US2660389A - Animator's stand - Google Patents

Description

Nov. 24, 1953 9 INVENTOR.

H. LION 2,660,389

ANIMATOR'S STAND Filed Oct, 2. 1948 HIHIIIIII H5NRY L/0/v ATTORNEY l atented Nov. 24, 1953 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to a stand for use by animators of figures that are subsequently photographed to produce a motion picture.

The technique involved in producing animated pictures using three-dimensional figures is considerably different than that employed for producing animated cartoons. In the latter, drawings or transparencies are used and the artist is able to produce a series of such transparencies, to depict a sequence of action, simply by tracing one from the other, changing each transparency sufiiciently to convey the illusion of motion when said transparencies are successively photographed.

Three-dimensional figures do not lend themselves to be coordinated by tracing. Each posture of a figure must be separately developed to create a series of figures, each successively depicting a different posture of a series of poses which, when photographed, sequentially, produce the illusion of motion. For instance, some sixteen figures, with the arms, legs and. body portions in difierent positions, may be needed to convey the cycle of motion of a single pace or step. in order to obtain continuity and fluidity of motion, said figures should be oriented one with the other.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a stand for supporting afigure at a selected point thereof so that an animator may arrange portions of said figure with respect to said point, whereby a series of such figures are produced that whenphotographed successively, will present the illusion of continuity and fluidity of motion.

Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable stand of the nature indicated and to provide the same with figure-engaging elements that are especially formed to interfit with the figure, whereby a series of said figures, each fit on its own stand, aresupport'ed in a like manner.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operations, convenient in' use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes embodiments of the present invention, which are'given by way of illustration or example only,

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an animators stand according to the present invention and shown in use.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing the figure-engaging elements and the manner in which they interfit with a figure.

Fig. 4 is a broken back view of a modification.

The figure that is shown in Fig. 1 is made of a moldable plastic material and, in practice, the same is made up of sections which, while variable, may comprise the head, thorax, abdomen, arms, legs, etc. The arms and legs may be made in sections. If a series of figures is to be animated to give the illusion of walking, the figures may each be advantageously held or gripped by the waist portion of the abdomen section of the figure, and the other components applied thereto with assurance that the entire series will be coordinated and, when photographed, will give the desired continuity of motion.

The stand that is illustrated comprises, generally, a pedestal 5 for the figure, anadjustable yoke 6, means 1 connecting the pedestal and yoke, a figure-engaging element 9. fixedly carried by the yoke, and an-adjustable figure-engaging element 9 also carried by the yoke and opposite to element 8.

The rear portion of the pedestal shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is provided with a slideway it for a slide extension ll of yoke 6, the means I, which is shown as an elastic band, encompasses the later faces of the pedestal and, as seen in Fig. 2, engages the slide 9 to hold the same in groove it in any position of adjustment of the yoke. The latter is provided with a cross bar it at the upper end of slide I l and said cross bar, at its ends, carries forwardly extending arms It and i l. Arm I3, is provided withan inwardly extending fixed bar ldthat mounts element 8 and arm hi is formed with a slot I6 for a bar 1 i that mounts element 9. Bar I! is thereby adjustable in arm M, a clamp screw it being provided for locking the. adjustment of said bar and element 9 with relation to element 8.

It will be seen particularly from Fig. 1 that the cross bar it and arms it constitute an opens1ded frame in which the cross bar is disposed above the rear face of pedestal 5 and is at least as long as the pedestal is wide, and in which the arms l3 are disposed abovethe sides of the pedestal. Thus, the opening in said yoke leavesthe top of the pedestal clear of overstanding portions except for the figure- engaging elements 8 and 9.

The stand shown in Fig. 4 is similar except that the band I is omitted and adjusting means comprising a knob IS, a pinion 20 carried thereby, and a rack 2| formed in slide H and in mesh with said pinion, is employed for effecting adjustment of the yoke with relation to the pedestal. The adjustment may be read on a scale 22, making it relatively simple to similarly adjust a number of stands, each to mount one of a series of figures to be animated.

The elements 8 and 9 removably fit on bars l and I1 and, depending on the specific form of the abdomen section 23 of the figure, are each respectively formed at 24 and 25 to interfit with the figure so that any stand or a plurality of such stands will mount each of a series of figures in the same relative position. Thus, when an animator sets out to assemble and construct a series of figures to depict the different phases of a certain motion, each abdomen section 23 will have the same position relative to its stand as will the other sections to their stands, and assurance is had that the series of animated figures will be coordinated. When photographed, this series of figures will obviate jerkiness of movement because they are all directly related through the common mounting portion, in this case, the abdomen section 23. Because of the nesting interfit of elements 3 and 9 with the figure, even after a figure is removed from its stand, it may be re-mounted on its initial stand or any other similarly adjusted stand for repair and/or adjustment in exactly its initial position. In practice, the elements 8 and 9 are molded directly from those portions of the figure that they engage to insure the mentioned position-holding and nesting fit.

The foregoing also sets forth a novel method for obtaining a correlated series of figures which, when successively photographed on motion picture film, will present the illusion of continuous motion.

While the invention that has been illustrated and, described is now regarded as the preferred embodiments, the construction is, of course, subject to modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. It is therefore not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. An animators stand comprising, in combination, a pedestal having a top face and a rear face and a vertical slideway in said rear face; a yoke comprising a vertical slide extension adjustably engaged in said slideway, an integral horizontal cross bar on the upper end of said extension and above said rear face of the pedestal, the length of the cross bar being at least equal to the width of the pedestal, a forwardly extending integral horizontal arm on each end of the cross bar, said cross bar and arms forming a, horizontal open frame above the top face of the pedestal and adjustable relative to the latter according to the adjusted position of the slide extension in the pedestal slideway; a horizontal figure-engaging element afiixed to one said arm and extending toward the other arm; a similar horizontal figure-engaging element adjustably carried by said other arm and in opposed relation to the first element to grip the sides of and hold a figure in a predetermined position to and above the pedestal top face and in the opening of said open frame; and an elastic member encircling the pedestal and engaging the mentioned slide extension to hold the yoke in vertically adjusted position.

2. An animators stand according to claim 1'. each figure-engaging element being provided with a recess to interfit with a corresponding projection on each of a plurality or" diiferently animated figures to hold in registered position above the pedestal each of said figures, selectively.

HENRY LION.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 33,209 Morris Sept. 3, 1861 352,161 Staples Nov. 9, 1886 639,917 Arnold Dec. 26, 1899 995,982 Moore et al. 1 June 20, 1911 1,164,252 Birch-Field Dec. 14, 1915 1,299,575 Holmes Apr. 8, 1919 1,467,082 Baldwin Sept. 4, 1923 1,646,165 Naujoks et al. Oct. 18, 1927 2,241,929 Kendig May 13, 1941 2,327,059 Pal Aug. 17, 1943 2,365,950 Wright Jan. 9, 1945 2,465,076 Englander Mar. 22, 1949

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