A NEW AND IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING OR EXHIBITING PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OTHER PORTRAITS, VIEWS, AND DESIGNS
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Browne, of Cambrian Villas, Richmond
Hill, in the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "A NEW AND
IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING OR EXHIBITING PHOTOGRAPHIC AND
OTHER PORTRAITS, VIEWS, AND DESIGNS.”
Scaled the 9th June 1876, and dated the 11th December 1875.

page_text: First. Each portrait or view is presented to the eye framed and
glazed.
Second. The whole of the photographs are locked up, and thus the
possibility of surreptitiously abstracting them as commonly practised is
prevented.
Third. Each picture is presented to view at one fixed point instead of
at different points, as in the case of an album, which requires the leaves
containing the photographs to be turned over to view them..
Fourth. The apparatus forms a handsome permanent article of
furniture, being made of polished wood, whereas the leaves and covers
of an album soon become soiled and unsightly.
The means by which I propose to effect these improvements are as
follows:-
To a box or case I arrange the following parts:-Inside of the said
box and sufficiently far from the top thereof to allow it to rotate freely
I adapt crosswise of the said box a square drum supported by a central
axis, whose extremitics take into slots or openings made through the
back and front of the aforesaid box. I also fix into each end of the
aforesaid drum about half an inch from the angle of each side thereof a
pin; these pins are intended to come into contact with the under side
of double inclines or projections fixed to the back and front parts of the
case at the inside thereof for the purpose hereafter stated. I also adapt
suitable springs to the ends of the axis of the drum to enable the said
drum to descend and ascend whilst it is being rotated.
The portraits or pictures are arranged in mounts or pieces of card
about the same size as each side of the before-mentioned drum; these
mounts I hinge or connect together loosely by their edges in any desired
number, say 50. These cards with the portraits or views. therein I
place upon the aforesaid drum ready to be successively presented to
view through a piece of glass fixed as a frame in the top of the aforesaid
box or case, then proceed to impart rotatory motion to the drum, the
effect of which is to bring one of the pins in each end of the drum into
contact with the fixed double incline pieces before mentioned, and thus
bring forward nearly close to the glass the next portrait or view, and sò
on in succession throughout the entire series.
The above arrangement is only arranged to display one portrait or
picture in each card, and only on one side thereof.

page_text: And in order to present to view portraits or views on both sides of
the series of mounts or cards the same may be effected by causing each
mount or card to turn on pivots fixed to the edges of the ends thereof,
the said pivots being attached to the mount about midway of its width.
I also make the mount or card heavier on one edge to enable it to turn
over; for example, suppose the first few mounts and portraits to have
been displayed by turning round the drum, these mounts as they
descend and leave their contact with the said drum will by the excess
of weight on one edge be turned over, so as to place the portrait or
picture, which was before concealed from view, into position for being
seen by turning round the drum in an opposite direction to that in
which it was previously turned, and as the portraits leave the drum as
they descend and book or fold up the mounts will be again turned over
into their normal position, and so on in succession.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Alexander Browne in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 10th June 1876.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
BROWNE, of Cambrian Villas, Richmond Hill, in the County of Surrey,
send grecting.
.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Eleventh day of December, in the
year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the
thirty-ninth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said Alexander Browne, Her
special licence that I, the said Alexander Browne, my executors, ad-
ministrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Alexander
Browne, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might.
make, usc, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great'
Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Inven--
tion for "A NEW AND IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING OR EXHIBITING
PHOTOGRAPHIC AND OTHER PORTRAITS, VIEWS, AND DESIGNS," upon the
5 condition (amongst others) that I, the said Alexander Browne, my.

page_text: executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under my,
or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner
the same was to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the
Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months next and imme-
diately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Browne, do hereby
declare the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement, that is to say :-
-
This Invention is designed as a substitute for the well-known photo-
graphic album, and the principal features of novelty of this Invention
and improvement as compared with an album are as follows:-
First. Each portrait or view is presented to the eye framed and
glazed.
Second. The whole of the photographs are locked up, and thus the
possibility of surreptitiously abstracting them as commonly practised is
prevented.
.
Third. Each picture is presented to view at one fixed point instead of
at different points, as in the case of an album, which requires the leaves 2
_containing the photographs to be turned over to view them.
Fourth. The apparatus forms a handsome permanent article of
furniture, being made of polished wood, whereas the leaves and covers
of an album soon become soiled and unsightly.
The means by which I propose to effect these improvements are as 2
follows:-
To a box or case I arrange the following parts:-Inside of the said
box and sufficiently far from the top thereof to allow it to rotate freely
I adapt crosswise of the said box a square drum supported by a central
axis, whose extremities take into slots or openings made through the 3
back and front of the aforesaid box. I also fix into each end of the
aforesaid drum about half an inch from the angle of each side thereof
pins; these pins are intended to come into contact with the under side..
of double inclines or projections fixed to the back and front parts of the
case at the inside thereof for the purpose hereafter stated. I also adapt 3

page_text: suitable springs to the ends of the axis of the drum to enable the said
drum to descend and ascend whilst it is being rotated.
The portraits or pictures are arranged in mounts or pieces of card
about the same size as each side of the before-mentioned drum; these
mounts I hinge or connect together loosely by their edges in any desired
number, say 50. These cards with the portraits or views therein I
place upon the aforesaid drum ready, to be successively presented to
view through a piece of glass fixed as a frame in the top of the aforesaid
box or case, then proceed to impart rotatory motion to the drum, the
effect of which is to bring one of the pins in each end of the drum into
contact with the fixed double incline pieces before-mentioned, and thus
bring forward nearly close to the glass the next portrait or view, and so
on in succession throughout the entire series.
The above arrangement is only arranged to display one portrait or
picture in each card, and only on one side thereof.
And in order to present to view portraits or views on both sides of
the series of mounts or cards the same may be effected by causing each
mount or card to turn on pivots fixed to the edges of the ends thereof,
the said pivots being attached to the mount about midway of its width.
I also make the mount or card heavier on one edge to enable it to turn
over; for example, suppose the first few mounts and portraits to have
been displayed by turning round the drum, these mounts as they
descend and leave their contact with the said drum will by the excess
of weight on one edge be turned over, so as to place the portrait or
picture which was before concealed from view into position for being
seen by turning round the drum in an opposite direction to that in
which it was previously turned, and as the portraits leave the drum as
they descend and book or fold up the mounts will be again turned over
into their normal position, and so on in succession.
And in order to explain this Invention more fully I will now proceed
to describe the means by which it may be effected by reference to the
accompanying Drawing, and the letters of reference marked thereon, as
follows

page_text: Figure 3 is a transverse and vertical section through the line A, B, at
Figure 2; Figure 4, a section through C, D, at Figure 2; Figure 5, a
view of a portion of the inner side of the box of the apparatus showing
parts attached thereto, as hereafter described; Figure 6 shews the
apparatus constructed to display portraits or pictures at the top of the t
case instead of at the side thereof.
At each of the above-mentioned Figures similar letters of reference
are placed upon corresponding parts.
A marks a box or case, in which are arranged the following parts :—
Inside of the said box and sufficiently far from the top thereof to allow ]
it to rotate freely I adapt crosswise of the said box a drum B supported
by a central axis C, whose extremities take into slots or openings a made
through the back and front of the aforesaid box, as at Figure 5. I also
fix into each end of the drum B, about half an inch from the angle of
each side thereof, pins ; these pins are intended to come into contact 1
with the under side of double inclines or projections D fixed to the back
and front parts of the case at the inside thereof, as at Figure 5, for the
purpose hereafter stated. I also adapt springs c of the construction
exhibited at Figure 5 to the ends of the axis of the drum B to enable
the said drum to descend and ascend whilst it is being rotated. dare:
levers connected together at d¹; e, the axis of motion of the said levers;
f, an endless piece of india-rubber.
The portraits or pictures are arranged in mounts or pieces of card at
E, about the same size as each side of the drum B; these mounts I
hinge or connect together loosely by their edges in any desired number,
say 50. The cards E with the portraits or views therein I place upon
the drum B ready to be successively presented to view through a piece
of glass G fixed as a frame in the top or side of the box or case A, then
proceed to impart rotatory motion to the drum B by turning the
handles C', the effect of which is to bring one of the pins 6 in the ends
of the drum B into contact with the incline pieces D, and thus bring
forward nearly close to the glass the next portrait or view, and so on in
succession throughout the entire series.
In order to ensure the proper "booking" or folding up of the band
of cards and photographs, designs, or devices, I propose to employ two
revolving rollers, marked Z at Figure 5, against the peripheries of which
the cards press,
and are thus guided in their proper course.

page_text: The above arrangement is only arranged to display one portrait or
picture in each card, and only on one side thereof.
And in order to present to view portraits or views on both sides of
the series of mounts or cards the same may be effected by causing each
mount or card to turn on pivots at d fixed in the cards and frames H,
as at Figure 7, the pivots d being attached to the mount about midway
of its width. I also make the mount or card E heavier on one edge, as
at e, to enable it to turn over; for example, suppose the first few
mounts and portraits to have been displayed by turning round the
drum B, these mounts as they descend and leave their contact with the
said drum will by the excess of weight on one edge be turned over, so as
to place the portrait or picture which was before concealed from view
into position for being seen by turning round the drum B in an opposite
direction to that in which it was previously turned, and as the portraits
leave the drum as they descend and book or fold up the mounts E will
be again turned over into their normal position, and so on in succession;
or the reversing of the mounts E may be otherwise effected.
Having now fully described and set forth the nature and object of
my said Invention for "A New and Improved Apparatus for Displaying
or Exhibiting Photographic and other Portraits, Views, and Designs,"
and the means by which it may be effected, I would remark in con-
clusion that I hereby declare my Invention to consist in and I claim,
the combination of parts above described with reference to the accom-
panying Drawing, and the manner of operating such said parts, sub-
stantially as above described.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Browne, have hereunto
cat my hand and seal this Tenth day of June in the year of
ALEX. BROWNE. (L.S.)