Magic Lanterns.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 11th Feb., 1886.
Complete Left, 5th Oct., 1886.
Complete Accepted, 14th Jan., 1887.
or Magic Lanterns.
We JOHN BRUSTER of the Grove Lower Bebington in the county of Cheshire, Clerk
in Holy Orders and JOSEPH MINORS GIBBS of The Birches Lower Bebington in the
county of Cheshire Stationer and Printer do hereby declare the nature of our invention
for IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH OPTICAL OR
MAGIC LANTERNS to be as follows:
Hitherto screens used in connection with Optical or Magic Lanterns for the purpose
of displaying the picture upon have been constructed of linen or cotton fabric the use
of which has numerous disadvantages among which the following are well known. The
said linen or cotton fabric (hereafter called the screen or sheet) is troublesome to hang
and difficult to stretch in order to present the necessary smooth surface without creases
or wrinkles. In some cases where portable frames specially made for the purpose are
used the difficulty and annoyance of hanging and stretching has been somewhat obviated
though not to the desirable extent, and much time is still occupied in lacing or
stretching the sheet to the framework. Another very great disadvantage in the use of
a linen or cotton sheet or screen lies in the fact that it is impossible to shew the
object through the said sheet-that is to say in cases where the Optical or Magic
Lantern is on the side of the sheet or screen and the audience on the opposite side-
without wetting the said sheet which is always a disagreeable operation at the time
and rendered more so when the said sheet has to be removed to any distance in its
damp or wet state. This wetting process also necessitating the drying of the said
sheet or screen after each time of using.
Now the object of our invention is:-First to entirely obviate all these
disadvantages. Secondly to provide means whereby we can utilize our sheet or
screen in a perfectly novel manner for the purpose of producing the beautiful though
bitherto costly effects gained by means of coloured slides or slide-tinters.
That is to say as regards our first object we make our sheet or screen of transparent
paper or when desirable of transparent cloth such as is generally known as tracing
cloth. By this means we are enabled to entirely do away with the damping or

page_text: wetting process and the inconvenience and disadvantages accompanying it whilst at
the same time the object or picture can be equally well cast upon or shewn through
our screen with better effect than when cast upon a dry linen or cloth screen or sheet,
or shewn through the said linen or cloth sheet or screen when damped or weited.
We also mount our sheet or screen upon rollers which rollers we fix or mount at
the top and one at the bottom of the said sheet or screen firstly in order that when
not in use we can fold or roll it up in a portable form and secondly in order to do
away with the disadvantages of stitching which disadvantages we obviate by constructing
two pillars of wood metal or other material in which we have formed holes corresponding
to the rollers upon which our sheet or screen is mounted when the said sheet or screen
is unfolded that is to say one near the top of each pillar and one near the bottom of
each pillar but so situated that the distance between the holes in the said pillars shall
be slightly longer than the distance between the top and bottom rollers attached to our
sheet or screen. When the said sheet or screen is unfolded we then insert the ends of the
top roller of our screen in the uppermost corresponding holes in the said pillars (one
at either side) and in the lower corresponding holes in the said pillar we insert the ends
of the bottom roller. The distance between the holes in the pillars being slightly
greater than the distance between the rollers upon which the sheet or screen is mounted
causes the said sheet or screen to be kept flat and present a smooth surface upon which
or through which to display the object or picture in a manner mechanically equivalent
to having the bottom roller weighted.
When we prefer it instead of forming holes in our pillars we construct upon them a
pin or other projection and insert these said pins into the ends of the rollers instead
of inserting the said ends of the rollers into holes formed in the pillars. The said
pillars we support by suitable feet in order that they may stand firmly upon the
ground.
We also construct the said pillars in such a manner that they may be lengthened or
shortened at will in order to raise or lower the sheet or screen when necessary and in
order to make it more casy of carriage we construct the whole apparatus in such a
manner as to form a compact and portable parcel-that is to say we construct the
component parts of one pillar of a slightly less diameter or size than the inside diameter
or size of the other pillar so that the smaller component parts of the one pillar may fit
into the larger parts of the other pillar. We also make the feet upon which the pillars
stand removable from the said pillars and construct the under-side of the said feet of
such conformity that it corresponds to the outside of the larger pillar in order that
they or the parts composing them may lie closely upon the outside of the said larger
pillar thus forming one compact parcel.
With regard to our second object-that is to say the producing of the same beautiful
effects gained by means of coloured slides or slide-tinters at a considerably less cost
we use coloured or tinted transparent screens upon which or through which we cast
the object from a plain slide.
The advantages of our Improvements in apparatus for use in connection with Optical
or Magic Lanterns may be summed up as follows:-
1. It is easily fixed.
2. It is light, compact and portable.
3. The sheet or screen needs no wetting or drying.
4. We are enabled by its use to gain the beautiful effects of coloured slides or tinters
at a considerably less cost.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus to be Used in Connection with Optical
or Magic Lanterns.
We JOHN BRUSTER, The Grove, Bebington Birkenhead Clerk in Holy Orders
& JOSEPH MINORS GIBBS, The Birches Lower Bebington Birkenhead Printer &
Stationer do hereby declare the nature of our invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS TO BE USED IN CONNECTION WITH OPTICAL OR MAGIC LANTERNS and in
what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained
in and by the following statement:—
Our invention of improvements in apparatus to be used in connection with Optical or
Magic Lanterns refers to the use of a sheet or screen of transparent paper, or when
desirable, of transparent cloth such as is generally known as tracing cloth; by which
means we are enabled to do away with the inconvenience of the damping or wetting
process when the calico screen, or ordinary sheet, is used.
The object can be equally well cast upon, or shewn through, our screen.
To prevent
creases & to render our screen portable, we mount it upon rollers, the ends of which
we fix into corresponding holes cut in the sides of our frame or stand; thus ensuring
tightness & a smooth surface.
Another part of our invention, relates to the employment of tinted, or coloured
paper or cloth, thus producing in a novel manner beautiful effects hitherto obtainable
only by the use of costly coloured slides, or by slide tinters.
A third part of our Invention relates to the making of a frame or stand of wood,
metal, or other material which may be extended or contracted both in height and width,
so as to hold two or more different sizes of sheets or screens.
The frame or stand is so constructed, as to be both light & compact, & easily
carried. This advantage is obtained by the stays & pillars sliding or telescoping into
each other, the whole fitting into the largest pillar. The feet, when disconnected, are
fastened at either end & on either of the said largest pillar, by means of straps.
DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
Diagram i represents the frame or stand as extended & holding the screen, ready
for use.
Stays i. & ii. consist of larger & smaller tubes sliding or telescoping into each
other marked Z, Z, Z³, Z, & fixed or held firm by set screws marked R. & R'.
Pillars marked A. & B. slide or telescope into C & D. respectively; & are
similarly fixed by thumbscrews, as marked in the diagram.
The screen is held in position by the ends of the rollers marked E. being placed in
corresponding holes in pillars A. B. C. & D. respectively, the bottom roller being
held firm by thumbscrews as shewn.
The frame or stand is rendered firm by the stays numbered i & ii being made fast
to pillars A B. C & D respectively, by thumbscrews.
Details of Diagram i. Stay 1 goes or fits into stay 2: Stay 2 goes or fits into
inside top pillar A. Inside or top pillar A. goes or fits into inside top B; inside top

page_text: pillar B. goes or fits into outside bottom pillar 0. The whole goes or fits into outside
bottom pillar D.
Note. Into tubes Z & Z2 are telescoped other tubes Z & Z so as to allow for
lengthening, and are held firm by set screws R. & R.
E & E. The rollers are attached to the top E & bottom E. of screen & have
nothing to do with the framework.
Diagram ii. exhibits the feet as detached from the frame or stand, both in sections
& extended for use. A is placed over A² & is held together & fastened on to
pillars C. & D. by means of a thumbscrew as shown in A³, A being the other section
of the foot. Diagram iii. shews the frame or stand packed up.
Having now particularly described & ascertained the nature of our Invention &
in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is :—
i. The use of transparent paper, or transparent cloth as the better & more
convenient means of shewing objects cast upon, or shewn through it by the Magic or
Optical Lantern, as hereinbefore described.
ii. Producing coloured objects by using coloured paper or cloth, as herein before
described.
iii. Using a portable frame, or stand, which may be easily adjusted to hold two or
more sizes of screens.