined together by spacer ribs llR
5 ~ to define parallel channels Cl to C~. Slots Sl to S5 cut into the top panel adjacent the front end of the jacket provide a ~ilm entry for each channel.

Table 20 on which the microfiche jacket is placed is pivotally supported on a bracket 38l as shown in Fig. 4, and is spring ~iased (the spxing is not shown)O Key 21 for tilting table 20 is mounted on the ~ree end of a pivoted L-shaped lever 39 whose other end terminates in a nose 40 which is received within a ~rap 41 on ~he underside of table 20 at I the front end thereof. Thus when key 21 is depressed, the table is tilted downwardly with respect to a ledge 42 pro-jecting rom the lower plate 12L of the track block just ,' below the ~rack exi~.

As best se~n in ~igs. 8 and 9, projecking from the upper plate ~ection 12U on either side of the track exit ls a pair of pressure ~ingers Fl and F2, the advancing film strip passing be~ween the~e fingers over ledge 42~ Flanking fingers Fl and F~ are planar locating guides Gl and G2 having triangu~ar poin~s, ~he guid~s having a width equal to that of the microfiche jacket channels. Guides ~l and G2 are pre~erably die cut fxom a flexible metal sheet such as copper and are so spaced as to lie in registration with the channels on opposite sides o~ a channel selected ~or film insertion.
Pressuxe ~ingers Fl and F~ axe spaced so as to register with the ribs ll~ boxdering the selec~ed channel.

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, In order to make a film insertion in a selected channel, table .20, as shown in Fig. 8, is first tilted downwaxdly by ~, the operator relative to khe tr,ack exit, as shown in Fig. 8.
I Microiche jacket 11 is then held ~y the operatox with its leading end on the table, the jacket being flexed so that the remaining portion of the jacket is raised above the tableO

Assuming that the selec ted channel is channel C4, the jacket is then pushed along the table toward the rear of the track block so that guides Fl and F~ are admitted into the respective entry slots S3 and S5 of channels C3 and C5, as shown in Fig. 9, at which p~int channel C4 is properly oriented with respect to the txack exitO Because the guides are pointed, this operation is easy to perform; for as long as a guide point enters a channel slot at any point~ the guide will then bring the channel into alignment therewith.

Since table 20 is tilted downardly, the resultant ! relationship i~ that shown in Fig. 10 where it will be seen ,1 that the microfi~he jacket which now lies flat on table 20 ; has its leading marg~n extended beyond the front e~d of the 2Q table to abut the rear of lower plate 12L below ledge 42.
Ta~le 2Q is then released~ as a con~equence of which, as shown in Fig. 11, the surface of the table is now in the same plane as the floor of track 12T, whereas the leading margin of the m.icrofiche which ~buts the underside o~ ledge 42 is now flexed thereby to open entry ~lot S4 in selected channel C
in readiness or insertion. The pressure fingers Fl and F2 are pressed against the ribbed border of kh~ selected channel to xe5ist displacement of this channel relative to the track.

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~3~'7~

Now film 10, as s~own in Fig. 12~ is advanced by the drive mechanism for full ox pa.xt:ial insertion into selected channel C4, the point at which tlle strip i.s to be cut being det~rm;ned by viewing the optical screen on which the film . frames are sequentially presented.

Since the severed end of the film strip lies on the track and is ther~fore displaced from the entry slot o~ the channel, in order ~o complete insertion ~he remaining portion of the fi~lm strip behind ~he severed end is advanced by the ¦ drive mechanism to push the cut stxip fully into the channel.
After insertion is completed, the r~; ni ng portion of the ~trip is retracted~ In those instances where all frames on the strip are inserted in a channel, the rem~-n;ng portion is then constituted ~y the traile~u In other cases, the remaining portion may be a blank strip zone plus the trailer.

Both locating guides Gl and G2 are inserted in adjacent channels opposite the selected ch~nnel when the selected ch~nnel iS interposed therebetween. But when the selected ch~nnel is channel Cl or C5, then there is a channel adjacent only one side, in which eve~t only one guide functions to effect location of ~he elected channel~

Thus a reader-filler machine in accordance wi.th the invention requires no indexing mechanism to align a selected channel with the film track; and while the alignment i5 carried out manually, it takes no particular care to effect a proper . alignment~ And since the machine presents the film frame on the screen with reerence to a pointer indicating the ~lade position, one can exac~ly cu~ the film at any desired junction.

While there has been shown and described a preferred embodiment of a reader~filler machine for i~serting film strips into microfiche j ackets in accordance with the invention, it will be appreciated that many changes and modifications may be made therein without, however, departing from the essential spirit thereof. T~us while the machine is shown as i~
operates to insert discretè film strips, the m~C~i~e may be provided with a mounting for a film reel, film drawn from the reel ~eing conducted along the track.

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Claims (9)

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A machine adapted to insert a strip of microfilm having a series of image frames thereon into a selected channel of a microfiche jacket provided with parallel channels, each channel having the same width and having an entry slot adjacent the front end thereof, the machine comprising:
(A) a track block having a track for receiving the film strip and conducting it toward an exit;
(B) a film drive mechanism for advancing the film strip along the track toward said track exit or to retract the strip;
(C) a table whose front end is adjacent said track exit for supporting a microfiche jacket which is shiftable thereon toward said block; and (D) a pair of planar locating guides projecting from the block, each guide having a width substantially equal to the width of the channel, said guides being spaced apart to an extent that when the jacket is shifted on said table toward said block and the channel selected to be filled has adjacent channels on either side thereof, the guides then enter the entry slots in the adjacent channels to pro-perly orient the selected channel with respect to the track exit; and (E) means cooperating with the block to slice the film on the track.

2. A machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said guides are formed of sheet metal and provided with triangular tips.

3. A machine as set forth in claim 1, further including a pair of pressure fingers projecting from said block to engage the borders of the selected channel, the film emerging from the track exit passing between the fingers.

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4. A machine as set forth in claim 3, wherein said table is pivotally mounted and spring-loaded, and further including a ledge projecting below the track exit whereby when the table is tilted downwardly with respect to the track exit, the front margin of the microfiche jacket lies below the ledge; and when the table is released, the margin is engaged and bent by the ledge to open up the entry slot of the selected channel.

5. A machine as set forth in claim 1, further including an optical system to illuminate and display the portion of the film on the track adjacent the track exit to determine the proper slicing position on the film.

6. A machine as set forth in claim 5, wherein said system includes a light source placed below the block and a lens barrel above the block.

7. A machine as set forth in claim 6, further including means to axially shift the barrel to effect focusing.

8. A machine as set forth in claim 1, wherein said film slicer includes a blade mounted on the free end of a rocker arm, the blade being normally raised above a slit in the block, and a lever operatively coupled to the arm having a depressible key which, when actuated, swings said arm to cause said blade to enter the slit.

9. A machine as set forth in claim 8, wherein said lever is coupled to said arm by a link.