Movable x-ray table with means to take x-ray pictures of successive portions of the object and means to alternatively insert photographic means and image amplifier means

Claim 1

AN X-RAY SYSTEM COMPRISING IN COMBINATION MEANS PRODUCING AN X-RAY BEAM; A TABLE ADAPTED TO SUPPORT THE BODY OF A SUBJECT THEREON IN A PLANE GENERALLY NORMAL TO THE BEAM, SAID TABLE COMPRISING A MOVABLE PART INCLUDING A TOP AND A FIXED PART INCLUDING A SUPPORTING FRAME THEREFOR; MEANS MOUNTING THE TABLE TOP ON THE SUPPORTING FRAME FOR DISPLACEMENT IN SAID PLANE LONGITUDINALLY OF THE SUBJECT''S BODY SO AS TO POSITION ANY SELECTED PART OF THE SUBJECT''S BODY IN THE BEAM; X-RAY CAMERA MEANS POSITIONED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF SAID TABLE TOP FROM SAID BEAM PRODUCING MEANS FOR RADIOGRAPHING SAID SELECTED PART POSITIONED IN THE BEAM, SAID CAMERA MEANS BEING MOUNTED TO BE STATIONARY WHILE SAID SELECTED PART IS BEING RADIOGRAPHED; MOTOR OPERATED DRIVE MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID SUPPORTING FRAME FOR DISPLACING THE TABLE TOP; SWITCH MEANS, A PLURALITY OF SWITCH OPERATING MEANS SEPARATELY POSITIONABLE RELATIVE TO THE TABLE IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO TABLE TOP DISPLACEMENT, SAID SWITCH MEANS BEING CARRIED BY ONE OF SAID TABLE PARTS WHILE SAID SWITCH OPERATING MEANS ARE MOUNTED ON THE OTHER IN A COOPERATING POSITION SUCH THAT SAID SWITCH MEANS IS ACTUATED ON DISPLACEMENT OF THE TABLE TOP TO EACH OF A CORRESPONDING PLURALITY OF POSITIONS; SAID SWITCH MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID MOTOR OPERATED DRIVE MEANS FOR OPERATING AND DISABLING THE LATTER IN A CONTROLLABLE SEQUENCE ON ACTUATION OF THE SWITCH MEANS, WHEREBY TO DISPLACE THE TABLE TOP IN A STEPPED SEQUENCE TO EACH OF SAID PLURALITY OF POSITIONS, MEANS FOR OPERATING SAID CAMERA WHILE THE TABLE TOP IS AT EACH POSITION; MEANS PRODUCING A SECOND X-RAY BEAM PARALLEL TO SAID FIRST BEAM AND INTERSECTING THE PLANE OF SAID TABLE TOP AT A POINT LONGITUDINALLY SPACED FROM SAID FIRST BEAM; A BRIGHTNESS AMPLIFIER UNIT INCLUDING TELEVISION CAMERA AND CINECAMERA MEANS IMMOVABLY CONNECTABLE THEREWITH; PARALLEL LINKAGE MEANS ON SAID SUPPORTING FRAME SUPPORTING SAID UNIT UNDER THE TABLE TOP FOR PARALLEL DISPLACEMENT IN A DIRECTION GENERALLY PARALLEL TO THE OPTICAL AXIS THEREOF TOWARDS THE TABLE TOP TO AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN CENTERED RELATION WITH SAID SECOND BEAM AND AWAY FROM THE TABLE TO AN IDLE POSITION; PHOTOGRAPHIC PLATE CARRIER MEANS MOUNTED UNDER THE TABLE TOP FOR SLIDING MOVEMENT GENERALLY IN THE PLANE OF SAID TABLE TOP TRANSVERSELY THERETO BETWEEN AN OPERATIVE POSITION IN CENTERED RELATION WITH SAID SECOND BEAM AND A WITHDRAWN IDEL POSITION; AND MEANS FOR ALTERNATIVELY MOVING SAID UNIT TO ITS OPERATIVE POSITION AND SAID CARRIER MEANS TO ITS IDLE POSITION, AND MOVING SAID UNIT TO ITS IDLE POSITION AND SAID CARRIER MEANS TO ITS OPERATIVE POSITION.