and for Various other Purposes.
Year: 1885

page_text: and for Various other Purposes.
I, WILLIAM JAMES LANCASTER trading as J. Lancaster and Son of Colmore Row,
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Optician, do hereby declare the nature of
said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE STANDS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC
CAMERA WORK, AND FOR VARIOUS OTHER PURPOSES," to be as follows:-
My invention has for its object the construction of a portable stand to be used
in connection with Photographic camera work and the like; such for example, as
stands or supports for theodolites, Surveyors levels, quadrants, camera lucidas, dials
and for other purposes where a rigid and portable stand or support is required;
and my said invention consists in so constructing the supporting legs of the said
stand in a way that it becomes most portable when collapsed, and most rigid when
in use, by arranging and combining the parts as hereinafter described.
I will describe my invention in connection with a tripod Photographic camera
stand, and for convenience of description I will only describe one of the said legs.
The leg or support consists of two parts and each part is composed or made up
of two parallel strips or lengths of wood or any other suitable material, and
sliding upon each other (that is, one part upon the other) in such a manner that
the leg is able to be lengthened or shortened to accommodate itself to varying
heights, when in use, or when contracted or folded up for portability; and connected
to the respective ends of the said parallel strips of the one part, are eyes or clip
guides, which embrace the strips or sides of each adjacent strip; that is to say,
both parts carry at their ends double clips, which allow the one part to slide
within or upon the other, and so reduce the length of the leg to that of about
one half.
In order to impart stability and perfect rigidity to the leg produced which forms
a part of the stand, I arrange at, or about the middle of the said leg and between
the bars, a system of jointed levers, which constitutes a tension expander or
opener out; that is, the system of levers are arranged in the form of a lozenge,
jointed top, bottom and sides; the middle of the side arms being connected to the
opposite thin strips constituting the leg; and against the inner sides of the said
strips, roughened or pinion like bars or axes bear.

page_text: These pinion bars cross and connect the sides of the arms, and form the centres
on which they turn; and depending from the upper joint or joints of the arms of
the said levers, is a rack, the teeth of which engage with a bar or axis passing from
the lower joints; so that as the jointed levers open out, the rack teeth engage
with the bar, and so retain the lever arms in a fixed position with the sides or
strips which constitute the leg of the stand forcibly pressed outwards, thereby
imparting great strength and rigidity thereto, by increasing the sectional area
of the middle of the legs embraced by the sides or thin strips described.
The widening out of the middle of the legs, can be regulated and adjusted by.
the teeth of the depending rack according to the weight to be sustained; thus if
only a moderate rigidity is required, less tension or opening out of the legs is
given; and further, instead of employing the system of levers carrying the rack,
the rack may with like effect be attached to one side of the opening out parts, and
a peg on the other; and moreover, the opening out or widening expedients herein-
before described, may be employed with legs which are non-sliding, the sides being
made in one piece, or of one length. The legs described are generally used in
threes which are commonly called a tripod stand. The ends of the sides of the
legs being connected together and provided with the usual appendages.

page_text: and for Various other Purposes.
I, WILLIAM JAMES LANCASTER trading as J. Lancaster and Son of Colmore Row;
Birmingham, in the County of Warwick, Optician do hereby declare the nature
of said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN PORTABLE STANDS FOR PHOTOGRAPHIC
CAMERA WORK, AND FOR VARIOUS OTHER PURPOSES," and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement:-
My invention has for its object, the construction of portable stands, to be used
principally in connection with photographic camera work, and the like; such for
example, as stands or supports for theodilites, Surveyor's levels, quadrants, camera
lucidas, dials and for other purposes where a rigid and portable stand or support is
required; and my said invention consists in so constructing the supporting legs of
the said stands in a way that it becomes most portable when collapsed, and inost
rigid when in use, by arranging and combining the parts as hereinafter described.
I will describe my invention, in connection with a tripod photographic camera
stand, and for convenience of description, I will only describe one of the said legs.
The leg or support consists of two parts and each part is composed or made up
of two nearly parallel strips or lengths of wood or any other suitable material
with the parts sliding upon each other (that is, one part moves upon the other) in
such a manner that the leg is able to be lengthened or shortened to accommodate
itself to varying heights, when in use, or when contracted or folded up for port-
ability; and connected to the respective ends of the said parallel strips of the one
part, are eyes or socket guides, which embrace the strips or sides of each adjacent
strip; that is to say, both parts carry at their ends double clips, which allow the
one part to slide within or upon the other, and so reduce the length of the leg to
that of about one half.
In order to impart stability and perfect rigidity to the leg produced which
forms a part of the stand, I arrange at, or about the middle of the said leg and
between the bars, a system of jointed levers, which constitutes a tension expander
or opener out; that is, the system of levers are arranged in the form of a lozenge,
jointed top, bottom and sides; the middle of the side arms being connected to the
opposite thin strips constituting the leg; and against the inner sides of the said
strips, roughend or pinion like bars or axes bear. These pinion bars cross and
connect the sides of the arms or links, and form the centres on which they turn ;
and depending from the upper joint or joints of the arms or links of the said
levers, is a rack, the teeth of which engage with a bar or axis passing from the
lower joints; so that as the jointed levers open out, the rack teeth engage with
the bar, and so retain the lever arms in a fixed position with the sides or strips
which constitute the leg of the stand forcibly pressed outwards, thereby imparting
great strength and rigidity thereto, by increasing the sectional area of the middle
of the legs embraced by the sides or thin strips described. Or a screwed rod and
nut may be substituted for the rack and bar,
L
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page_text: The widening out of the middle of the legs, can be regulated and adjusted by
the teeth of the depending rack according to the weight to be sustained; thus if
only a moderate rigidity is required, less tension or opening out of the legs is
given; and further, instead of employing the system of levers carrying the rack,
the rack may with like effect be attached to one. side of the opening out parts,
and a peg on the other, and more-over, the opening out or widening expedients
hereinbefore described, may be employed with legs which are non-sliding, the sides
being made in one piece, or of one length. The legs described are generally used
in threes which are commonly called a tripod stand. The ends of the sides of the
legs being connected together and provided with the usual appendages.
I will now proceed to describe with reference to the accompanying Drawings the
manner in which the same is to be performed.
Figure 1 is a front elevation of a portable stand for photographic camera work
and for other purposes constructed according to my invention. Figure 2 is a
portion of one of the legs upon a larger scale. Figure 3 is a transverse section of
the expanding device, and figure 4 a portion of the legs upon a larger scale with
the sockets partly in section, and the means of holding the jointed arms expanded.
Figure 5 shows one of the legs collapsed or shortened to an extent nearly equal to
one half, by the sliding of the top part over the lower part, or the lower part
within the upper part, in order to render the stand extremely portable, or to vary
the length of leg according to the height of stand required.
Each leg, of the three legs of a stand consists of two parts, a and b, and each
part is made up of two nearly parallel strips or lengths a² a b b which slide upon
each other. cd are guide sockets attached respectively to the upper and lower
portions of the two parts constituting a leg; that is, the sockets d d are attached
to the lower extremities of the strips or lengths a² a³, while the sockets cc to the
upper extremities of the parts 626-e are four links or arms turning upon joint
centres f, and which said links when so arranged, constitute an expanding device,
for the opening out of the parts of the legs-ġ g are depending links, for connecting
the said expander to the lower portion of the leg. The side joints centres of the
expander, are provided with roller like bushes h ribbed externally, the ribbed
surfaces of which are forcibly pressed against the inside edges of the top strips a³
on a leg being expanded, for giving the necessary rigidity or stability thereto--i is
a wormed rod connected at the lower portion of the expander, while the upper
portion of the said wormed rod passes through a plain hole in a cross bar, the
ends of which form the top centres of the links is an internally screwed boss
or milled head nut, the rotation of which expands or contracts the distance between
the middle joints of the system of links.
In figure 4, rack teeth are employed instead of screw threads; or the expander
. may be operated by a pinion, the teeth of which engage with rack teeth upon
a bar.
When the legs are required to be shortened or collapsed for transit or otherwise,
the expanding arms e are made to lie nearly parallel to each other, and the lower
portion is made to slide telescopically within the upper portion a, as represented
in figure 5.
The sockets c d form guides wherein the respective sides a*, 62 work.
When the legs are required to be lengthened, either fully or partially, they are
made to slide upon each other, and the expander opened out, by the rotation of the
nut or boss travelling down the screwed rod i-This is permitted by the plain
eye or hole of the part traversing over the screw, pressed downwards by the
nut, and thereby opening out or expanding the system of jointed links, and so
increasing the sectional area enclosed or embraced by the expanded sides of
the leg.
In figure 4, the sides of the leg are opened out, and the rack teeth engaged with
a cross stud or neck lying at the back of the upper joint of the expander.
When the links are opened out by a pinion engaging with the teeth of a rack,
a detent or pawl prevents the return motion.

page_text: 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
First. Making the legs or supports of photographic camera, and other like
stands, in two parts, (upper and lower) which slide longitudinally one upon the
other, for increasing or decreasing the length of leg-Each part is divided or made
up of two lengths or sides, joined respectively at their upper and lower ends;
while the other or open ends of each part, carry guide sockets, wherein the said
sides or lengths work, for embracing and conducting the parts on moving one upon
the other The expanding or widening out of the sectional area of the parts of
the leg, and also the affixing of the parts in position, is determined by expanding
and fixing devices, substantially as described and illustrated.
Secondly.-Expanding or opening out, and also the affixing in position of the
sliding sides of the legs of camera and other like stands, by a system of jointed
links or arms having fluted cross bars at their sides, or outer joints; and which
said joints are connected to the terminals of one of the sliding parts, by depending
links-The opening out or closing of the links, and the pressing of the fluted cross
bars in contact with the insides of the legs, being effected by screw or rack devices,
substantially as described and illustrated.