Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 9th July, 1896-Accepted, 12th Sept., 1896
A communication by PAUL DOMINIK, of 89, Eschersheimerlandstrasse, Frankfort-
on-Main, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lond Street, Lisa, 6. Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, 118 New Street, Birmingham in
the County of Warwick and 31 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
Instantaneous photographic hand cameras working with plates have hitherto
consisted of a box containing the magazine for the unexposed and the exposed
plates and also the space for focussing etcetera.
Such apparatuses are of course very bulky as compared with the size of the
plates contained as there is much empty space, and they can usually only be used
for small plate. Cameras have therefore been made collapsible but nothing more
bas hitherto been gained by this than to economise the room necessary for the
focus. The attempt to keep the plates in the box has therefore been abandoned,
and a return has been made to the old method of changing and inserting the slides,
the drawbacks of which method are well known.
Further most cameras hitherto employed have the drawback that they cannot be
operated unobserved. They are so evidently photographic apparatus that a mere
taking hold of the same causes persons standing in front to be suspicious, or the
operating of the apparatus is so inconvenient that it attracts notice.
The camera which forms the object of this invention not only avoids all these
drawbacks but has also advantages and conveniences such as were only hitherto
attainable by the use of films instead of plates. It has the form of a pouch or
bag (for small plates for instance the form of a purse, for larger ones that of a
travelling valise or band bag) and is therefore quite inconspicuous so that it may
be advantageously used even by Indies. Finally its construction is such that the
apparatus is automatically prepared for exposure by a single pressure. The change
of plate takes place also automatically on the closing of the apparatus.
In spite
of their simplicity however the mechanisms are strong and work accurately and
with certainty.
In the accompanying drawings-
Figure is a section of the improved camera when opened.
Figure 2 is a view of the same closed.
Figures 3-5 are details of the mechanism on a larger scale.
This improved camera consists essentially of a box or case a for the unused plates, a
box for the used plates, and an objective holder c. The boxes a and b open with a
hinge at sund are thrown open by means of a spring of any suitable form inserted in the
hinge. The objective holder cis attached to the box a by means of a plate p, to which
it is hinged, and to the box by means of a slide rod which limits the movement of the
box by means of a screw, pin or the like a running in a slot m, in such a way that the
objective can throw the picture onto the box b. The fresh plates are inserted in
the box a by removing the cover D, and lie in hooks, shown more particularly in

page_text: r
f
Figures 3 and 4. These hooks are formed on plates having their ends obliquely
Said hooks revolve
cut which are pivotally arranged at each corner of the box a.
on their fastening screws and act under the pressure of suitable springs. On the
four corners of a frame d which receives the plates, pins are soldered, which
engage the hooks of the plates. These pins are of sufficient length tallow
of their being also engaged by spring hooks / mounted at the four corners of the
other bax . This takes place when the two boxes a and are shut up together.
The plates are pushed forward by means of springs i. Simultaneously with the
shutting together of the boxes at and the plates and therewith the books are
pushed down by the unter frame of the box 6, and by this means the topmost plate
ina is released. A hook g which is also fixed on the plate e thereupon engages
between the uppermost plate and the next one and prevents several plates being
gripped together or from moving forward to south, The function of this hook is
more clearly apparent from Figures 3 and 4, which show the positions when the
camera is open and closed respectively.
The two boxes a and 6 are held together by a suitable hook arranged at any
convenient place. If this hook be released the boxes spring apart and the upper-
most plate is carried away in 6 where it is pressed forward by means of a soring k.
It then stands in forus" and can be exposed when desired. On the apparatus
being closed another plate is engaged and the first plate slides bacs, and so
forth.
In order to avoid the apparatus being only partially closed or opened which
would have the effect that only one edge of a plate would be changed and that the
plate gripped at one side only would hang reverses, a sides-'astener shown in
Figure is preferably employed. A pin e mounted in the box a slips, which the
boxes are closed, along one side of a rack t, which stands under the pressure of a
When the apparatus
spring, and necessitates the apparatus being entirely closed,
is fully closed the bar slips away over the pine and the latter on the opening of
the box passes along the other side and forces the camera to open so far that all
the hooks are released. A Fellows arrangement Z is preferably emplayed for
covering the open space of the camera when opened which when the camera
is shut up collapses into a recess of the objective holder in which also a tinder a is
inserted.
The mode of construction hereinbefore described may of course be varied as
regards its details or separate parts without departing from the scope of the
invention.
That this with day of October 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.
A communication by PAUL DOMINIK, of 89, Eschersheimerlandstrasse, Frankfort-
on-Main, in the Empire of Germany, Engineer.
1, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.L.M.E., of The Agency for
Foreign Patent Solicitors, 6 Lond Street, Liverpool, and 6, Bank Street,
Manchester, both in the County of Lancaster, 118, 'New Street Birmingham, in
the County of Warwick and 322, High Holborn, in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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:-
Instantaneous photographic hand cameras working with plates have hitherto

page_text: consisted of a box containing the magazine for the unexposed and the exposed
plates and also the space for focussing etcetera.
Such apparatuses are of course very bulky as compared with the size of the
plates contained as there is much empty space, and they can usually only be used
for small plates. Cameras have therefore been made collapsible but nothing more
has hitherto been gained by this than to economise the room necessary for the
focus. The attempt to keep the plates in the box has therefore been abandoned,
and a return has been made to the old method of changing and inserting the slides,
the drawbacks of which method are well known.
Further most cameras hitherto employed have the drawback that they cannot be
operated unobserved. They are so evidently photographie apparatus that a mere
taking hold of the same causes persons standing in front to be suspicious, or the
operating of the apparatus is so inconvenient that it attracts notice.
The camera which forms the object of this invention not only avoids all these
drawbacks but has also advantages and conveniences such as were only hitherto
attainable by the use of films instead of plates. It has the form of a pouch or
bag (for small plates for instance the form of a purse, for larger ones that of a
travelling valise or hand bag) and is therefore quite inconspicuous s, that it may
be advantageously used even by ladies. Finally its construction is such that the
apparatus is automatically prepared for exposure by a single pressure.
The change
of plate takes place als automatically on the closing of the apparatus. In spite
of their simplicity however the mechanisms are strong and work accurately anl
with certainty.
In the drawings accompanying the Provisional Specification,
Figure 1 is a section of the improved camera when opened.
Figure 2 is a view of the same closed.
Figures 3-5 are details of the mechanism on a larger scale.
L
This improved camera consists essentially of a box or case a for the unused
plates, a box & for the used plates, an 1 an objective holder e. The boxes a and b
open with a hinge at and thrown open by means of a spring of any suitable
form inserted in the hinge. The objective holder e is age to the box a
by means of a plate p, to which it is hinged, and to the box by means of a slide
rod which limits the movement of the box by means of a screw, pin or the like n
running in
a slot
in such a way that the objective to can throw the picture onto
the box. The fresh plates are inserted in the box a by removing the cover D,
and lie in hooks, shown more particularly in Figures 3 and 4. These hooks are
formed on plates having their ends obliquely cut which are pivotally arranged at
each corner of the box a. Said hooks revolve on their fastening screws and net
under the pressure of suitable springs. On the four corners of a framed which
receives the plates, pins are soldered, which engage the hooks of the plates
These pins rare of sufficient length to allow of their being also engaged by spring
hooks mounted at the four corners of the other box . This takes place when
the two boxes a and b are shut up together. The plates are pushed forward
by means of springs i. Simultaneously with the shutting together of the boxes a
and b, the plates e and therewith the hooks are pushed down by the unter frame
of the box b, and by this means the topmost plate in a is released. A hook g,
which is al-o fixed on the plate, thereupon engages between the uppermost plate
and the next one and prevents several plates being gripped together or from
moving forward too suon. The function of this hook is more clearly apparent
from Figures 3 and 4, which show the positions when the camera is open and
closed respectively.
2.
The two boxes a and are held together by a suitable hook arranged at any
convenient place. If this book be released the boxes spring apart and the upper-
most plate is carried away in where it is pressel forward by means of a spring k.
It then stands in focus and can be exposed when desired. On the apparatus
being closed another plate is engaged and the first plate slides back, and so
forth.

page_text: In order to avoid the apparatus being only partially closed or opened which
would have the effect that only one edge of a plate would be changed and that the
plate gripped at one side only would hang reversed, a side-fastener shown in
Figure 5 is preferably employed. A rack, having teeth on both its top and
bottom edges pitched in opposite directions, is pivotally connected to the box b
and is kept normally down by a spring u. In closing the boxes, the said rack rides
over a pin r fixed on the box a until the boxes are fully closed, when all the teeth
of the rack having passed over the pin, the rack will drop under the spring
pressure and its top edge engage the pin r, the rack being bent or formed with a
groove ate to allow of it clearing the pin which would otherwise prevent the
rack dropping. It will thus be seen that if the boxes be only partly closed, the
pin will still engage in the bottom teeth and the boxes cannot be opened until they
have been fully closed when the pin will pass up the grove in and engage the top
teeth, the boxes being kept closed by a look or catch as before stated, and that
when fully closed if the boxes be only partly opened they cannut again be closed
until they have been further opened sufficiently to draw the rack quite clear of the
pin. A hellow arrangement % is preferably employed for covering the open
space of the camera when opened which, when the camera is shut up, collapses into
a recess of the objective holder in which aisa fiu ter is inserted.
"
The mode of construction hereinbefore described may of course be varied as
regards its details or separate parts without departing from the scope of the
invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me by
my foreign currespondent, I declare that alai 1 claim is :-
1. An improved instantaneous photographic hand camera in the form of a ponch
or hand bag, characterized by two boxes (a ) which are hinged together on one
side, one of said boxes (4) carrying a resoluble objective holder (e), whilst the
other (M), on the two boxes ab being drawn apart, adjusts the objective holder (e),
by means of a slide rod or the like, vertically to the latter, substantially as
described.
2. In a hand camera such as described an automatically acting plate changing
devier, characterised by spring books (7) which are mounted in the unexposed
plate box (4) and hold the plate frames by means of pins (r), which spring hooks
are moved backwards on the shutting together of the boxes (b) for the unexposed
and exposed plates, whilst simultaneously other hooks (y) separate the uppermost
plate frame in the unexposed plate box (4) from the others, and spring hiks (4)
in the exposed plate box (4) engage over the said pins (7) so that on the opening
of the apparatus the said separated plate enters the exposed plate box (6) and thus
comes into focus, substantially as described.
Dated this 8th day of July 1896.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents.