In this patent, the famous Thomas Edison, well known for his invention of the cylinder phonograph and his work on electricity, presents the forerunner of what was to become cinema. The kinetographic camera described in US patent 589168A issued on August 31, 1897(see USPTO website) is a system for producing images of moving objects over a period of time or a scene.
The precursor patent of modern cinema
On July 31 1891, the American entrepreneur filed an innovative patent application with the recently founded US Patent Office.
The wording of the patent, although old-fashioned in its formalism, takes up the elements of current patents and technically describes various devices: for intermittently projecting at high speed a succession of photographs arranged on a photosensitive film, this displacement is achieved by means of small notches placed on the sides, as shown in the photo opposite. Such a rapid intermittent projection mechanism produces the phenomenon of persistence of vision, enabling us to simulate the movement of objects.
This invention, created in collaboration with William Dickinson, was a source of inspiration for many inventors, such asEmile Reynaud and his cartoons, and the Lumière brothers, inventors of the cinematograph. All have contributed step by step to technological innovation, leading to the flourishing industry we all know today.
