Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for the Automatic Production of Photographs.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 7th May, 1892
Improvements in or relating to Apparatus for the Automatic
Production of Photographs.
I, CARL SASSE of Feldstrasse 47, Hamburg in the Empire of Germany
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 :-
This invention relates to that class of so-called automatic photographing
apparatus or machines in which the plate exposed behind the lens is dipped into
successive baths by automatic mechanism, by which the photographic image is
developed and fixed previous to the delivery of the picture from the machine. The
improvements consist principally in the mechanism by which the plate is raised
and lowered at the proper times by a suitable motor, spring or weight actuated
train under influence of an electrical detent operated by a clockwork which is set
in action on the entrance of the coin which is required as the price of the
photograph.
A machine with the improved mechanism is shown in the accompanying drawing
in which
Fig. 1 is a front elevation with casing removed.
Fig. 2 is a plan view and
Fig. 3 a side elevation partly in section.
Figs. 4 and 5 are detail views or diagrams of parts.
A is the holder for the photographic plate K this holder slides in guides and
may be raised and lowered by the lever system a a' a² a³ the construction of which
will be apparent from the drawing. This lever system is operated by the revolution
of the shaft which carries the lever arm a and is driven by the motor M having
in its train of wheels a ratchet or spur wheel . The armature E' of the electro
magnet E carries the arm or detent which engages with the teeth of the wheel
when the armature is at rest and unattracted by the electro magnet so that the
motor M is thus held at rest.
The baths arranged in a circle are supported upon a rotary horizontal table T
fixed upon a central shaft W which is revolved by a special clockwork L. By
the rotation of the table T the baths are brought successively under the raised
plate carrier A and as each is brought into correct position thereunder, a detent
arrests the table to hold it stationary for the necessary period of time for the
immersion of the plate. This detent is dependent on the action of the motor M.
The clockwork H by which the stopping of the motor M is controlled, is released
and set in action when the coin is placed in the machine, the coin falling on the
lever and releasing the disk O which is again arrested in completing one
revolution. The disk serves as an electric contact disk being in electric
connection with the electro-magnet E and the one pole of the battery R, while the
contact spring o' is in connection with the other pole of the battery.
Presuming the holder A to be provided with a sensitive plate K after cach
delivery of a photograph, the apparatus works as follows:-As the clockwork H
is released the disk O makes contact with the spring o' and the electro magnet E
is vitalized the armature E is attracted, the wheel released and the motor M.
begins to move. The shaft revolves in the direction of the arrow Fig. 1 and
releases the spring moved arm n from the end 1 of the arm a, so that this arm
comes into contact with the post n' and completes a circuit through the electro-
magnet E and the battery R so that this second circuit operates to hold the
armature E attracted and the motor M in action. The plate carrier A is raised
until the pin 2 presses on the lever e and releases the table T by removing the
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page_text: nose e from the projections. The table T thereupon revolves under the action
of the motor L until the next projection s' arrives against the nose e', the lever e
having been returned to its first position by a spring after the passing of the pin 2
over the end of the lever e. This action brings the first bath I under the carrier A
(for instance the collodion bath). The further movement of the motor M depresses
the carrier A. so that the plate is immersed in the bath. As the carrier A arrives
at its lowest position the nose I arrives upon and presses down the lever n and the
contact at nis broken. The current ceases and the electromagnet E is unvitalized
so that the armature E' springs back and the arm arrests the motor M. The
parts remain in this position until the clockwork H moves the disk O so far that
a second contact point thereon comes in temporary contact with the spring o¹ and
the electromagnet E is again vitalized whereby the action before described are
repeated.
In a similar way each successive stage of the process is ended by the action of
the disk O so that the duration of each resting interval which is necessary for the
proper performance of the various stages of the photographic process will be propor-
tional to the intervals between the respective contacts on the disk O, since the latter
having set the mechanism in action by closing the first circuit, may thereafter
interrupt this circuit when the second circuit has been closed so that the mechanism
comes to a stop when the second circuit is broken and remains at rest until the
first circuit again closed. As the duration of the second circuit is always the
same it follows that the period of rest supervening will depend upon the period
between the the two successive closings of the first circuit, that is to say, on the
distance between the contact points on the disk O.
In the machine illustrated the first bath I is for the collodion bath, the second
bath II is the silver bath, a space is then left for the exposure of the plate and
the 3rd and subsequent baths are for the developing and fixing solutions and for
the washing of the plate.
When the plate carrier is in its lowest position at the time intended for the
exposure the contact disk p operates on the contact spring p¹ to close a circuit
through the battery R and the electro magnet G by which the armature G₁ is
attracted and the lever a 2 is rocked to move the shutter from the lens S.
When the exposure is sufficient the disk p will have moved so far as to break the
contact with the spring p' so that the circuit is broken and the shutter g again
covers the lens S. The wire leads for this circuit are omitted from the drawing for
clearness of illustration.
The baths may be kept filled and allowed to remain so, or each time a certain
quantity of liquid may be allowed to pass into the bath from a reservoir. Thus
for the developer the reservoir B may be provided. The outlet pipe is provided
with a suitable cock closed by a spring; as the shaft W revolves, the arm u strikes
against and opens the cock so that at a certain time and for a certain period the
liquid runs into the circular tray B' on the shaft W. From this tray it passes by
pipe to the bath I I I and the surplus used liquid flows out by pipe into the
waste tank C.
When the photograph is completed the holder A will be above the hole v where
the edge of the table T is cut away or recessed. At this moment an arm on the
shaft Warrives behind the holder A and releases the spring catch which secures
the plate in the holder so that the plate falls into the guide by which it is delivered
to the purchaser.
A suitable form of mechanism for holding the plate is shown in Fig. 4. The
angle lever g holds the plate in the holder A, the arm w (omitted in Figs. 1 to 3)
raises the arm and so releases the plate K.
As the holder A. is raised again the lever 7 rises from the arm w. At this time
when the holder is raised the drum D which carries the plates radially disposed
will have turned under influence of an arm on the shaft W (not shown) engaging in
teeth or the like on the drum D, sufficiently to allow another plate to fall through
a slit in the fixed plate d. This new plate falls into the V shaped holder A and

page_text: when the holder again descends the arm w again lifts the lever g and the plate falls
through until its lower edge strikes the first field of the table T which will in the
meantime have been moved under it.
The disk O will now have completed one revolution and the mechanism stops
until the clockwork H is again set in motion by the receipt of the coin.
7
When the holder A is again raised the lever holds the plate and continues to
do so until the cycle of operations is again completed and the photograph is
finished.
In place of using a separate motor for the shaft W-the latter may be driven
by the motor M by mechanism as shown in Fig. 5. The pin 2 on the lever a
strikes the nose of the lever k pivoted at . This draws the rod and causes the
pawl to move the ratchet wheel on the shaft W sufficiently to change the
field of the table T under the holder A.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is
1) In an automatic photographing machine, a holder for the photographic plate
movable up and down by a lever system driven by a motor started and stopped
by an electric current or currents controlled by a contact breaker and maker driven
by clockwork.
2) The apparatus herein described for controlling the times and periods of the
movement of the photographic plate for the purposes set forth.
Dated this 28th day of January 1892.
HERBERT & Co.,
18, Buckingham Street, Strand, London, W.C., Agents to Applicant.