Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02234299 1998-04-02
STEREO SLIDE MOUNT
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a stereo slide mount
and, particularly, to a stereo slide mount which provides a
correct three-dimensional image by masking the outer sides of
the right and left screens.
Description of the Prior Art
A stereo slide photographed by using a stereo camera
of a structure in which the distance between the optical axes of
the right and left lenses is fixed, form non-overlapped portions
where the photographed ranges come out of agreement on the outer
sides of the right and left photographed screens due to a
difference in the visual field between the right and left
photographing lenses. In the non-overlapped portions, no three-
dimensional image is formed as it is viewed by using a stereo
slide viewer. When the stereo slide without masking the non-
overlapped portions is viewed by two eyes, there will be seen
vertical lines where the edges of the other windows are
overlapped on the boundaries between the overlapped portions and
the non-overlapped portions, deteriorating the interest of the
three-dimensional image. To prevent this, therefore, it has
been attempted~to form the width of the windows of the stereo
slide mount to be narrower than the width of the screens of the
slide film, in order to mask the non-overlapped portions.
The width of the non-overlapped portions to be masked
increases with a decrease in the distance to the subject which
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most seriously affects the matching between the right and left
images. Therefore, there have been provided plural kinds of
stereo slide mounts having windows of which the width differs
stepwisely. Out of these stereo slide mounts, the one having
windows of a suitable masking amount is selected and a slide
film is mounted thereon. However, it is not easy to judge by
eyes the masking amount of each pair of slide films that are cut
into individual frames, and it often happens that the stereo
slide mount is incorrectly selected.
In order to obtain a desired three-dimensional effect
in the stereo photography, furthermore, it has been known that
the image of the subject which most seriously affects the
matching between the right and left images, must be located at
the same position in the right and left windows of the stereo
slide mount. When the position of the subject is not the same
between the right and left screens, a natural three-dimensional
effect is offset. In the conventional stereo slide mounts,
however, there is no criterion for positioning the films in the
right and left direction; i.e., it is not easy to properly
position the films.
In order to eliminate the defects of the conventional
stereo slide system, therefore, the present applicant proposes a
stereo slide mount and a stereo slide system based on a screen-
masking amount'guide device/stereo slide viewer. The stereo
slide system deals with a stereo slide that is photographed by
using a stereo camera which is so constituted that a positional
relationship remains the same between the perforations of the
film and the photographed screen. The stereo slide mount is
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constituted by a base frame having pins in the peripheries of
the right and left windows to position the film, and a cover
frame in which the gap width remains the same between the right
window and the left window but the width of the windows changes
stepwisely.
The screen-masking amount guide device/stereo slide
viewer observes the three-dimensional image while changing the
masking amount in the regions outside the stereo slide screens
to determine a suitable masking amount.
After the masking amount of the film is determined by
the screen-masking amount guide device/stereo slide viewer,
perforations of the film are engaged with the positioning pins
of the base frame to accomplish the positioning, and a cover
frame having windows of a width corresponding to the thus
determined masking amount is selected and is joined to the base
frame. Then, the films are positioned, the non-overlapped
portions on the outer sides of the right and left films are
masked, and a correct three-dimensional effect is obtained.
Thus, the stereo slide mount makes it possible to
correctly and easily accomplish the positioning at the time of
mounting. Here, the cover frames having plural kinds of window
widths constituting the mount system, have the same gap width
between the right window and the left window. Therefore, the
pitch between the center of the right screen and the center of
the left screen becomes narrower as the width of the window
becomes small, and angle of congestion of both eyes varies
depending upon the pitch between the screens.
A change in the pitch between the right and left
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screens is not much of a problem when the image is ordinarily
viewed. When a variety of stereo slides having large
differences in the pitch between the screens are viewed for
extended periods of time being frequently exchanged, however,
the eyeballs adapt to a change in the angle of congestion in a
delayed manner causing the viewer to feel offensive to see or to
feel fatigue.
Thus, there arises a technical problem that must be
solved to provide a stereo slide mount which facilitates the
mounting operation and the positioning operation, and which
enables the image to be easily viewed causing little fatigue.
The object of the invention is to solve this problem.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the
present invention provides a stereo slide mount for mounting a
stereo slide photographed by using a stereo camera in which
relative positions remain the same between the perforations of
the perforated film and the pair of right and left photographed
screens, the stereo slide mount being constituted by a base
frame having two rectangular windows arranged in parallel and a
cover frame, wherein positioning pins are provided on the film-
placing surface of said base frame to position two pieces of
slide films in engagement with perforations of the slide films
that are to be secured, pin holes corresponding to said
positioning pins are formed in the film-holding surface of said
cover frame, and said positioning pins and said pin holes are
fitted together to join the base frame and the cover frame
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together, and wherein a mount system is constituted by forming
plural kinds of stereo slide mounts having windows of which the
width gradually decreases relative to the width of the screens
but of which the pitch remains constant between the right window
and the left window, said positioning pins and said pin holes
are so arranged on said plural kinds of stereo slide mounts that
the inner vertical sides of the right and left windows are in
agreement with the inner edges of the film screens, and the
areas for shielding the outer sides of the right and left slide
films are adjusted depending upon a difference in the width of
the windows in said plural kinds of stereo slide mounts.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Figs. 1(a), 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d) are front views of
stereo slide mounts according to the present invention;
Fig. 2 illustrates a stereo slide mount having windows
of a maximum width, wherein Fig. 2(a) is a front view, Fig. 2(b)
is a side view, Fig. 2(c) is a bottom view and Fig. 2(d) is a
back view;
Fig. 3 illustrates a cover frame for the stereo slide
mount of Fig. 2, wherein Fig. 3(a) is a front view, Fig. 3(b) is
a side view, Fig. 3(c) is a bottom view and Fig. 3(d) is a back
view;
Fig. 4 illustrates a base frame for the stereo slide
mount of Fig. 2, wherein Fig. 4(a) is a front view, Fig. 4(b) is
a side view, Fig. 4(c) is a bottom view and Fig. 4(d) is a back
view;
Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a positioning means
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based on a leaf spring in a slide holder and a vertical groove
in the stereo slide mount;
Fig. 6 is a diagram illustrating a positioning means
based on a protruded portion in the slide holder and a notch in
the stereo slide mount according to another embodiment;
Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state where the
stereo slide mount is defectively loaded according to a prior
art;
Fig. 8 illustrates a further embodiment, wherein Fig.
8(a) is a front view of the base frame, Fig. 8(b) is a side view
of the base frame, Fig. 8(c) is a front view of the cover frame,
and Fig. 8(d) is a side view of the cover frame; and
Fig. 9 illustrates a still further embodiment, wherein
Fig. 9(a) is a front view of the base frame and Fig. 9(b) is a
side sectional view of the base frame.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
Embodiments of the present invention will now be
described in detail with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1
illustrates a stereo slide mount, wherein a mount system is
constituted by plural kinds of stereo slide mounts 1 (#0 to #3)
having the same outer shape but in which the width W of windows
stepwisely decreases. In Figs. 1(a}, 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d), the
width W of windows is increased or decreased for every step in
an exaggerated manner. In practice, however, the difference in
the width of windows should be set to be small for every step.
Besides, the number of steps from the one (#0) with windows of a
maximum width having the smallest screen-masking amount to the
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one with windows of a minimum width, needs not be limited to the
four steps that are shown.
All kinds of the stereo slide mounts 1 (#0 to #3) have
basically the same structure in which the pitch Pw remains the
same between the right window and the left window, but the width
W of the windows and the pitch for mounting the right and left
films vary stepwisely. Described below is the structure of the
stereo slide mount 1 (#0) having windows of the maximum width.
Referring to Figs. 2 to 4, the stereo slide mount 1
(#0) is constituted by a cover frame 2 and a base frame 3 formed
by the injection-molding of a resin, the cover frame 2 and the
base frame 3 including a pair of right and left windows 4R, 4L
and 5R and 5L, respectively. The windows 4R, 4L in the cover
frame 2 and the windows 5R, 5L in the base frame 3 have equal
vertical and lateral sizes. It is desired that a pitch Pw
between the right window and the left window is 63.5 mm which is
a standard distance between two human eyes, or is slightly
narrower than 63.5 mm, so that the image can be easily viewed by
using the stereo slide viewer.
Referring to Fig. 4, cylindrical positioning pins 6
are studded at upper, lower, right and left four places
surrounding the right and left windows 5R, 5L in the base frame
3 to come into engagement with perforations of the films. In
the cover frame 2 shown in Fig. 3 are formed pin holes 7 at
positions symmetrical to the positioning pins 6 of the base
frame 3. A vertical groove 8 is formed at the center on the
back surface of the base frame 3, so that the base frame 3 can
be folded into two with the vertical groove 8 as a hinge.
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The stereo slide mount 1 is formed based on a
prerequisite to mount the slide films photographed by using a
stereo camera which is so constituted that relative positions
between the perforations of the films and the screens, remain
the same between the right and the left. Referring to Fig. 4,
the positioning pins 6 and the pin holes 7 are located at such
positions that the inner vertical sides of the windows 5L, 5R
are in agreement with the inner edges of the screens of the
slide films F when perforations at the right and left ends of
the slide films F cut into individual frames are engaged with
positioning pins 6 at four places of the base frame 3.
In all kinds of the stereo slide mounts 1 (#0 to #3)
as shown in Figs. 1(a), 1(b), 1(c) and 1(d), the pitch Pw
between the windows remains the same, the width of windows
stepwisely changes (W0, W1, W2, W3), and the gap widths (P0, P1,
P2, P3) between the two right positioning pins 6 and the two
left positioning pins 6 have the following relationships, with
the gap width PO of the stereo slide mount 1 (#0) as a
reference:
(#o) Po
(#1) P1 = PO + WO - W1
(#2 ) P2 = PO + WO - W2
(#3 ) P3 = PO + WO - W3
In all stereo slide mounts 1 (#0 to #3), therefore,
relative positions remain the same among the inner vertical
sides of the right and left windows 4, 5 and the positioning
pins 6. That is, in any stereo slide mount, the inner edges of
the screens of the slide films come into agreement with the
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inner vertical sides of the windows 4, 5. The stereo slide
mounts having smaller widths of windows have larger gap widths
(P0, P1, P2, P3) between the two right positioning pins and the
two left positioning pins 6 and, hence, have increased pitches
between the right film and the left film, and increased masking
amounts on the outer sides of the right and left films.
At the time of mounting the stereo slide, the amount
for masking the films is determined relying upon the masking-
amount guide device mentioned earlier as a prior art or by any
other masking-amount determining means, and a stereo slide mount
1 having windows of a width corresponding to the masking amount
is selected. Then, films are mounted on the right and left
windows 5R, 5L in the base frame 3, the cover frame 2 is placed
on the base frame 3, and the pin holes 7 are fitted to the
positioning pins 6 to join the cover frame 2 and the base frame
3 together.
The base frame 3 can be folded into two with the
vertical groove 8 as a hinge. Therefore, either the left half
or the right half is fitted, first, to easily accomplish the
positioning between the positioning pins 6 and the pin holes 7
and, hence, to favorably carry out the mounting operation. On
the other hand, the cover frame 2 has no folding groove in the
surface; i.e., has a flat surface making it easy to write a
title or a memo related to the shot on the cover frame 2. It is
further allowable to form a recessed portion in a gap portion
between the right window 4R and the left window 4L of the cover
frame 2, so that a title can be written on the recessed portion
or a title label can be stuck thereon.
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In the conventional stereo slide viewer, the width of
the inner portion of the slide holder is slightly wider than the
width of the stereo slide mount so that the stereo slide mount
can be easily loaded. Due to this dimensional difference,
therefore, the right and left portions of the stereo slide mount
are positioned, in many cases, losing stability. When a
positioning spring 12 is provided in the slide holder portion 11
of the slide viewer and is brought into pressed contact with the
vertical groove 8 of the stereo slide mount 1 as shown in Fig.
5, however, the front, rear, right and left portions of the
stereo slide mount 1 can be correctly positioned.
Fig. 6 illustrates another positioning means in which
a notch 9 is formed at the center in the bottom side of the
stereo slide mount lA, and the slide holder portion 11 of the
slide viewer is provided with a protruded portion lla that
engages with the notch 9 thereby to position the stereo slide
mount lA. Referring to Fig. 6, the upper end of the protruded
portion lla is formed in a semicircular shape, and the stereo
slide mount lA is inserted from the upper side of the slide
holder portion 11, so that the notch 9 smoothly engages with the
protruded portion lla. The height of the notch 9 is slightly
greater than the height of the protruded portion lla, so that
the bottom surface of the stereo slide mount lA will not float
over the bottom surface of the slide holder portion 11. Another
effect of the notch is that the upper side or the lower side of
the stereo slide mount lA can be easily discriminated.
In inserting the stereo slide mount in the slide
holder portion of the stereo slide viewer, when the stereo slide
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mount is pushed down in a tilted manner, it often happens that
the corners of the stereo slide mount M come in contact with
both the right and left wall surfaces of the slide holder
portion H and whereby the stereo slide mount M is caught on its
way due to the frictional resistance. Upon providing a
positioning means based on the notch 9 and the protruded portion
lla, therefore, the stereo slide mount is prevented from being
deviated in the right-and-left direction and is easily inserted
despite the width of the inner portion of the slide holder
portion 11 is considerably wider than the width of the stereo
slide mount lA as shown in Fig. 6.
When the perforations of the film are of a circular
shape or of an oval shape elongated in the right-and-left
direction, the diameter of the cylindrical positioning pins 6 is
suitably selected in order to maintain a correct position of the
film in the right-and-left direction and in the up-and-down
direction relying upon the positioning pins 6 only. In the case
of a film having perforations that are elongated in the up-and-
down direction like a 135-film, however, the positioning may
become loose in the up-and-down direction depending upon the
diameter or the shape of the positioning pins 6.
Figs. 8 and 9 illustrate embodiments for solving the
above-mentioned problems. Referring to Figs. 8(a) and 8(b), the
base frame 3 is provided with positioning pins 13 for limiting
the position of the film in the up-and-down direction in
addition to the positioning pins 6 for limiting the position of
the film in the right-and-left direction. Referring to Figs.
8(c) and 8(d), the cover frame 2 is provided with pin holes 7,
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14 that fit to the positioning pins 6, 13.
Referring to Fig. 9, the base frame 3 has recessed
portions 15 formed in the intermediate portions in the up-and-
down direction, the recessed portions 15 having a width equal to
the width of the films in the up-and-down direction. Upon
placing the films on the recessed portions 15, the positions of
the films can be limited in the up-and-down direction like that
of Fig. 8.
According to the stereo slide mount of the present
invention as described above, the parallax of the subject is
accurately corrected by mounting the films while selecting a
stereo slide mount having a width of screens determined by using
a screen-masking amount guide device or the like device. The
pitch between the right screen and the left screen remains the
same despite the windows of screens have different widths.
Therefore, despite various stereo slide mounts having different
screen-masking amounts are frequently exchanged and are viewed,
the angle of congestion for the right and left eyes remains the
same, causing less fatigue to the eyes.
Here, it should be noted that the present invention is
in no way limited to the above-mentioned embodiments only but
can be variously modified within a technical range of the
invention, the invention encompassing such modifications, as a
matter of course.
