IMPROVEMENTS IN MICROPHOTOSCOPES
Year: 1885

page_text: I ROBERT GALLAND-MASON of Hambleton House Douglas Isle of Man School-.
master do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MICROPHOTOSCOPES to be as follows :—
"
"
This invention relates to improvements in the optical instrument called the
Microphotoscope" for which Letters Patent were granted to me dated January 8th
A.D. 1884 N° 912.
The improved microphotoscope consists in arranging microphotographs in
spectacles, eye glasses or hand glasses in concentric circular groups so that each
microphotograph may be brought separately under or before a single minuto
microscope instead of each microphotograph being provided with a separate lens.
The microscope is placed in a radial slide. The radial slide is to enable the
microscope to be moved opposite any circle of microphotographs.
The microphotograps would be taken upon a piece of circular glass, gelatine or
any suitable substance; in photographing them it would not be necessary to take
cach microphotograph separately.
If the models from which the microphotograps are take were arranged in a circle
the whole circular group of microphotographs could be taken on one negative.
The gelatine film or other material upon which the microphotographs are taken
and also the microphotographs themselves may be protected from injury by
friction &c. by being placed between two very thin pieces of glass, tale, or any
other suitable substance and the whole cemented together with transparent cement
so as to form one piece. These circular pieces of glass or other material upon
which the microphotograps are taken may be made to fit into loose frames in such
a manner that they may be taken out at will and others put in their places.
These frames have several little catches or claws by which they may be made to
spring or clip on to spectacles, eye-glasses or band-glasses of a circular shape.
The edges of these loose frames may be milled which when taken between the
thumb and finger enables them (the loose frames) with the glasses they contain to
be turned round and adjusted with the utmost nicety.
This is the movement which brings each of the circularly grouped microphoto-
graphs under or before the small microscope which rests in a radial slide attached
to the spectacles, eye-glasses or hand-glasses and next to the wearers eye.

page_text: This circular movement is preferably obtained by the above method, but may
also be obtained by revolving with the thumb and finger a minute rubber or other
roller attached to the spectacles, eye-glasses or hand glasses, and pressing upon the
glass or other substance containing the microphotographs or upon the loose frame
in which the glass or other substance is fixed; or this movement may be obtained
by a worm fixed on the spectacles eye-glasses or hand glasses and working into
teeth in the loose frame; or again the movement may be given by depressing
a minute spring-stud on the rim of the spectacles, eye-glasses, or hand-glasses
which acting upon teeth in the rim of the loose frame turns it round a tooth at
a time.
In the case of hand glasses the radial slide which holds the microscope may be
attached to.the centre of the glass or other material around which the inicrophoto-
graps are grouped.
The microphotographs may be copies of books, pamphlets, newspapers, or any
written or printed matter, maps, charts, views, landscapes, pictures or any object or
group of objects from which photographs can be taken.
The uses to which the improved microphotoscope could be put would be similar
to those described in my Specification of the "microphotoscope" above referred to
but in a more enlarged or extended sense as the pair of glasses which slip into
the loose frames would be capable of holding from two to three hundred
microphotographs.
If these were copies of the leaves of a book then in one pair of spectacles or
eye-glasses a person would be able to carry the contents of a whole volume and as
the glasses are detachable and very thin a person would be able to carry from fifty
to a hundred pairs of these in a case less than an ordinary pocket book.
The glasses might be numbered and the case contain an index of the subjects.
Thus a person would be enabled to carry from fifty to a hundred volumes in his
waistcoat pocket. By the aid of the type-writer in preparing the text, books
instead of being printed could be published microphotoscopically with greater
expedition than at present, for the known resources of the modern photographer
are so great that within twenty-four hours of receiving the text he would be able
to place thousands of microphotoscopical copies in the market. The postage and
carriage of books so published would be very small and would be a great gain to
those who had to send them abroad.
The University student would be able to carry all his text books in his waist-
coat pocket however diversified his studies were.
The doctor, lawyer or literary man would be able always to have with him
microphotoscopical copies of all the works of reference he could possibly require.
A man with a bad memory might have microphotoscopical copies of a whole
encyclopedia.
In a single pair of glasses the leader of an orchestra could carry more music than
he would be able to get through in one evening-A continental traveller, a whole
pronouncing dictionary; a bicyclist, tricyclist or tourist, maps of every road in the
United Kingdom; a member of parliament or other public speaker, the whole of
his speech; a lecturer, the whole of his lecture, and a detective the features of thre
hundred criminals.

page_text: "
I ROBERT GALLAND-MASON of Hambleton House Douglas, Isle of Man School-
master do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MICROPHOTOSCOPES and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :—
32
This invention relates to improvements in the optical instrument called the
Microphotoscope" for which Letters Patent were granted to me dated January 8th
A.D. 1884 N° 912.
The improved microphotoscope consists in arranging microphotographs in
spectacles, eye glasses, or hand glasses in concentric circular groups, so that cach
microphotograph may be brought separately under or before a single minute
microscope instead of cach microphotograph being provided with a separate lens.
The microscope may be placed in a radial slide. This radial slide is to enable
the microscope to be moved opposite to any circle of microphotographs; or it may
be let into the rim of the spectacle glass and provided with a minute screw for
focussing for varying sights.
The microphotograps would be taken upon a piece of circular glass, gelatine or
any suitable transparent substance; in photographing them it would not be
necessary to take each microphotograph separately.
If the models from which the microphotographs are taken were arranged in a
circle the whole circular group of microphotographs could be taken on one
negative.
The gelatine film or other material upon which the microphotographs are taken
(and also the microphotographs themselves) may be protected from injury by
friction &c by being placed between two very thin pieces of glass, talc, or any
other suitable transparent substance and the whole cemented together with trans-
parent cement so as to form one piece.
These circular pieces of glass or other material upon which the microphotographs
are taken may be made to fit into loose frames in such a manner that they may be
taken out at will and others put in their places. These frames have several
small catches or claws by which they may be made to spring or clip on to spectacles
eye-glasses or hand glasses of a circular form.
The edges of these loose frames may be milled, which when taken between the
thumb and finger enables then (the loose frames) with the glasses they contain to
be turned round and adjusted with the utmost nicety; or the spectacles, eye glasses
or hand glasses may have catches on their rims into which the circular glasses
containing the microphotographs may themselves be sprung, or taken out at will;
hus dispensing with the loose frames. In this case the glasses containing the
nicrophotographs would be a little larger than the spectacle glasses, to enable the
humb and finger to take hold of them when turning them round.
This is the movement which brings each of the circularly grouped microphoto-
raphs under or before the small microscope which is fixed in the rim of the
pectacle glasses-on the side next the eye-in such a manner that it may either
e used radially or focussed for varying sights by means of a minute screw.

page_text: This circular movement is preferably obtained by the above method, but may
also be obtained by revolving with the thumb and finger a minute rubber or other
roller attached to the spectacles eye-glasses or hand glasses and pressing upon the
glass or other substance containing the microphotographs or upon the loose frame
in which the glass or other substance is fixed; or this movement may be obtained
by a worm fixed on the spectacles, eye glasses or hand-glasses and working into
teeth in the loose frame; or again the movement may be given by depressing
a minute spring-stud on the rim of the spectacles, eye glasses or hand glasses,
which acting upon teeth in the rim of the loose frame turns it round a tooth at
a time.
In the case of hand-glasses the radial slide which holds the microscope may be
attached to the centre of the glass, or other material around which the microphoto-
graphs are grouped.
The spectacle glasses may be sighted for those who require them sighted and
plain clear glass for those who do not.
In order that the practical application of my invention may be clearly understood
have annexed hereto a sheet of drawings in which (for the sake of illustration)
my invention is shown as applied to a pair of spectacles of the kind ordinarily
designated "frameless."
"
Fig. 1. illustrates the appearance of the improved microphotoscope when worn,
frameless
differing very slightly in appearance from an ordinary pair of
spectacles. Fig. 2. is an end view of the same and Fig. 3. the same view enlarged.
a, a are the ear pieces, b, the plates to which the ear pieces a, a are hinged,
c, c are the spectacle glasses to which the plates b¹, b¹ attached to the nose piece d, d
are also screwed.
The arms e, e' spring from the plates b, and b₁ (see also Fig. 4. which is a front
view of the metal parts detached from the glasses) and follow the curve of the
spectacle glasses f. f. These arms e and e' are bent at their ends and provided with
sinal round knobs g, g which act as spring clips holding the glasses h, h which
contain the microphotographs, securely, and at the same time allowing them to be
sprung out and replaced by others with the greatest case; i, i is the minute micro-
scope before which any one of the circularly grouped microphotographs on the
glass h, h may be brought by moving the latter round between the thumb and
finger.
For this purpose the glass h, h is made slightly larger than the spectacle
glass f. f.
The microphotographs may be copies of books, pamphlets, newspapers or any
written or printed matter maps, charts, views, landscapes, pictures or any object or
group of objects from which photographs can be taken.
The uses to which the improved microphotoscope could be put would be similar
to those described in my Specification of the microphotoscope above referred to,
but in a more enlarged or extended sense, as a pair of glasses h, h which slip into
the spectacle frames would be capable of holding from two to three hundred
microphotographs.
If these were copies of the leaves of a book, then in one pair of spectacles or
eyeglasses a person would be able to carry the contents of a whole volume and as
the glasses are detachable and very thin a person would be able to carry from fifty
to a hundred pairs of these in a case less than an ordinary pocket book.
The glasses might be numbered and the case contain an index of the subjects;
thus a person would be enabled to carry from fifty to a hundred volumes in his
waistcoat pocket.
By the aid of the type writer in preparing the text, books instead of being
printed could be published microphotoscopically with greater expedition than at
present, for the known resources of the modern photographer are so great that
within twenty four hours of receiving the text he would be able to place numbers
of microphotoscopical copies in the market.

page_text: Microphotoscopical books would be almost indestructible-would never become
mouldy or worm eaten and would take up so little space that a very large library
could be contained in a small cabinet.
The postage and carriage of books so published would be very small and would
be a great gain to those who had to send them abroad.
The captain of an ocean going vessel could have copies of his charts, maps &c in
his spectacles and in times of danger and peril would not require to leave the
bridge for the chart room. In the darkest and stormiest night by looking towards
any of the lights that a vessel generally carries, or by looking towards the moon or
even the stars, he could see his charts and maps as distinctly as in the daylight; for
the matter contained in the microphotoscope can be read in a light so dim that
ordinary printed matter cannot be seen.
The University student would be able to carry all his text books in his waist-
coat pocket, however diversified his studies were; the doctor, lawyer or literary
man would be able to have always with him microphotoscopical copies of all the
works of reference he could possibly require. A man with a bad memory might
have microphotoscopical copies of a whole encyclopædia always before his eyes. In
a single pair of glasses the leader of an orchestra could carry more music than he
would be able to get through in one evening; a continental traveller, a whole
pronouncing dictionary; a cyclist or tourist, maps of every road in the United
Kingdom or other country; a member of parliament or other public speaker, the
whole of his speech; a lecturer, the whole of his lecture; and a detective the
features of three hundred criminals and so on, to an almost indefinite extent.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that
what I claim is
The combination in the instrument called the "microphotoscope" of a single
fixed or adjustable lens or microscope with movable or detachable circular glasses
or other media containing one or more circular or concentric groups of microphoto-
graphs, so arranged that each or any microphotograph may be brought separately
under or before the said fixed or adjustable lens or microscope (instead of each
microphotograph being provided with a separate lens) substantially as herein before
particularly described and illustrated by the drawings annexed.
GEORGE DAVIES,
Agent for the Applicant,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester.