Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb, 1887
Complete Left, 14th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 16th Dec., 1887
I RICHARD EVERETT ATKINSON of 257 and 259 State Street Schenectady in the
County of Schenectady and State of New York, United States of America,
Photographer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to improvements in sectional and bottomless photo-developing
dishes or trays, wherein the photographic plate or film, when placed in the dish or
tray, constitutes the bottom of the dish or tray for retaining the developing liquid.
The photo-developing dish or tray is composed of two sections hinged together and
provided, respectively, at their adjacent edges with yielding strips of rubber or other
suitable material which close together and constitute the grasping surface of the
sections of the dish for holding the photographic plate or film. The plate or film,
when placed in the dish or tray between the closed sections, will be held all around
its edges and upon both sides by the strips with a cushioned or yielding pressure
thus avoiding injury to, and danger of breaking, the plate or film. The pressure also
causes a liquid-tight joint to be formed between the one strip and the plate or film, so
that the latter forms the bottom of the dish or tray to receive and retain the
developing liquid. To avoid excessive pressure upon the plate or film at the end
next to the hinges, and to adapt the dish or tray to hold photographic films, and also
photographic plates of different thickness, I construct the hinges to spring or yield
so that the sections, when closed, will spread according to the thickness of the plate
or film placed between them. To this end, each hinge may be formed of an eye plate
attached to each section respectively, a bent hinge rod and coiled spring placed
thereon and confined between a head on the rod and the upper edge of one of the
eye-plates. The rods are bent at right angles, and the eye plates are placed at right.
angles to each other to hold the rod so that the action of the springs will close the
sections and yield to accomodate any object. A locking bail is attached to the edge
of the one section opposite the hinges, and a locking plate is attached to the other
section, the upper edge of this plate being inclined and notched to receive and hold
the bail. To still further avoid rigid grasping of the photographic plate or film by
the sections of the dish or tray, the bail is made of semi-circular form and of spring

page_text: wire, so that it will have a spring action in being forced upon the upper edge of the
plate, whose notches are stepped one above the other, so that the bail may be pressed
into one or the other of them according to the thickness of the plate or film placed
between the sections. The cushion of the lower section is made of a broad strip of
rectangular rubber all in one piece, so that there will be no leak at the corners, and
no labor in forming joints, and in this strip of rubber are set pins which serve as
guides to facilitate the placing of the plate to be developed. The cushion of the
upper section is also made of one piece of rubber in rectangular form and this rubber
is made much thicker and softer than the other cushion, and is much narrower so as
to come within the pins. By making this cushion thick and narrow, it is practical to
make it very soft, so that it will closely hug the plate or film being developed, and
prevent all escape of developing liquid, and at the same time overcome all danger of
breaking the film or plate, and by making the other cushion of considerable width, it
will hold its position for a great length of time, and support the plate or film,
covering a considerable surface, while the pins being passed through the cushion
prevent it from spreading out of place. A strip or flange, forming a partial cover, is
secured upon one end of the upper section, which strip, together with the end and
side walls of the section, form a pocket for retaining the developing liquid when the
dish or tray is held in vertical position for inspection, thus avoiding the necessity of
pouring the liquid from the dish or tray and returning it every time the progress of
development is to be observed. By constructing the dish or tray without a bottom,
and adapting the dish or tray to hold the photographic filin or plate directly, so that
it forms the bottom of the apparatus, the light to the back of the plate or film is
entirely unobstructed, so that the development of the plate or film may be observed,
by holding the dish or tray in vertical position, with the same precision as though
the plate or film were removed and held up in the hands.
Dath: 00- 1 1
ח
1007
RICHARD EVERETT ATKINSON.
By A. M. & Win. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photographic Developing Dishes or Trays.
I, RICHARD EVERETT ATKINSON of 257 and 259 State Street, Schenectady in the
County of Schenectady and State of New York United States of America,
Photographer, 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 improvements in sectional and bottomless photo-developing
dishes or trays wherein the photographic plate or film when placed in the dish or
tray constitutes the bottom of the dish or tray for retaining the developing liquid.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which figure 1 is a plan view of my now and improved photo-
developing dish or tray, shewing a photographic plate held therein; Figure 2 is a
sectional elevation of the same on the line - of figure 1; and figure 3 shews the
dish or tray open.
Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.
The photo-developing dish or tray A is composed of the two sections a and b
hinged together by the hinges c. The sections ab are provided, respectively, at their
adjacent edges with yielding strips de of rubber or other suitable material, which
strips close together when the dish or tray is closed, and constitute the grasping
surfaces of the sections a 6 for holding in the dish or tray the photographic plate or
film B to be developed. The plate or film B when placed in the dish or tray
between the sections ab and the sections closed tightly upon it, will be held all
around its edges and upon both sides by the strips d e with a cushioned or yielding
pressure, thus avoiding injury to, and danger of breaking, the plate or film. The
pressure also causes a liquid tight joint to be formed between the strip d and the
plate or film B so that the plate or film forms the bottom of the dish or tray to
receive and retain the developing liquid L.
To avoid excessive pressure upon the plate or film B at the end next to the hinges c
and to adapt the dish or tray to hold photographic films and also photographic plates
of different thickness, I construct the hinges c to spring or yield so that the sections ab
when closed will spread according to the thickness of the plate or film placed between
them. In this instance the hinges c are each formed of an eye plate c¹ attached to
section b, eye plate attached to section a and bent hinge rod c³ and coiled spring c
placed thereon and confined between the head c² of the rod e³ and the upper edge of
the eye plate c. The rods c³ are bent at right angles and the eye-plates c¹
placed at right angles to each other to hold the rod c³, as shewn in figure 2, so that
the action of the springs will close the sections a 6 and yield to accomodate any
object placed between them, the plates e³ sliding upon rods c' according to the
thickness of the object.
are
To the end of the section b opposite the hinges c I attach by the plates ff, the
locking bail g and to the centre of the section a I attach by screws or otherwise the
locking plate the upper edge of which is inclined and notched as shewn at i to

page_text: receive and hold the bail g for locking the sections a b together, and to still further
avoid rigid grasping of the photographic plate or film by the sections of the dish or
tray, I make the bail g semi-circular in form and of suitable spring wire so that it
will have a spring action in being forced upon the upper edge of the plate h, thus
constituting a flexible lock for the sections. The notches i are stepped one above the
other, as shewn in figure 2, so that the bail g may be pressed into one or the other of
them according to the thickness of the plate or film placed between the sections a b
causing them in all cases to be closed snugly upon the plate or film of whatever
thickness they may be.
The cushion e is made of a broad strip of rectangular rubber all in one piece so
that there will be no leakage at the corners and no labor in forming joints, and in
this stripe of rubber are set the pins which serve as guides to facilitate the
placing of the plate to be developed. The cushion d is also made of one piece of
rubber in rectangular form and this rubber is made much thicker and softer than
the cushion e and is much narrower so as to come within the pins ¹. By making
this cushion thick and narrow it is practical to make it very soft so that it will closely
hug the plate or film being developed, and prevent all escape of developing liquid
and at the same time overcome all danger of breaking the film or plate.
With very
little pressure, the packing d makes a water-tight joint. By making the cushion e of
considerable width it will hold its position for a great length of time and support the
plate or film, covering a considerable surface, while the pins ¹ being passed through
the cushion prevent it from spreading out of place. A strip or flange forming a
partial cover C is secured upon one end of the section a which strip together with
the end and side walls of the section a form a receptacle for retaining the developing
liquid L when the dish or tray is held in vertical position, as in figure 2, for inspecting
the film or plate B being developed. This avoids the necessity of pouring the liquid
from the dish or tray and returning it every time the progress of development is to
be observed and by constructing the dish or tray without a bottom and adapting the
dish or tray to hold the photographic film or plate directly so that it forms the bottom
of the apparatus, the light to the back of the plate or film is entirely unobstructed so
that the development of the plate or film may be observed by holding the dish or tray
in vertical position, with the same precision as though the plate or film were removed
and held up in the hands.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The sections or frames a 6 of the developing dish or tray A hinged together
and provided with the cushions de constructed of single pieces of rubber or similar
material and applied substantially as described.
2. The cushion d made of a single piece of rubber or other material and made
narrower and thicker in cross section than the cushion e, substantially as described.
3. The sections a b hinged together by spring or yielding hinges combined
with the continuous cushions de secured to the adjacent edges of the sections,
substantially as described.
4. The section 6 provided with the cushion e and having the pins ¹ passed through
the cushion into the material of the section, substantially as described.
Dated this 10th day of November 1007
R. E. ATKINSON.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.