Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 19th July, 1887
Complete Left, 19th Apr., 1888
Complete Accepted, 25th May, 1888
I, TOM JOHN COLLINS of 56 Cochrane Street St. John's Wood in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturer of Photographic Apparatus, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to provide a new form of sliding base or holder to
which the frame work of the front part of the camera may be attached whereby the
operation of focussing can be more readily performed and the whole front part of the
camera be firmly held at any point and in any plane on the baseboard.
To carry out my invention, I fix to the baseboard, parallel to each other, two strips
of metal to act as guides along which the camera front attached to the sliding base or
holder may be drawn either backwards or forwards and to which the whole may be
clamped in any desired position. This base of the camera front is made of a metal
strip on the ends of which are fixed sliding saddles or holders in such a position that
they may engage the two guides on the baseboard. The saddles are made with
flanges bent over to the under side and of such size that they shall fit the guides and
slide evenly on them, thus connecting the camera front and base board together.
To clamp the sliding front so attached at any desired point on the baseboard and
in any plane, I make the following arrangements;-The upper parts of the sliding
saddles between the flanges, have cut in them for about two-thirds of the length,
narrow slots terminated by round holes, thus making a provision for pulling the two
flanges of each together. On the upper side next the camera front near the open end
of the slot, I fix with a screw or pin, a turncatch having cut in its face an eccentric
slot opposite to the other split member of the saddle through which and opposite to
the holding screw or pin, a pin is firmly fixed to the latter member of the saddle. A
turncatch as described is fixed to each saddle and by turning them in the proper
direction the flanges of the saddles are drawn firmly on to the sides of the metal strips

page_text: of the base board thus gripping them and holding the whole arrangement firmly in.
position. The frame of the camera front is attached to the sides of the fore parts of
the saddles by centreing pins and slotted struts for holding it in position are attached
at the rear parts of the saddles in the same way.
T. J. COLLINS.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photographio Cameras.
I, TOM JOHN COLLINS, of 56, Cochrane Street, St. John's Wood, in the County of
Middlesex, Manufacturer of Photographic Apparatus; 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 :-
My Invention relates to improved means of clamping or securing in position the
part of the camera which is movable along guides on the baseboard whereby the
rough adjustment for focussing is facilitated.
In the example herein described, it is the front of the camera which is movable, but
it will be evident that the same means of clamping after adjustment might be applied
to the back of the camera, if the latter were movable instead of the front.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this speci-
fication, wherein figure 1 is a side elevation of the camera. Figure 2 is a part front
view and figure 3 a plan view of one of the clamping devices, the two latter figures
being drawn on a larger scale.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.
A is the frame in which the rising front slides, B is the base board, C is one of
the two guides upon the movable part of the base board. D is the saddle piece fitted
to slide on the guide C and provided with means of clamping the guides tightly. The
frame A has pivots at its lower corners which are received in sockets E on the inner
side of the saddle pieces at the front end thereof, and the slotted struts F by which
the front frame is held rigid are also pivoted to the saddle pieces at f near the rear
end, the connections being loose enough to permit of unequal motion of the saddles
along the guides for the purpose of giving side swing to the front. The saddles
embrace the edges of the guides, of which one is preferably bevelled, as shewn, and
to enable them to clamp the guides the saddles are made elastic by being slotted

page_text: to the one member
longitudinally as at d, the slot extending from one end for about two-thirds of the
length of the top of the saddle. The two members of the split saddle are drawn
together in order to clip the guides, by a cam plate G pivoted at
and having a slightly eccentric slot g₁ in which engages a pin 9
member. The cam plate is provided with an upwardly turned thumb piece for
operating it.
fixed on the other
The saddles when free or unconstrained, may be readily slid along the guides and
after being adjusted to the desired position, they may, by turning the slotted plate so
as to draw the members of the split saddle together, be made to tightly grip the
edges of the guide and hold the camera front firmly in position.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is ;-
The herein described means of fixing the movable part of a camera body upon its
guides consisting of partially split sliding saddle pieces fitted to embrace and slide on
the guides, in combination each with a slotted cam-plate acting on the two members
of the split saddle in such a way as to draw them together and cause them to grip the
guides, substantially as specified.
T. J. COLLINS.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.