Improvements in Apparatus applicable for use in Photography.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 31st July, 1890
Complete Specification Left, 29th Apr., 1891-Accepted, 30th May, 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus applicable for use in Photography.
I, THOMAS BEAVAN SLOPER of 14 and 15 Brittox, Devizes, in the County of
Wilts., House Furnisher etc., do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in appliances used in developing and
preparing photographic plates, films, and prints and more particularly to holders
for holding the plates etc. and to the dishes and other apparatus in connection
therewith.
There are many processes used in photography where a plate holder is an advan-
tage but particularly in the process of developing in which the exposed plate is
placed in a shallow dish containing the developing solutions.
It frequently happens that the solutions require to be altered in which case the
plate should be instantly removed which can be readily done by means of my
invention moreover the chemicals used in developing etc. are very liable to stain
the fingers, but with my invention the fingers need not be wetted during the whole
process.
The holder may be made in a great variety of forms and materials a few of
which I will describe. One form I make entirely of wire but at certain parts
i.e. where it comes in contact with the solutions I use a kind of wire such as silver
or nickel that will not affect or be affected by the chemicals used in the
solutions.
I prefer to make the holder of such a shape that it forms a handle over the plate
when it is in the developing dish and I secure the holder to the plate by means of
loops hooks or clips of wire which are sometimes an extension of the handle.
I prefer to let the handle cross the plate diagonally or from opposite corners and
the loops or clips press against the edge and may if desired pass more or less
underneath the plate but it is advisable that the loops or clips should not touch the
top of the plate where the film or paper being prepared should be.
The wire forming the handle may act as a spring drawing the clips or loops
together and thus securing the plate or a ring, spring or equivalent device may be
used for such purpose.
This arrangement is capable of considerable modification for instance a single
wire may form the handle and the clips loops or arches formed of vulcanite or other
suitable material may be secured to such handle.
The clips loops or jaws may be formed like a hinge or pair of pincers or two
such devices may be so made the handle forming a connection between them this
arrangement being most convenient for large plates.
To hold papers or films I sometimes place then flat on a sheet of glass but I
prefer to use a special holder and frame for these which I make of a sheet of
ebonite or other suitable material either plain or perforated with holes secured at
one or more sides to a suitable frame or handle. Or wires, threads, tapes, rubber
or other suitable material strained by a frame on which I place and secure the
paper or other matter.
sometimes use several frames one over the other or hinged together to keep
the prints or other matter separate during washing,
The holders may be made to take various sized plates but I prefer to make a
separate holder to take each size. The holders may be made of any suitable
materials such for example as ebonite or wood or any combination of materials.
Another part of my invention relates to the trays or dishes used as baths for the
plates. These I prefer to make with wells or recesses in the bottom or sides to

page_text: correspond with the holders thus allowing the plate to rest on the bottom of the
dish which enables a smaller quantity of solution to cover the plate.
One or more hooks or equivalent devices may be fixed to or near the water tap
in the dark room to hang the holders upon while washing the plates. By this
arrangement the plates are held horizontally under the tap and I sometimes place a
dish or tray perforated with holes between the tap and the plate for the purpose of
distributing the water evenly over the plate.
A great advantage in my invention is that the plate can be readily manipulated
with one hand leaving the other free.
As such a small part of the holder gets in contact with the solutions it can readily
be washed with the plate and passed through the successive baths without using a
separate holder for each bath.
W. P. THOMPSON & BOULT,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus applicable for use in Photography.
1, THOMAS BEAVAN SLOPER of 14 and 15 Brittox, Devizes, in the County of
Wilts., House Furnisher etc., do hereby declare the nature of this invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention relates to improvements in appliances used in developing and
preparing photographic plates, films and prints and more particularly to holders for
holding the plates etc. and to the dishes and other apparatus in connection
therewith.
There are many processes used in photography where a plate holder is an advan-
tage but particularly in the process of developing in which the exposed plate is
placed in a shallow dish containing the developing solutions.
It frequently happens that the solutions require to be altered in which case the
plate should be instantly removed which can be readily done by means of my
invention moreover the chemicals used in developing etc. are very liable to stain the
fingers but with my invention the fingers need not be wetted during the whole
process.
The holder may be made in a great variety of forms and materials a few of
which I will describe. One form 1 make entirely of wire but at certain parts
i.e. where it comes in contact with the solutions I use a kind of wire such as silver
or nickel that will not affect or be affected by the chemicals used in the solutions.
I prefer to make the holder of such a shape that it forms a handle over the plate
when it is in the developing dish and I secure the holder to the plate by means of
loops, hooks or clips of wire which are sometimes an extension of the handle.
I prefer to let the handle cross the plate diagonally or from opposite corners and
the loops or clips press against the edge and may if desired pass more or less under-
neath the plate but it is advisable that the loops or clips should not touch the top
of the plate where the film or paper being prepared should be.
The wire forming the handle may act as a spring drawing the clips or loops together
and thus securing the plate or a ring, spring or equivalent device may be used for
such purpose.
This arrangement is capable of considerable modification for instance a single
wire may form the handle and the clips, loops or arches formed of vulcanite or
other suitable material may be secured to such handle.
The clips, loops or jaws may be formed like a hinge or pair of pincers or two
such devices may be so made, the handle, forming a connection between them, this
arrangement being most convenient for large plates.
To hold papers or. films. I sometimes place them flat on a sheet of glass but I
prefer to use a special holder and frame for these which I make of a sheet. of

page_text: ebonite or other suitable material either plain or perforated with holes and secured
at one or more sides to a suitable frame or handle. Or wires, threads, tapes,
rubber or other suitable material strained by a frame on which I place and secure
the paper or other matter.
.:
I sometimes use several frames one over the other or hinged together to keep the
prints or other matter separate during washing.
The holders may be made to take various sized plates but I prefer to make a
separate holder to take each size. The holders may be made of any suitable
materials such for example as ebonite or wood or any combination of materials.
Another part of my invention relates to the trays or dishes used as baths for the
plates. These I prefer to make with wells or recesses in the bottom or sides to
correspond with the holders thus allowing the plate to rest on the bottom of the
dish which enables a smaller quantity of solution to cover the plate.
One or more hooks or equivalent devices may be fixed to or near the water tap
in the dark room to hang the holders upon while washing the plates. By this
arrangement the plates are held horizontally under the tap and I sometimes place a
dish or tray perforated with holes between the tap and the plate for the purpose of
distributing the water evenly over the plate.
A great advantage in my invention is that the plate can be readily manipulated
with one hand leaving the other free.
As such a small part of the holder gets in contact with the solutions it can readily
be washed with the plate and passed through the successive baths without using a
separate holder for each bath.
In the accompanying drawings;—
Fig. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the holder out of use and Fig. 2 is a
perspective view showing it in use upon a plate.
Fig. 3 is a perspective view of another form of the holder out of use and Fig. 4
is a perspective view of the same holder upon a plate.
Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the holder for supporting papers, films or
the like.
Like letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.
The holder shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is principally composed of two similarly bent
wires A and A. Each of these wires is bent, at its ends to form clips a, at its
central part so as to form a handle a and at a² so that it may be approximately
parallel with the corresponding parts (a) of the other wire so as to enable the
contiguous parts a³ of the two wires A A to be bound together by a serving of
wire A or otherwise connected together after the manner of a hinge.
In Fig. 2 X indicates the plate which is supported by placing the two pairs of
clips a over diagonally opposite corners of the plate and moving the handles a¹ and
consequently the individual members of each pair of clips closer together so that
the clips will to a slight extent project beneath the plate.
The holder shown in Figs. 3 and 4 is composed of a wire C bent downwards near
its extremities at c and preferably burred over, rivetted or otherwise enlarged at its
extreme ends e so that the frames D will be retained in proper position thereon.
These frames are advantageously formed of channelled or fluted wire preferably of
silver, nickel or of brass wire silver plated or of other metal which will not affect
or be affected by the chemicals used in the solutions and each wire is so bent as to
produce a horizontal rail d and two approximately vertical parts d'. Each of the
frames D is pivotted on one of the turned down ends c c of wire C which may be
conveniently done by wrapping a serving E of wire around the two parts d¹ and the
enclosed part c.
The central part of C is bent up to form two inclined rails and a bow or
handle c. The loops or eyes formed on the ends of a bar Fare adapted to slide
on the inclined rails c² so that when the bar F is moved to its lowest position as in
Fig. 4 the two frames D will be brought closer together and when the bar Fis
raised the frames D will be moved farther apart partly by the resilience of the
wire C and partly by the action of the bar F on the inclined rails:

page_text: .
.
From this last explanation it will readily be seen that if the frames D be placed
over diagonally opposite corners of the plate X when the bar is in its raised
position that as soon as the bar F is lowered the frames D will be moved towards
each other and the horizontal members d thereof will pass beneath and support the
plate.
It will be obvious that the frames D may be formed in one piece with the wire C
but I generally prefer to hinge or joint them to the wire C in the manner shown
because this admits of their adjusting their position when applied to the angles of
the plate and moreover this arrangement is of further advantage in admitting of
the frames D being turned into the positions shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 so
that the whole device will be practically flat and in a more portable condition.
In the holder shown in Fig. 5 a wire G is bent so as to form at its centre a
handle or bow and at each of its downwardly turned ends a frame g'. From one
to the other of the horizontal or bottom members of these frames are stretched a
number of wires, elastic or other threads or the like H; or one continuous length
of such thread or the like may be taken backward and forward between the frames g¹,
which may if desired be provided with loops or eyes g² through which H may be
threaded.
J are two wires each at one end secured to the wire G by an eye; and at its
vertical part capable of sliding freely within the wire serving y³ or other guide.
The lower end of each of the wires is formed into or carries a frame, plate or
equivalent the lower part or edge of which presses down onto the threads H with
sufficient pressure to hold flat any paper or film inserted between said frame or
plate and thread.
Instead of the threads or equivalents H. I may employ a plain or perforated sheet
of ebonite or other suitable material.
The bows or handles c³ and g enable the holders while supporting a plate, sheet
or film horizontally to be hooked on to a tap for washing, the tap for this purpose
being preferably provided with a spur or equivalent device.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
1. In apparatus such as described the combination of two bent wires such as A A'
hinged or jointed together substantially as and for the purpose described and
illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
2. In apparatus such as described the combination with a bent wire such as C of
two frames such as D substantially as and for the purpose described and illustrated
in the accompanying drawings.
3. In apparatus such as described the combination with a bent wire such as G g
and threads H of two bent wires such as J 7 substantially as and for the purpose
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
4. The combination and arrangements of parts constituting the complete holder
substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 of the accompanying
drawings.
5. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete holder
substantially as described and illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the accompanying
drawings.
6. The combination and arrangement of parts constituting the complete holder
substantially as described and illustrated in Figure 5 of the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 20th dow of Amilasoi
THOMAS BEAVAN SLOPER.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.
THOMAS BEAVAN SLOPER.
W. P. Thompson & Boult,
Agents for the Applicant.