Method of and Apparatus for Producing Pictures or Designs Appearing to Move and Change
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left. 18th Nov.. 1890-Accepted, 17th Jan.. 1891
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Producing Pictures or Designs
Appearing to Move and Change.
1. LOUIS BRENNAN of Gillingham, in the County of Kent, Engineer do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to means of producing pictures or designs all the parts of
which may be kept in a state of movement and change, which I effect in the following
manner. On a number of strips of paper or other flexible material capable of
receiving designs drawn, printed or otherwise marked on them, I draw lines, and
marks, such as will form complete designs when they are presented as I shall
presently describe.
These strips are bent each round a thin bar, of which there are a number arranged
parallel to one another so as to form a close grating. By means of suitable gear,
all the strips of paper are simultaneously caused to travel round the edges of the
grating bars, thus presenting to the eye such of the marks on the paper strips as
appear in front of the grating bars. The marks on all the strips seen together at one
moment form a design or picture presented in front of the grating, and at the next
moment when the strips are moved a little round the bars, the design or picture
presented by them undergoes a change. In this manner, figures may be made to
appear moving or changing their forms or expressions, or different pictures may be
shewn successively according as the paper strips are marked in the first instance,
and as they are moved in the one direction or the other. In order to properly
mark the paper strips in the first instance, they may in blank condition be moved by
successive steps round the grating bars and at each step the desired forms or expres-
sions of the figures may be photographed, printed, drawn or transferrel on those
parts of the surfaces of the strips that are then presented, and this can be repeated
for each step of their movement.
Dotad this 18th day of February 1890
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
A Method of and Apparatus for Producing Pictures or Designs
Appearing to Move and Change.
I, LOUIS BRENNAN of Gillingham in the County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to means of producing pictures or designs all the parts of
which may be kept in a state of movement and change, which I effect in the following
manner. On a number of strips of paper or other flexible material capable of
receiving designs drawn printed or otherwise marked on them I draw lines, and
marks such as will form complete designs when they are presented as I shall presently
describe.
These strips are bent each round a thin bar of which there are a number arranged
parallel to one another so as to form a close grating.
By means of suitable gear, all the strips of paper are simultaneously caused to
travel round the edges of the grating bars, thus presenting to the eye such of the
marks on the paper strips as appear in front of the grating hars. The marks on all

page_text: the strips seen together at one moment form a design or picture presented in front
of the grating, and at the next moment, when the strips are moved a little round
the bars, the design or picture presented by them undergoes a change. In this
manner figures may be made to appear moving or changing their forms or expressions
or different pictures may be shewn successively according as the paper strips are
marked in the first instance, and as they are moved in the one direction or the other.
In order to properly mark the paper strips in the first instance, they may in the
blank condition be moved by successive steps round the grating bars, and at each
step the desired forms or expressions of the figures way be photographed, printed,
drawn or transferred on those parts of the surfaces of the strips that are then
presented, and this can be repeated for each step of their movement.
The accompanying drawings represent apparatus according to my invention.
Fig. 1 is a front view, Fig. 2 is a back view, Fig. 3 is a side view partly in section
and Fig. 4 is a plan partly in section of the complete apparatus having in it the
removeable portion or what may be termed "book" of a particular design or set of
designs. Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section Fig. 6 is a sectional plan and Fig. 7 is a
front view of this removeable part or book Fig. 8 is a side view and Fig. 9 is an edge
view of one of the strips of paper or other material on which the design is printed
or otherwise marked.
This strip P is strengthened at each end by a piece p of somewhat thicker paper
or card cemented on it and these strengthened end parts are notched as indicated
at n.
A number of strips are thus prepared all exactly to one gauge of length from
notch to notch. A grating is formed consisting of a number of bars B of paper
card celluloid or other suitable material arranged parallel to each other with distance
pieces cemented between them.
The ends of these paper bars and distance pieces are cemented to the upper
bar U of a rectangular frame having sides S, and to a facing piece of the lower
bar L, which facing piece can be strained down by screws so as to tighten all the
grating bars B.
When stiff material such as celluloid is employed for the bars B, this straining
arrangement is not necessary, the set of bars and distance pieces being simply
held in the upper and lower bars of the frame. Another grating having sides S¹
and upper and lower bars U₁ L' is similarly made with paper bars B' but with
half the number of bars and these farther apart. A third frame having sides S",
has its upper and lower bars U" L" made in two parts, the front parts having edges
sloped to fit the notches n. Each of the strips of paper P has its ends secured in
the third frame, being passed through the first and second gratings and bent round
the bars thereof as shewn in Fig. 6. The three frames are kept in their relative
positions vertically and laterally by guides G along which the two frames S¹ and S¹¹
can be slid to and fro. Such being the construction of the book consisting of the
three frames S S S which may be of wood, the gratings B B¹ and paper strips P,
this book is placed in the apparatus, the front frame S held stationary in a metal
front frame F, the next frame S¹ in a second metal frame F¹ and the third
frame S in a third metal frame F". Two screws W each made partly right
hand and partly left hand threaded are geared together so that they are simul-
taneously turned by a handle H, causing the two frames FF" to approach to or
to recede from one another according to the direction in which the handle H is
turned. The paper strips P are thus caused to move round the bars B bending
round their front edges and presenting only their bends in front, these bends
being so near each other that a line drawn across them would appear to the eye
almost continuous. Now, if in a number of successive positions of the frames F F
the front bends of the paper strips have designs drawn upon them, each of these
designs differing only a little from those next before, and next after it, then on
turning the handle H these successive designs will appear to dissolve into one
another by a gradual change' not by any abrupt transition. The picture of a face

page_text: may thus be made to present a succession of different expressions, grave or gay,
melting from each into the next; and animals and moving objects may be made to
appear as if they were actually in motion or action.
I have shewn an arrangement in which separate strips P Figs. 8 and 9 are
employed. Instead of such separate strips a continuous strip might be employed as
shewn diagrammatically in Fig. 10, the paper P being turned round the edges of
the bars B of a hinder grating. In order to reduce friction of the paper travelling
round the grating bars, these hars may be fronted by smooth wires as indicated
in Fig. 11.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
:-
1. The herein described method of producing and displaying pictures or designs
giving the appearance of motion or change, by drawing a number of successive
pictures on the bends of strips of paper or equivalent material presented in front of
a narrow grating, and causing all these pictured bends to travel round the edges of
the grating bars, so as to change the picture as they travel.
2. In apparatus for producing and displaying pictures giving the appearance of
motion or
change, in the manner referred to in the preceding claim, the construction
of the "book or removeable and changeable part, consisting of the pictured strips
of paper or its equivalent, the frame in which they are fixed and the two gratings
round which they are bent, substantially as described.
3. In apparatus such as is above referred to the combination of the frames for
holding the "book," the screws and their driving gear for moving the pictured strips,
substantially as described.
Dotad this 18th day of November 1890.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.