An Improved Photographic Camera.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 1st Apr., 1890-Accepted, 10th May, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Photographic Camera.
I, WILLIAM BLAKE LUCE, of Boston, in the County of Suffolk, State of
Massachusetts, United States of America, Draughtsman, do hereby declare the
nature of the said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be
particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
In the drawings forming part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a vertical section of
my camera, through in Fig. 2; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section through y y in
Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a front elevation; and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of modifications of
my Photographic Camera.
The object of this invention is the construction of an improved Photographic Camera
of the kind in which several sensitive plates can be placed at one time and pictures
taken on each of them consecutively.
My invention consists essentially of a vertically elongated camera-box having
upright grooves in which the plate-holders are loosely held; and an enlarged lens-tube
open at its inner end and movable longitudinally in the lower part of the camera-box in
such a manner as to support the plate-holders and permit them to drop one at a time
into the field of the lens.
Referring to the drawings, A is the camera-box having the vertical grooves B, at
the sides a. In these grooves, the ends of the plate-holders, C, loosely fit so as to
permit the latter to be easily moved up and down. Through an aperture in the
front, a', of the camera-box, is inserted the lens-tube, E, which is of a length
approximately equal to the depth from front to back of the camera-box. The inner
end of the lens-tube, E, is open, while its exterior end is closed and provided with a
lens e. When the lens-tube, E, is pushed entirely back into the camera-box, the
plate-holders rest upon its upper side; and as it is slowly withdrawn, the plate-holders
drop one by one to the open end, e, of the lens-tube where being in the field of the
lens, e, a picture can be taken upon the sensitive plate, D, carried by each plate-holder.
The distance of the open end, e¹, from the lens is of course made equal to the focal
length of the lens; and the plate-holders, C, are formed of opaque material, such as
sheet metal, in order to prevent the pictures from being fogged by the taking of the
succeeding ones.
The plate-holders, C, consist each of a square of thin sheet metal slightly less in
length than the width of the camera-box, and having a slight flange, c, at the top and
bottom edges. The sensitive plates must be put in these plate-holders when the latter
are removed from the camera-box, for the reason that when inserted in the grooves, B,
the plates and plate-holders are inseparable.
Among the several ways in which the lens-tube, E, can be made, I prefer to
construct it of a cylindrical form, with a screw-thread on its external surface engaging
a nut, F, on the camera-box. The pitch of these threads being equal to the width of
the grooves, B, each turn of the lens-tube causes a plate-holder to fall into the field
of the lens, exposing a fresh plate and shielding the preceding ones.
In my other forms of camera, I have the lens-tube, E, smooth on its exterior surface
and adapted to slide in a light-tight packing, p, as shown in Fig. 4. I also design to
dispense with this packing and employ, as a means for preventing the leakage of
light, a bellows-envelope, f, as shown in Fig. 5.
For the insertion and removal of the plates and plate-holders, the top of the camera-
box is provided with a suitable sliding cover, a².
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.
1. The combination of the vertically elongated camera-box having the upright

page_text: grooves and the aperture in the lower part of its front, and the lens-tube open at its
inner end and longitudinally movable in said aperture, said parts being so arranged
that when the lens-tube is within the camera-box, sensitive plates placed in the grooves
of the latter are supported by the lens-tube, and, as it is withdrawn, the plates drop
one by one into the field of the lens carried by the lens-tube, substantially as and for
the purpose specified.
2. The camera-box having the vertical grooves and apertured front, said aperture
being circular and internally threaded, in combination with the cylindrical, threaded
lens-tube removable in said aperture, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 4th day of March 1890.
WILLIAM BLAKE LUCE.