Improvements in or connected with Fixing or Attachment Devices for Parts of Optical and other Scientific Instruments.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 24th July, 1895
Complete Specification Left, 23rd Apr., 1896-Accepted, 30th May, 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Fixing or Attachment Devices
for Parts of Optical and other Scientific Instruments.
I, FRANCIS ERNEST EDEN, of Little Milgate, Thurnham, in the County of
Kent, Scientific Instrument Maker, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to produce an improved attachment device,
whereby various separable parts of optical and other scientific instruments may be
rapidly, accurately and securely fixed to the bodies and other portions of such
instruments, and the necessity of screwing and the like (as now usually employed),
obviated or superseded. The attachment device, as hereafter described, is especially
suitable for fixing such parts, as the objectives or eyepieces of microscopes or
telescopes, to the barrels, the lenses of photographic or other instruments to their
holding rings, flanges or frames and the like.
According to my invention, I provide in suitable slots or ways in a fixed ring, or
at the terminal end of a barrel, a number (say three or more, as may be required)
of gripping jaws, which are free to be moved radially. Adjacent to, and having a
bearing on, the fixed ring (which may be internally flanged), is a movable ring, or
what I may call a motor-ring, to which a rotary motion may be communicated by
means of an eccentric, mounted on an axis, carried by the fixed ring; this eccentric
takes into a slot on the motor-ring, and is moreover provided with an actuating
handle or milled edge on the exterior face of the fixed ring, so that by turning
such handle, the motor-ring will be given a partial revolution in either desired
direction.
On the inner face of the motor-ring, I form suitably shaped slots or grooves, one
for each jaw, and from the latter jaws there extend pins or studs, which take into
the said grooves, whereby upon a partial revolution being given to the motor-ring
in one direction, the said jaws will simultaneously be moved or projected inwards,,
while an opposite motion of the motor-ring, will withdraw the gripping jaws.
With an attachment device thus constructed, the tubular part (such as a lens
mounting, objective or eyepiece), is inserted within the fixed ring, and is
instantaneously, securely and accurately fixed, by the jaws (projected inwards
as aforesaid) gripping the periphery of the tubular part, at several points
simultaneously.
If desired I may in some cases, form the grooves upon the jaws, while the studs
to enter the grooves, may be carried by the motor-ring. The gripping surfaces of
the jaws may be serrated, or may be formed with partial screw threads adapted to
advance and take into screw threads on the part to be fixed.
Obviously the details of mechanical arrangement may be subjected to modifica-
tions, thus, the motor-ring may be partially rotated by means of a handle or
projecting part, fixed or formed as part of the said motor-ring, and projecting
through an aperture in a casing, which contains the said motor-ring and the
gripping jaws, the eccentric previously described being thereby dispensed with.
I do not limit myself to the size of the interior gripping surfaces of the jaws, as
in some cases the jaws may consist of segmental parts almost entirely occupying the
interior of the fixed ring, that is, each jaw being only separated from the next
adjacent jaw, by a small space. In some cases, especially when the jaws are thus

page_text: nearly continuous, the projections on the fixed ring, which divide one jaw from its
next adjacent jaw, may be formed of somewhat cam form, tapering towards the
interior, and thereby aid in forcing the jaws out, in a radial manner.
Instead of an eccentric or a projecting handle, to operate the motor-ring, I may
provide an axle, at right angles to the axis of the motor-ring, and such axle may
be pivoted in the ring, and have a cam or crank-arm taking against a fixed part of
the casing, so that by rotating the axle, the motor-ring will be partially rotated, by
reason of the crank-arm coming into contact with the fixed part; or the arrangement
may be reversed and the axle may rotate in a fixed bearing, while the crank-arm
may act upon the motor-ring, to rotate same.
Dated this 24th day of July 1895.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in or connected with Fixing or Attachment Devices
for Parts of Optical and other Scientific Instruments.
I, FRANCIS ERNEST EDEN of Little Milgate, Thurnham, in the County of
Kent, Scientific Instrument Maker, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to produce an improved attachment device
whereby various separable parts of optical and other scientific instruments may be
rapidly, accurately and securely adjusted, fixed to, or removed from, the bodies
and other portions of such instruments and the necessity of screwing and the like
(as now usually employed), obviated or superseded.
The attachment device as hereafter described is especially suitable for fixing
such parts as the objectives or eye-pieces of microscopes or telescopes to the
barrels, and the lenses of photographic or other instruments, to their holding rings,
flanges, or frames.
In order that my invention may be readily understood I will now fully describe
same by reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figs. 1 to 8 inclusive, illustrate one arrangement of my invention, wherein a
number of gripping jaws are mounted to slide radially in a fixed ring or frame and
are slidden inwards, by the circular motion of a motor-ring, carried by such
frame and itself operated by a handle or eccentric.
In this connection
Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the device, Fig. 2 plan of same,
Fig. 3 a rear elevation of the device, detached and with the jaws retracted,
Fig. 4 is part of a similar view shewing the jaws advanced.
Fig. 5 is a vertical cross section on the line x-y. of Fig. 3, but shewing the
gripping jaws advanced, to hold a camera lens,
Fig. 6. is an enlarged sectional view, shewing the means for operating
the jaws,
Fig. 7 is a similar view, shewing a gripping jaw and its operative parts and
Fig. 8 is a perspective view, of one of the jaws detached."
In these, Figs. 1 to 8, A are the gripping jaws of which, three are employed in
this application, although any suitable number may be employed; each jaw A is
formed with an extending flange A¹ (see Fig. 8) adapted to be slidden radially in
recesses formed in a fixed ring or frame B. Adjacent to and having a bearing on
the fixed ring B, which may be internally flanged at B¹ as clearly shewn by Fig. 6,
is a movable ring or what I may call a motor-ring C, and to this motor-ring C,
rotary motion may be communicated by means of an eccentric D, mounted on an
axis D¹ carried by the fixed frame B; this eccentric D takes into a slot, see Fig. 3,

page_text: in the motor ring C, and is moreover provided with an actuating handle D2, on the
exterior face of the fixed frame B, so that by turning such handle D2, the motor-
ring C, will be given a partial revolution in either desired direction. Upon the
surface of the extending flanges A¹, of the jaws A and contiguous to the surface of
the motor-ring C, I form grooves A2 as shewn by Fig. 8 and by dotted lines at
Fig. 3, and provide the motor-ring with studs C₁, Fig. 7 which enter the
grooves A, of the jaws, whereby upon a partial revolution being given to the
motor-ring C in one direction the said jaws will simultaneously be moved or
projected inwards as shewn by Figs. 4, 5 and 7, while an opposite motion of the
motor-ring C, will withdraw the gripping jaws A, as at Figs. 1 and 2.
Instead of forming the grooves in the jaws and providing pins on the motor-ring
I may form the grooves in the motor-ring and provide the jaws with pins as will
be well understood; also I may dispense with the eccentric for operating the
motor-ring and provide the latter with a projecting handle D2, extending beyond
the fixed frame B, say, as indicated by dotted lines, at Fig. 1, and thereby the
motor-ring may be directly partially rotated.
With an attachment device thus constructed the tubular part such as an objective,.
eye-piece, or a lens mounting, as E, Fig. 5, is inserted within the fixed frame B and
is instantaneously securely and accurately fixed, by the jaws A (projected inwards
as aforesaid) gripping the periphery of the tubular part E at several points
simultaneously.
The motor-ring may be retained in position upon the flanged frame B by means
of a collar ring F, Figs. 3 and 6, secured to the flange of the frame B, the frame B
may be fixed to, say, a casing as G, Fig. 5, by screws or in any other suitable
manner. Obviously the details of construction may be somewhat modified, thus, in
some cases the jaws may consist of segmental parts, almost entirely occupying the
interior of the fixed ring, that is, each jaw being only separated from the next
adjacent jaw, by a small space.
At Fig. 9 which is a back elevation and Fig. 10 a horizontal section, I have
shewn a convenient arrangement where the jaws are made nearly continuous,
the parts B2 on the fixed ring B, being projections, which divide one jaw A from
its next adjacent jaws. The jaws A receive motion as previously described, the
motor-ring C having a projecting handle D' and being formed with inclined grooves
to receive pins C¹ carried by the jaws, so that a partial rotation of the motor-ring
forces all the jaws inwards simultaneously.
Fig. 11 is a sectional elevation shewing the device applied to a microscope
barrel G and utilized for gripping an objective indicated by dotted lines E.
Fig. 12 is a sectional plan of same. In this case, I have shewn the application
of an axle D' at right angles to the axis of the motor-ring. The arrangement of
this axle is more clearly shewn by the enlarged vertical cross section at Fig. 13
where the said axle D¹ is carried and free to rotate in the motor-ring, while it
carries exterior thereto a cam or eccentric D, operating in a slot D*, in the fixed
frame B.
•
In some cases the axle D¹ may, as shewn by Fig. 14 have a bearing in the fixed
frame B, while the cam or eccentric D may act in a slot of the motor-ring.
The cam D Fig. 13, or the axle D¹ Fig. 14, is provided with a suitable handle
or with a milled head D², as shewn whereby the parts may be operated all as
previously described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim as my improvements in or connected with fixing or attachment devices for
parts of optical and other scientific instruments, is as follows:-
1. A frame adapted to be attached to an instrument or apparatus to which the
part such as objective, eye-piece or lens, is to be adjusted, a central aperture in the
frame and recesses or guides formed radially around such aperture, in combination
with gripping jaws, located in the radial guides, a ring capable of being partially

page_text: revolved and pins projecting from the ring into angular or cam grooves on the jaws,
together with means for partially revolving the ring to move the jaws inwards and
outwards, simultaneously, in order to grip or release the objective, eye-piece or lens,
substantially as described.
2. The combination with a fixing or attachment device, as claimed by Claim 1,
of the means for partially rotating the motor ring B, consisting of an axis or
axle D¹, mounted in the fixed frame B, and a cam or eccentric on such axis, to
act on the motor ring, or consisting of an axle D', mounted in the motor ring and a
cam thereon acting against the fixed frame, substantially as described.
3. The general arrangement and combination of parts constructed and acting
substantially as and for, the purposes described with reference to Figs. 1 to 8 of
the accompanying drawings.
4. The arrangement and combination of parts substantially as described with
reference to Figs. 9 and 10 of the accompanying drawings.
5. The arrangement and combination of parts constructed and acting sub-
stantially as described, with reference to Figs. 11 to 14 of the accompanying
drawings.
Dated this 21st day of April 1896.
FRANCIS ERNEST EDEN.