Automatic focus copy camera

Claim 1

A PROCESS CAMERA COMPRISING, IN CONBINATION, AN ELONGATED GENERALLY HORIZONTAL BED HAVING TWO PARALLEL TRACKS EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREALONG, A PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATE HOLDER EXTNDING UPWARDLY FROM ONE END OF SAID BED, A ROTARY MAIN CAM SHAFT EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID BED IN PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID TRACKS AND DEFINING THEREON A HELICAL MAIN CAM HAVING A CONSTANT PITCH, A MOVABLE COPY HOLDER EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID BED AND BEING MOVABLY SUPPORTED BY A COPY HOLDER CARRIAGE SUPPORTED ON SAID TRACKS FOR MOVEMENT THEREALONG, A MOVABLE LENS HOLDER DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID PLATE HOLDER AND SAID COPY HOLDR AND BEING SUPPORTED BY A LENS HOLDER SUPPORTED ON SAID TRACKS FOR MOVEMENT THEREALONG, AN EXTRANEOUS LIGHT EXCLUDING ELEMENT EXTENDING BETWEEN SAID LENS HOLDER AND SAID PLATE HOLDR, A ROTARY DRIVE SHAFT EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY ALONG SAID BED IN PARALLEL RELATION TO SAID MAIN CAM SHAFT, A STATIONARY TRANSMISSION MOUNTED ON SAID BED AT ONE END THEREOF AND POSITIVELY INTERCONNECTING SAID MAIN CAM SHAFT AND SAID DRIVE SHAFT TO CAUSE THE TWO SHAFTS TO ROTATE IN PRECISE SYNCHRONIZATION WITH EACH OTHER, ROTATING MEANS INTERCONNECTED WITH SAID MAIN CAM SHAFT TO ROTATE THE LATTER AND SAID DRIVE SHAFT IN POSITIVE SYNCHRONIZATION PRODUCED AND MAINTAINED BY SAID TRANSMISSION, A COPY HOLDER CAM CARRIAGE AND A LENS HOLDER CAM CARRIAGE SUPPORTED ON SAID TRACKS FOR MOVEMENT THEREALONG; TWO HOLLOW ELONGATED CAM SLEEVES DEFINING RESPECTIVELY THEREON, TWO SUBSTANTIALLY IDENTICAL, SECONDARY HELICAL CAMS OF PROGRESSIVE VARYING PITCH; SAID CAM SLEEVES BEING DISPOSED IN COAXIAL ENCIRCLING RELATION TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND BEING LONGIDUTINALLY SLIDABLE THEREALONG, SAID DRIVE SHAFT DEFINING A DRIVE SURFACE EXTENDING LONGITUDINALLY THEREALONG, MEANS ON EACH OF SAID CAM SLEEVES COACTING WITH SAID DRIVE SURFAC TO CAUSE THE CAM SLEEVE TO ROTATE WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID CAM CARRIAGES HAVING MEANS COACTING WITH SAID RESPECTIVE CAM SLEEVES TO HOLD SAID CAM SLEEVES AGAINST AXIAL DISPLACEMENT IN RELATION TO THE CORRESPONDING CARRIAGES, A MAIN CAM FOLLOWER ON EACH OF SAID CAM CARRIAGES COOPERABLE WITH SAID MAIN CAM TO CAUSE THE CAM CARRIAGE TO MOVE ALONG SAID TRACKS UPON ROTATION OF THE MAIN CAM, MEANS FOR RELASING FROM SAID MAIN CAM THE MAIN CAM FOLLOWER ON SAID LENS HOLDER CAM CARRIAGE, TWO SECONDARY CAM FOLLOWERS DISPOSED RESPECTIVELY ON SAID COPY HOLDER CARRIAGE AND COOPERABLE WITH SAID RESPECTIVE SECONDARY CAMS TO EFFECT MOVEMENT OF SAID COPY HOLDER CARRIAGE AND SAID LENS HOLDER CARRIAGE ALONG SAID TRACKS IN RELATION TO SAID COPY HOLDER CAM CARRIAGE AND SAID LENS HOLDER CAM CARRIAGE RESPECTIVELY UPON ROTATION OF SAID SECONDARY CAMS, MEANS FOR DISENGAGING FROM ITS COACTING SECONDARY CAM THE SECONDARY CAM FOLLOWER ON SAID LENS HOLDER CARRIAGE, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID LENS HOLDER CAM CARRIAGE IN A PREDETERMINED POSITION ON SAID BED, MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID LENS HOLDER CARRIAGE WITH SAID LENS HOLDER CAM CARRIED FOR MOVEMENT IN UNISON THEREWITH BY SAID MAIN CAM, A FIRST INDICATOR DIAL CONNECTED TO SAID MAIN CAM SHAFT AND HAVING A FINE POSITION CIRCULAR SCALE THEREON, A SECOND INDICATOR DIAL JOURNALLED IN COAXIAL RELATION TO SAID FIRST DIAL AND HAVING THEREON A COARSE POSITION SCALE, A SPEED REDUCING DRIVE INTERCONNECTED BETWEEN SAID MAIN CAM SHAFT AND SAID SECOND DIAL, LENS APERTURE CONTROL MEANS ON SAID LENS HOLDER FOR PROGRESSIVELY OPENING AND CLOSING A LENS LIGHT APERTURE, AND MEANS INCLUDING A TRANSMISSION INTERCONNECTING SAID LENS APERTURE CONTROL MEANS WITH SAID DRIVE SHAFT TO DRIVE SAID LENS APERTURE CONTROL MEANS IN LENS APERTURE OPENING AND CLOSING DIRECTIONS IN RESPONSE TO ROTARY MOVEMENTS IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT.