also to other similar Uses.
Year: 1885

page_text: also to other similar Uses.
I ALFRED PUMPHREY of Stanhope Street Birmingham in the County of
Warwick Manufacturer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN TRIPODS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PURPOSES APPLICABLE ALSO TO
OTHER SIMILAR USES to be as follows that is to say :-
My Invention has for its object improvements in tripods for photographic
purposes applicable also to other purposes by which means collapsing or telescope
tripods are made much more secure than formerly.
I make my tripod legs from several pieces of metal or other tubing and I form
at the ends of each length either at the outside or the inside a screw which may
be put in as a bush or it may be formed in the body of the tube itself. That is
one end of the tube has a spigot thread and the other a corresponding socket
thread so that the one will screw into the other easily and such threads are better
of a course kind when the inside spigots and the inside of the sockets are screwed
the lengths will collapse or tellescope into a closer compass than when screwed
outside because in the latter case there would be a collar outside and the tubes
must be reversed in packing them into one another These tripods so secured at
the points offer considerable advantages in bearing more weight in proportion to
their size and in their general firmness and stability. It will be seen that these
legs are suitable for many purposes besides photography.

page_text: Improvements in Tripods for Photographic Purposes, Applicable
also to other similar Uses.
I, ALFRED PUMPHREY, of Stanhope Street, Birmingham, in the County of
Warwick, Manufacturer, 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, reference being had to the
accompanying drawing and to the letters and Figures marked thereon, that is
to say :-
My Invention has for its object improvements in tripods for photographic
purposes applicable also to other purposes by which means collapsing or telescope.
tripods are made much more secure than formerly.
I make my tripod legs from several pieces of metal or other tubing and I form
at the ends of each length either at the outside or the inside a screw which may
be put in as a bush or it may be formed in the body of the tube itself. That is
one end of the tube has a spigot thread and the other a corresponding socket
thread so that the one will screw into the other easily and such threads are better
of a coarse kind. When the inside spigots and the inside of the sockets are
screwed the lengths will collapse or telescope into a closer compass than when
screwed outside because in the latter case there would be a collar outside and the
tubes must be reversed in packing them into one another.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing represents a perspective view of a tripod.
for photographic or other purposes constructed according to my Invention; Fig. 2
represents in elevation one of the legs of the same extended; Fig. 3 shews a longi-
tudinal section of the leg represented by Fig. 2; Fig. 4 shews a longitudinal
section and end elevation of the leg represented by Figs. 2 and 3 the parts being
partly collapsed or telescoped one within the other; Fig. 5 is an elevation of the
leg represented by Figs. 2, 3 and 4 closed the cap for the same being shewn sepa-
rately in section; Fig. 6 shews part of the same leg with the cap attached; Fig. 7
shews the cap for the leg represented by the preceeding Figures in elevation and
section separately; Fig. 8 represents in longitudinal section on an enlarged scale
the screw threaded ends of two of the tubes connected and forming part of the leg
illustrated by Figs. 2, 3, 4 and 5 and Fig. 9 shews the same parts as Fig. 8 but
disconnected.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
and 9.
In constructing a tripod according to my Invention I make each of the legs of
several pieces of metal or other tubing. The legs of the tripod represented by
Fig. 1 are each formed of four pieces of tubing marked respectively A1, A2, A3, A*

page_text: and at the ends of each length I form either at the outside as b or the inside ca
screw which may be put in as a bush or it may be formed in the body of the tube
itself. In Fig. 9 the screw c is shown fixed as.a bush inside the tube A' and the
screw b as a bush fixed outside the tube A³ and in Fig. 8 the screws c, b, are shewn
as formed out of the body of the tubes As, A³ respectively. One end of each of
the tubes A2, A3, A4 has a spigot thread b and the other end of each tube A', A², A³
a corresponding socket thread c so that the tubes will screw into each other easily.
Such threads are better of a coarse pitch and I prefer to provide a collar d at the
extremity of the inside spigot ends of the tubes A2, A3, A4 which serve the double
purpose of ensuring the tubes being in line when extended and preventing one
tube being screwed out of the other. I prefer to make the lower extremity a*
of the bottom tubes A of a pointed shape for obvious purposes and the upper
extremities of the top tubes A³ may each be provided with a screw a' for attach-
ment to the ordinary triangular top part D which connects the legs together or
the legs may be connected together by other means as ordinary tripod legs are
now connected. The extended leg illustrated by Figs. 1, 2 and 3 can be closed by
screwing each tube into the next above it (see Fig. 4 which represents the leg
partly closed) until they are all contained within the top tube A¹ (see Fig. 5), a
screwed cap E (see Fig. 7) being then screwed on to the tube A¹ (see Fig. 6)
prevents their removal until required.
Various modifications of a tripod leg formed of tubes screwed together may he
made according to my Invention, for instance as illustrated by Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13,
14 and 15, in which Fig. 10 represents in longitudinal section and Fig. 11 in eleva-
tion a tripod leg in which each tube except the bottom one has its lower end formed
as a screwed spigot to screw into a screwed socket formed on or attached to the
upper end of the next tube; Fig. 12 shews the leg illustrated by Figs. 10 and 11,
the parts being packed one within the other; Fig. 13 shews the cap of the same
separately and Figs. 14 and 15 represent enlarged longitudinal sections of the
screw threaded ends of two of the tubes forming part of the leg illustrated by
Figs. 10, 11 and 12 the tubes being shewn connected together in Fig. 14 and
disconnected in Fig. 15. The tubes A¹, A³ in the tripod leg represented by
Figs. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15 each has its lower end b formed as a screwed spigot
to screw respectively into a screwed socket c formed on or attached to the upper
end of the tubes A, A³ (see Figs. 10 and 11) and in order to pack the tubes one
inside the other they have to be reversed (see Fig. 12) and so do not occupy as
small a compass as when arranged to collapse or telescope one within the other
as herein before described with reference to Figs. 1 to 9, both inclusive.
Fig. 16 represents in longitudinal section part of a tripod leg in which the
tubes A1, A2 are screwed into each other from the outside and Fig. 17 represents
on an enlarged scale in longitudinal section part of the same tubes connected and
Fig. 18 shews the same parts as represented by Fig. 17 but disconnected.
These tripods secured at the joints by screwing offer considerable advantages in
bearing more weight in proportion to their size and in their general firmness and
stability. It will be seen that these legs are suitable for many purposes besides
photography, for instance for theodolites, levels, camp kettles and other purposes
for which tripods are required.
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
1. The improvements in tripods for photographic purposes applicable also to
other similar uses hereinbefore described and illustrated by the accompanying
drawing; that is to say, forming each leg of two or more pieces of tube having
screw threads at their ends so as to be readily severally connected together or
disconnected as herein before described.

page_text: 2. A leg for photographic or other tripods constructed as bereinbefore described
and illustrated in the accompanying drawing; that is to say, forming the leg of
two or more pieces of tube having screw threads at their ends so as to be readily
severally connected together or disconnected and telescoped or packed one within the
other substantially as herein before described and illustrated in the accompanying
drawing.