An Apparatus to be Used in connection with the Developing of Photographic Negatives.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 4th Feb., 1896
Complete Specification Left, 25th Sept., 1876-Accepted, 24th Oct., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Apparatus to be Used in connection with the Developing of
Photographic Negatives.
I, JOHN LEWIS of Criterion Works, Great. Charles Street, in the City of
Birmingham, Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention relates to an apparatus to be used in connection with the developing
of photographic dry plate or film negatives, and has for one of its objects to
dispense with the employment of ordinary dishes or baths, which are liable to be
broken in use, for another object, to make the developing process safe and to avoid
the scratching of the negatives or the laceration of the operators fingers in picking.
portable,
up the negative from the developing dish, and for a further object, a
efficient and economical apparatus.
The apparatus consists essentially of a rectangular frame, open at top and
bottom, and with one end provided with a well or trough, wherein the developing
Folution is placed, prior to running the same over the plate or film, which is secured
to the open bottom of the frame through the medium of grips, claws or other
holding expedients.
In carrying out one form of my invention, I take a rectangular shaped frame,
open at top and bottom, and with one end provided or fitted with a trough or well,
of a breadth equal to that of the frame, and wherein the developing solution is
placed.
The underside edges of the frame are faced with rubber or other suitable yielding
material, which makes a seating for the plate or film, and a seal against the escape
of liquid, so that when the negative edges come upon the said seating and the
negative is clamped in position, a liquid-tight joint is formed, and the frame,
with the negative (which constitutes the bottom) forms a self-contained developing
bath...
Assuming that the developing solution is placed in the well, then by bringing
the frame horizontal, the solution is made to run and spread itself evenly over the.
negative, which is again drained by placing the frame erect, with the well into
which the superfluous solution runs forming as it were, the base..
The clamping, or gripping means may consist of diagonally traversing plates,
fitted to the outer sides of the frame, and each provided with overhanging
claw-shaped parts which inwardly overbang the edge of the negative, and which
plates are provided with diagonally inclined slots or diagonally disposed and curved
slots, wherethrough combined guide and stop pins pass, so that when the clamping
fittings are forcibly drawn or pressed in one direction by pull studs, the claws come
upon the negative and bind and hold the same in position by the inclined planes of
the stop wedging over the pins and thereby forcibly drawing the claws onto the
negatives.
As a further form of clamping fitting I may provide spring or other push studs,
bars or frames with inclined or taper undersides, which come upon the top edge of
the plate and automatically clamp it to the frame.
As a further form of clip, turns having bevel undersides may be employed, which
turns have only to be partly rotated when the clamping of the plate to the frame

page_text: When developing films, the edges tend to curl, and in order to obviate this
I employ an additional skeleton frame or mask, which covers the boundary edges
of the film to a slight extent, so that the edges of the same are kept down.
Dated this 3rd day of February 1896.
JOHN LEWIS,
By Henry Skerrett,
Agent for Applicant.
An Apparatus to be Used in connection with the Developing of
Photographic Negatives.
I, JOHN LEWIS, of Criterion Works, Great Charles Street, in the City of
Birmingham, 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 :-
My invention relates to an apparatus to be used in connection with the developing
of photographic dry plate or film negatives, and has for one of its objects to
dispense with the employment of ordinary developing dishes or baths, which are
liable to be broken in use; for another object, to make the developing process safe
and to avoid the scratching of the negatives or the laceration or staining of the
operators fingers in picking up the negative from the developing dish, and for a
further object, a portable, efficient and economical apparatus.
The apparatus consists essentially of a rectangular frame, open at top and
bottom, and with one end provided with a well or trough, wherein the developing
solution is placed, prior to running the same over the plate or film, which is secured
to the open bottom of the frame through the medium of grips, claws or other
holding expedients.
In carrying out one form of my invention, I take a rectangular shaped frame,
open at top and bottom, and with one end provided or fitted with a trough or well,
of a breadth preferably equal to that of the frame, and wherein the developing
solution is placed.
The underside edges of the frame may be faced with rubber or other suitable
yielding material, which makes a seating for the plate or film, and a seal against
the escape of liquid, so that when the negative edges come upon the said seating
and the negative is clamped in position a liquid-tight joint is formed, and the
frame, with the negative (which constitutes the bottom) forms a self-contained
developing bath.
Assuming that the developing solution is placed in the well, then by bringing
the frame horizontal, the solution is made to run and spread itself evenly over the
negative, which is again drained by placing the frame erect, with the well into
which the superfluous solution runs forming, as it were, the base.
The clamping or gripping means may, consist of diagonally traversing plates,
fitted to the outer sides of the frame, and each provided with overhanging claw-
shaped parts, which inwardly overbang the edge of the negative and which plates
are provided with diagonally inclined slots or diagonally disposed and curved slots,
wherethrough combined guide and stop pins pass, so that when the clamping
fittings are forcibly drawn or pressed in one direction by pull studs, the claws
come upon the negative and bind and hold the same in position by the inclined
planes of the slots wedging over the pins and thereby forcibly drawing the claws
onto the negatives.
Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings represents partly in back elevation and
partly in horizontal section, my improved developing frame or apparatus, which
takes the place of an ordinary disb, showing the same in an erect position, with the

page_text: eveloping solution resting in the wen and
us forming the bottom to the same, which constitutes a dish. The sensitised
arface of the plate is presented inwards over which the solution flows when the
ame is turned into a horizontal position.
Figure 2 represents an edge view of the dish.
Figure 3 represents a like view as Figure 2 but with the clamping arrangement
ut of action and the plate which has been acted upon by the developing solution
emoved.
Figure 4 represents a vertical section of Figure 2.
Figure 5 is a front elevation of the frame.
Figure 6 is a transverse section upon the dotted line x, Figure 1.
Figure 7 is a part cross section upon the dotted line a', Figure 3.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in Figures 1 to 7 of
he drawings.
The apparatus consists of a rectangular shaped frame a, enclosed by sides a' and
ends a', and with the after end formed into a well b and the contact back edges a*, a*,
of the sides and ends preferably faced with rubber strips c, to make a liquid-
tight joint between the opposed faces of the frame and the negative, which latter is
marked d, and is clamped between the said faced edges and the flanges el, of the
side plates e, fitted to the outer sides a', of the frame, and with inclined slots e³, cut
within them and working upon fixed headed studs or pins a, so that when the said
plates are moved in the direction of the full arrow, the clamping flanges el, are
made to approach and clamp the negative to the rubber-faced edges of the frame,
which are overlapped by the edges of the negative, but when the sliding plates are
traversed in the direction of the dotted arrow, then the said clamping edges are
moved away from the negative, which is released, after the apparatus has been held
erect so that the superfluous developing solution shall drain into the well.
The sliding plates are moved by thumb pieces or pushers e, whilst the proper
position of the plate or negative relative to the frame is formed by the front edge
of the same coming against the stop or block a', formed upon the outer side
of the well b.
9 are flat springs interposed between the sliding plates and the frame sides for
stiffening the movement of the former.
Instead of the studs being carried by the frame, they may be fitted to the
sliding plates, whilst the inclined slots or planes may be formed in or carried by
the frame sides.
As a further form of clamping fitting I may provide spring or other push studs,
bars or frames with inclined or taper undersides, which come upon the top edge of
the plate and automatically clamp it to the frame.
Figure 8 shows a vertical section of such an arrangement and Figure 9 a back
elevation of the same.
a is the frame, and d is the negative clamped to the back edges of the frame in
order to form a closed bottom to the same by wedge-shaped plates e, formed on a
sliding frame e, taking between the said plate and overhanging ears or flanges e', of
fixed brackets e. Push-pieces are fitted to the sides of sliding frame.
Figure 10 represents a vertical section of another modification of my invention,
in which rotating planes in the form of cams are employed as the clamping means.
a is the frame and d the negative clamped in position by excentrically mounted
pairs of rollers e, yoked together by a connecting rod e, and pivoted to a frame e¹,
Bo that when the rods are pressed in one direction by the push pieces e, the plate
is clamped to the bottom of the open frame, and when drawn in the other direction,
the same is released.
When developing thin films, the edges tend to curl, and in order to obviate this
I employ an additional skeleton frame or mask, resting on or attached to the
5 underside of a waste plate or piece of glass and which covers the boundary edges
of the film to a slight extent, so that the edges of the same are kept down.
Figure 11 represents a plan of such a skeleton frame.

page_text: 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 :-
First. An apparatus for use in connection with the developing of photographic
negatives, consisting of an open frame which is converted into a developing dish by
affixing or clamping the negative to the open bottom of the same, substantially as
described and set forth.
Secondly. An apparatus for use in connection with the developing of photographic
negatives consisting of an open frame converted into a developing dish by clamping
the negative to the open bottom of the same, and having a well at one end wherein
developing solution is placed before running or spreading the same over the
inwardly-presented sensitised surface of the plate and whereinto the said solution
is drained after use, substantially as described and set forth.
Thirdly. In apparatus for use in connection with the developing of photographic
negatives, clamping the negative to the frame by sliding plates having clamping
contacts, and with inclined slots or planes on the one part working over fixed studs
or equivalent on the other, and which said plates are put into and out of their
active positions by a sliding movement, substantially as described and set forth in
Figures 1 to 9.
Fourthly. The improvements in apparatus for use in connection with the
developing of photographic negatives, substantially as described and set forth.
Dated this 24th day of September 1896.
JOHN LEWIS,
By Heury Skerrett,
24 Temple Row, Birmingham, Agent for Applicant.