An Improved Rocking Apparatus for Photographic and other Purposes.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 24th May, 1892-Accepted, 25th June, 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Rocking Apparatus for Photographic and other
Purposes.
GEORGE FRANCIS PITTAR of 48 Hungerford Road N., in the County of
Middlesex, Engineer, and ERNEST THOMPSON, of 10 Marlboro' Road in the
County of Kent, Electrical Engineer do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object the construction of a series of troughs, sinks &
connections to be actuated by the flow of water or other liquid, for rocking or
washing photographic plates or prints. Also for combining the processes of
developing or washing with rocking. Also for obtaining a rocking motion for any
other purpose.
It consists of the following parts :-
1st. A double-ended trough with ends inclined outwards, having a cross partition
in the centre. This trough is arranged on trunnions, having a crank attached to
one trunnion for the purpose of actuating the rocking tray.
2nd. A rocking tray consisting of a flat sheet of metal with projections to support
object to be rocked or washed. This tray is balanced on pivots & connected to
the trunnion crank by a rod.
3rd. An inlet pipe arranged over the central partition of rocking trough in such
a manner that the water or other liquid can flow on to one side of partition.
This fills one side of trough & causes it to drop & empty into the sink underneath
at the same time raising the other end of trough. From this sink the liquid may be
allowed if necessary to run over the object to be rocked or washed, which is placed
on the rocking tray. The pipe now fills the other end of trough & causes it to
drop & empty, thus producing a rocking motion & ensuring a continual move-
ment of the object operated on, & also bringing fresh liquid in contact with it.
The liquid by actuating the rocker thus may serve two purposes.
The rocking tray is arranged in a suitable sink with outlet.
The greater part of this apparatus is preferably made of tinplate & will be
exceedingly cheap to manufacture.
Dated this 4th 1
1001
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Rocking Apparatus for Photographic and other
Purposes.
We, GEORGE FRANCIS PITTAR, of 48, Hungerford Road, Islington, Engineer,
and ERNEST THOMPSON, of 10, Marlborough Road, Lee, both in the County of
London, 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 apparatus chiefly designed for imparting a rocking or
oscillating motion to trays or dishes in which photographic plates or prints are
developed or washed, but the said apparatus is also applicable for producing a
rocking motion for other purposes.
In carrying out our invention we provide a tray or sink in which is mounted an
oscillating tray or platform upon which the trays or dishes to be rocked are placed.

page_text: Motion is imparted to the rocking platform by means of a double ended trough
mounted upon pivots and trunnions and so arranged in conjunction with a water-
supply-pipe that the two ends of the trough will be alternately filled and emptied.
A rod connected to a crank formed upon one of the trunnions serves to communicate
the motion of the double ended trough to the platform. The said double ended trough
is provided at its centre with a cross partition which immediately one end of the
said trough is sufficiently filled with water to cause the oscillation of the trough in
one direction serves to divert the water into the other end of the trough to cause it
to move in the opposite direction and vice versa.
To enable our invention to be fully understood we will describe the same by
reference to the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Figure 1 is a plan of our improved rocking apparatus:
Figure 2 is a section of the same on the line, Figure 1; and,
Figure 3 is a section on the line yy, Figures 1 and 2.
a indicates the sink, and the platform which is suspended over the said sink
by means of the pivots or trunnions c, c. d indicates the double ended trough,
d, d being the two ends thereof. The said trough is mounted upon pivots or
trunnions e, e¹ in the standards f, f, the trunnion e being provided with a crank to
which is connected one end of a rod w, the other end of the said rod being connected
to the platform bath. indicates the central partition between the two ends d', d²
of the trough d, and ; a pipe through which water is introduced into the double
ended trough, the said pipe being so arranged that when the double ended trough
is in its normal position the water from the said pipe will flow upon one side of the
partition i, as indicated in Figures 1 and 2.
is a trough arranged beneath the double ended trough d and serving to receive
the water discharged therefrom. As shewn in the drawings the water discharged
from the double ended trough into the trough flows through an opening 1 into
the sink a from which latter it escapes through an outlet-pipe m.
n indicates an ordinary tray in which photographic plates are placed for develop-
ment, the said tray being placed upon the platform b.
To prevent the tray a from moving upon the platform during the rocking motion
thereof, the said platform is provided with the turned up portions o, o, as shewn in
Figures 1 and 2, which support the ends of the tray n, and to prevent the platform
from tending to rock too far it is provided with the downwardly projecting
portions p. p.
The operation of the apparatus herein before described is as follows:-Assume the
parts to be in the position shewn in full lines in Figure 2: if now water is caused
to flow through the pipe j it will enter the end d² of the said double ended trough d
and when the weight of water therein is sufficient the said trough will move to the
position indicated by dotted lines in Figure 2. The result of this movement is that
the partition i is moved to cause the water flowing from the pipe to enter the end d
of the trough a, whereby as soon as the weight of water therein is sufficient the said
trough will be moved to the reverse position, and these movements will be continued
so long as the water continues to flow from the pipe.
As the platform upon which the developing or washing tray n is mounted is
connected by the rod g with the crank of the trunnion c of the trough d it follows
that the movements of the said trough will be communicated to the said platform.
As hereinbefore stated the water discharged from the double ended trough dinto
the trough flows away through the sink a. If desired, however, we may arrange
that the water flowing from the trough k will flow into the tray for the time being
upon the platform and overflow from the same into the sink, this arrangement being
very advantageous for washing purposes.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is -
1. The combination with a platform mounted upon pivots or trunnions of a double

page_text: ended trough also mounted upon pivots or trunnions and connected with the said
pivotted platform in such a manner that, when the said double ended trough is
caused to oscillate by alternately filling the ends with water and emptying the same,
the said platform will also be caused to oscillate, substantially in the manner
described.
2. In a rocking apparatus provided with a double ended oscillating trough as
described in the preceding claiming clause, providing the said double ended trough
with a central partition for alternately directing the water into the opposite ends
thereof, substantially as described.
3. The manufacture and use of the improved rocking apparatus hereinbefore
described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and operated as, and for
the purposes, set forth.
Dated this 22nd day of May 1892.
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London, Agents for the Applicants.