Bell + Howell Company

Thomas J Persha

David Jagielski

Eino M Lehto

Richard Dueck

Nick Hechimovich

A lamp assembly and power module is provided for a microform display apparatus, such as a fanless microfiche reader. The lamp assembly and power module are both situated in a drawer which is removably inserted into the base of the reader to form an air-restricted path for the efficient convection of heat away from the reader. By setting the lamp at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the drawer, both the lamp assembly and power module components can fit in the drawer. The front end of the drawer is provided with a grille for air passage, and a chimney structure is situated adjacent the rear of the drawer for the efficient evacuation of heat. The lamp and power module are located below the chimney, and as the lamp and power module components heat the surrounding air, the air rises up the chimney and out of the reader by convection. This air movement creates a draft through the grille in the front of the drawer, which serves to sufficiently cool the components.

Lamp assembly and power module for fanless microfiche reader

A lamp assembly and power module is provided for a microform display apparatus, such as a fanless microfiche reader. The lamp assembly and power module are both situated in a drawer which is removably inserted into the base of the reader to form a air-restricted path for the efficient convection of heat away from the reader. By setting the lamp at an angle to the longitudinal axis of the drawer, both the lamp assembly and power module components can fit in the drawer. The front end of the drawer is provided with a grille for air passage, and a chimney structure is situated adjacent the rear of the drawer for the efficient evacuation of heat. The lamp and power module are located below the chimney, and as the lamp and power module components heat the surrounding air, the air rises up the chimney and out of the reader by convection. This air movement creates a draft through the grille in the front of the drawer, which serves to sufficiently cool the components.

The inventive microfilm reader and reader-printer has a film gate which is anchored to the chassis of the reader or reader-printer and which is entirely separate from a light system, lens mount, and focusing system which float up and down with respect to the film gate and chassis. The floating system is mounted on an elevator mechanism which lifts or lowers it relative to the film gate to scan across the width of the film. A prism is included in the lens system to rotate and vertically align the projected image. A combination of the movements of the elevator mechanism and prism enables any vertical segment of the microfilm to be scanned, selected, and read in a vertical orientation.

Vertically scanning microfilm reader and reader printer

Microfilm reader or similar article

A microfilm reader has a film transport mechanism driven by separate forward and reverse motors. When the forward motor first starts, power may be applied, via a one way clutch, to a capstan in order to automatically thread the film into the reader. A film gate opens as the film approaches it and thereafter closes, after the film is captured therein. A manual override gate control may prop the film gate open, if film is manually fed through the system.

Microfilm transport with automatic threading

Microfilm reader/printer

The inventive reel has two parts preferably made of plastic. One reel part comprises a first central hub section having a reel flange floatingly supported thereon, to move over the length of the first hub section between limits fixed by stops formed on opposite ends of the hub section. A parallel wire spring extends from the top of the first hub section to apply balanced forces against the floating flange, for biasing it to move toward the opposite reel flange. The second reel part comprises an integral flange and a second hub section upstanding thereon. A socket in the top of the second hub section seatingly receives the bottom of the first hub section. The reel is primarily designed for use with a tape or film strip which has a stiff leader which is slightly wider than the film itself. When the leader is placed between the two flanges, the floating flange must move against the urging of the wire spring to a spacing which securely captures the leader and loosely receives the tape or film between the flanges. The first reel, which has the floating flange, is removable from the assembly leaving the second reel which may be utilized in the threading of film which does not include a stiff leader required for automatic threading.

Growing community of inventors

Juneau, WI, United States of America

Thomas J Persha