Improvements in or connected with Revolving Stereoscopic Panoramas.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 9th Jan., 1890-Accepted, 22nd Feb, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Revolving Stereoscopic
Panoramas.
1, AUGUST FUHRMANN, of Passaye, Berlin in the German Empire, Panorama
Proprietor, 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
1
My invention relates to revolving stereoscopic panoramas and consists in an
improved arrangement of revolving picture frames and mechanism for turning the
same by means of which the number of pictures exhibited in a panorama of a certain
size can be greatly increased, and in automatic apparatus for opening the oculars
operated by the insertion of a coin in combination with mechanism for closing the
oculars after all the pictures have been exhibited.
On the two sheets of drawings appended hereunto
Fig. 1 shows a plan of the panorama.
Fig. 2 a radial section along line x x of fig. 1.
Fig. 3 the automatic apparatus in two positions.
Fig. 4a plan of the same.
Fig. 5 the position of said automatic apparatus with opened oculars.
Fig. 6 a side view of fig. 5.
Fig. 7 a side view of the apparatus with the housing removed.
Fig. 8 a detail part for holding the pictures.
In the centre of the panorama the housing of which is polygonal and is represented
on the drawings with 12 sides and oculars, so that 12 persons can simultaneously use
the apparatus, an upright shaft A is arranged carrying a strong boss B actuated by
clock work so as to receive an intermittent rotation. To the boss B six arms a of.
equal length made preferably of T iron are fixed so as to stand out radially at equal
distances from each other, as shewn by fig. 1. Each arm a carries a cross bar c with
turned up lugs at each end, in which the picture frames or holders C are supported
and can revolve. The frames C thus are held between the opposite ends of each two
successive cross bars c, so that with six radial arms six of such frames can be arranged.
The frames C are cruciform and made of U iron (fig. 8), so that into each pair of
arms a picture with its corresponding shade can be inserted, and altogether 4 pictures
with shades are contained in each frame. There being in the apparatus represented
on the drawings six of these frames, twenty four views can be shewn in the
panorama.
In order to obtain a successive view of all the views, the picture frames after each
complete rotation of the star frame a B must be turned by a quarter revolution so that
a new arm of the cross C with its picture is brought before the oculars. This is done
by means of a turning frame D (figs. 1 & 7) placed into the path of the picture frame.
It is made of such height that the frames C revolving with the star frame a B come
against it and sliding on the incline of the frame D are turned by a quarter turn so as
to bring a new picture before the ocular. In order to fix the position of the picture
frame, a 4 peg ratchet wheel b is arranged at the side of each frame and held by a
blade spring c. At each quarter turn of the picture frame the peg wheel is turned
by a peg and held by the spring e' until the picture frame after completion of another
revolution of the star frame a B is again turned by a quarter revolution by means of
the inclined frame D.
Obviously picture frames with more than four arms can be arranged to hold a
larger number of pictures, the turning apparatus being arranged to effect a
corresponding partial revolution of the frame. The clockwork for revolving the star

page_text: frame a B may be arranged in any suitable way to impart an intermittent rotation
with suitable intervals for viewing the pictures, and does not form part of my
invention.
The oculars are closed by shutters and my further improvements consist in
apparatus for opening the shutters operated by the insertion of a certain coin,
together with mechanism for closing the shutters when all the pictures have been
exhibited.
The coin operated apparatus is applied to each pair of oculars, so that in the
panorama represented with 12 pairs of oculars 12 of these automatic apparatus are
applied. They are identical in construction so that the description of one of them
applies to all the rest.
Near to the ocular, for instance above the same, a hopper d is arranged into which
the required coin is placed and slides down into the box e arranged in the lever E
which is balanced on the other side of its fulcrum by a balance weight in such a
manner that the arm carrying the box e is caused to drop by the weight of the coin
dropped into the box. The stud g on which the lever is fulcrumed is fixed to the
inside of the housing of the panorama. Besides the box e and balance weight f the
lever E carries two discs F and G which cover the oculars of the stereoscopes when
the box e is not weighted by a coin, as shewn by fig. 3.
But when in consequence of
a certain coin being dropped into it the box e and lever E sink into the positions
shewn by dotted lines by fig. 3 and in full lines by fig. 5, the covers F. G. are
removed from the oculars, and the visitor can view the picture before the ocular as
long as the intermittent rotation of the star frame permits. The arm of lever E
descending in consequence of the weight of the coin encounters a pin figs. 3 & 4,
and the bottom of the box e being slit so far that the coin placed on edge protrudes
a little below the bottom, the coin is jerked out of the box e as indicated by fig. 3 and
drops into the collecting box H. The arm of the lever E is thereby relieved of its
load and would be lifted up again by the balance weight and the oculars would be
covered, if this were not prevented by the catch 1. This catch is a bellcrank lever
fulcrumed on the pivot in a bracket L which also carries the pivot y for the lever E
and is fixed to the inner wall of the housing. The arm of lever E carrying the box e
has a lateral peg which on the descent of the lever moves the catch lever I and comes
behind its catch or nose, so that the rising of the lever E and covering of the oculars
is prevented thereby, and they remain open until the catch I is disengaged by means
of the revolving star frame a B. As, however, a single revolution of this frame does
not exhibit all the pictures but four revolutions are required to show them all, an
arrangement is provided for disengaging the catch I only after four revolutions of the
star frame.
For this purpose the disc F covering one of the oculars is provided with ratchet
teeth at its circumference and arranged so that it can turn on a pivot k. On the
pivot p, which is at the same distance from the fulcrum g of lever E as the pivot k, a
bellcrank lever K is arranged, the longer arm of which hangs downward and lies in
the path of the bent bars m fixed to the Tee irons a (figs. 1 & 2). The other arm of
the lever K carries a pawl M which comes into gear with the teeth of the disc F
when the lever E has sunk into the position shewn by fig. 5 and the oculars are
opened. When a bar m encounters the lever K, it moves the lever until it can slip
from under it and thereby turns the ratchet disc F by one tooth. Three bars m
being arranged in the case shewn on the drawings, the ratchet disc F is moved by
three teeth for each revolution of the star frame a B and as the disc has 12 teeth, it
moved once round in four revolutions of the star frame. A peg n is fixed to the
dise F. (figs. 4 & 5) which after a complete revolution of the disc F encounters the
longer arm of the catch lever I and lifts it, thereby disengaging the catch from
peg 7 and liberating the lever E, which is then raised by the balance weight fand
resumes its original position (fig. 3) covering the oculars by the shutters F and G
and remaining in this position till the oculars are uncovered again by the insertion
of another coin into the shoot a in the manner berein before described.
the

page_text: 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
Firstly. An intermittently revolving stereoscoping panorama with intermittently
revolving picture frames and coin operated apparatus for uncovering the oculars
substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the drawings.
Secondly. In revolving stereoscopic panoramas the arrangement of cruciform or
star shaped picture holders or frames in combination with apparatus or mechanism
for partially turning said holders or frames after each revolution of the main frame,
substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated and for the purpose set forth.
Thirdly. In combination with revolving stereoscopic panoramas the arrangement of
coin operated apparatus for uncovering the oculars and holding them open until the
revolving frame has made the required number of revolutions, substantially as herein-
before described and illustrated by the drawings.
בד
T
olf Tannan 1990
EMMOTT & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.