Improvements in Photographic Developing Trays.
Year: 1899

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Photographic Developing Trays.
We, AULEY BIDDLE SHEPPARD, Superintendent of Flour Mill, and JAMES
PRESSLY LEECH, General Manager of Flour Mill, both of South Burgettstown, in
the County of Washington, and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows;-
The purpose of this invention is to provide a photographic developing tray in
which the solution may be measured and in which also the plates may be subjected
to a more effective application of the solution without staining the hands of the
operator and without the danger of spilling the solution.
The tray is formed of glass so that the whole structure is transparent and has
an opening in its top of less area than the bottom of the tray, this opening being
formed by extending the sides outwardly and upwardly and thence inwardly
to form a partial top overhanging the bottom of the tray to prevent the splashing
out of the solution. The inwardly extending top of the tray forms at each end a
cup one or the other of which is deep enough to contain the solution when the tray
is placed on end. The top of the tray at the deeper cup is formed with two, or any
number of, sets of graduations thereon, by which graduations the quantity of
the solution placed in the tray may be determined, it being understood that for this
purpose the tray should be held in the vertical position with this cup downwards
whereby the necessity of measuring the solution before it is placed in the tray
is avoided.
The bottom of the tray is provided with spurs adapted to engage with one edge
of the plate and at the opposite end of the tray slight projections are formed on
the bottom so that the plate when rested in the tray will bear on these projections
and thus be held out of contact with the bottom of the tray. The opening in
the top of the tray is so shaped that the plate may be introduced into the tray
to be engaged by the spurs and to bear on the projections, and this opening is
also tapered slightly towards the deeper cup so that when the tray is canted forward
slightly and the plate thrown outward the side edges of the plate will engage the
side edges of the opening and the plate will be prevented from falling completely
out of the tray. This construction enables the plate to be freely examined during
the process of development. At the end of the tray beneath the deeper cup the
bottom of the tray is formed with an internally raised portion and with external
ribs which run longitudinally with the tray and each describe a like curve which
merges into the bottom surface of the tray. Each end of the tray is curved
upward in the form of a rocker, thus permitting the tray when placed on a table
or other level surface, to be pitched or rocked longitudinally for the purpose of
effectually washing the plate with the solution. The ribs permit the tray to
move easily in this pitching movement while at the same time the internal raised
portion of the bottom serves, when the tray is in horizontal position, to throw all
of the solution in the vicinity of the plate, causing the plate to be effectually
washed and avoiding the retaining of any of the solution at points of the tray
where it will serve no useful purpose. The plate is introduced into the tray
by moving the plate longitudinally toward the spurs and in a line inclined with
reference to the bottom of the tray so that one end edge of the plate is engaged

page_text: with the spurs whereupon the plate may be dropped through the opening upon the
projections. The removal of the plate is effected by a reversal of this operation.
Dated this 11th day of April 1899.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
· Improvements in Photographic Developing Trays.
We, AULEY BIDDLE SHEPPARD, Superintendent of Flour Mill, and JAMES
PRESSLY LEECH, General Manager of Flour Mill, both of Burgettstown, in
the County of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, United States of America,
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:-
The purpose of this invention is to provide a photographic developing tray in
which the solution may be measured, and in which also the plates may be subjected
to a more effective application of the solution without staining the hands of the
operator and without the danger of spilling the solution.
This specification is the disclosure of one form of my invention, while the
claims define the actual scope thereof.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this
specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts
in all the views.
Figure 1 is a plan view of the invention;
Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; and
Figure 3 is a section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.
The tray is formed of glass so that the whole structure is transparent, and is
shaped with an opening 4 in its top, which opening is of less area than the bottom 5
of the tray, which arrangement is produced by extending the sides 6 outwardly
and upwardly and thence inwardly to form a partial top overhanging the bottom
of the tray, to prevent the splashing out of the solution. The inwardly extending
top of the tray forms at each end a cup, these cups being respectively designated
and 8, in one or the other of which the solution will be contained when the tray
is placed on end; for example when in the position shown in Figure 2.
The top
of the tray at the point of the cup 8, is formed with two or any number of
graduations 9 thercon, by which graduations the quantity of the solution placed
in the tray may be determined, it being understood that for this purpose the tray
should be held in the vertical position shown in Figure 2, thus causing the solution
to settle in the cup S. It will thus be seen that this arrangement avoids the
necessity of measuring the solution before it is placed in the tray.
The bottom of the tray is provided with two spurs 10 (only one, of which is
shown in the drawings, see Figure 2), adapted to hold one edge of the plate
(indicated by the dotted lines 11 in Figure 2), and at the opposite end of the tray
slight projections 12 are formed on the bottom, so that the plate when rested in the
tray will bear on these projections, and thus be held out of contact with the
bottom of the tray. The opening 4 in the top of the tray is so shaped that the
plate may be introduced into the tray to be engaged by the spurs 10 and to bear
on the projections 12, and this opening is also tapered slightly toward the cup 8,
so that when the tray is canted forward slightly from the position shown in
Figure 2, and the plate 11 thrown outward as said view shows, the side edges of
the plate will engage the sides of the opening 4, and the plate will be prevented
from falling completely out of the tray. This construction enables the plate to

page_text: be freely examined during the process of development. At the end of the tray
beneath the cup 8, the bottom of the tray is formed with a raised portion 14 (see
Figure 2), which is broken by two downwardly extending ribs 15 (only one of
which is shown in the drawings, see Figure 2), which ribs run longitudinally
with the tray and each describe a like curve which merges into the bottom surface
of the tray. Each end of the tray is curved upward in the form of a rocker, thus
permitting the tray when placed on a table or other level surface, to be pitched
or rocked longitudinally for the purpose of effectually washing the plate with the
solution. The ribs 15 permit the tray to move easily in this pitching movement,
while at the same time the raised portion 14 serves, when the fray is in horizontal
position, to throw all of the solution in the vicinity of the plate, causing the plate
to be effectually washed, and avoiding the retaining of any of the solution at
points of the tray where it will serve no useful purpose. The plate is introduced
into the tray by moving the plate longitudinally toward the spurs 10, and in a line
inclined with reference to the bottom of the tray, so that one end edge of the plate
is engaged with the spurs, whereupon the plate may be dropped through the
opening 4 upon the projections 12. The removal of the plate is effected by a
reversal of this operation.
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. A developing tray, formed of a transparent material permitting the inspec-
tion of the plate during the development thereof.
2. A developing tray, having portions of the sides overhanging the bottom
thereof so as to prevent the splashing of the solution, and so also as to hold the
plate in place.
3. A developing tray, having portions of its sides overhanging the bottom of
the tray and forming an opening in the top of the tray through which a plate
may be inserted, the bottom of the tray having spurs thereon adapted to be
engaged by one edge of the plate so as to hold the plate in the tray when the tray
is moved to a vertical position.
4. A developing tray, having portions of its sides overhanging the bottom of
the tray to form an opening in the top thereof, and a spur on the bottom of the
tray, the spur serving to engage one edge of the plate.
5. A developing tray, having a spur on the bottom thereof and also having a
projection, the spur serving to engage one edge of a photographic plate, and the
projection serving to support the plate above the bottom of the tray.
6. A developing tray, having a cup formed therein, and having graduations
at the cup to permit measuring the material in the tray, the tray being trans-
parent at the cup, for such purpose.
7. A developing tray, having a transparent portion with graduations thereon,
for measuring the solution.
8. A developing tray, having a raised portion in the bottom thereof, causing the
solution to flow off of said raised portion, and a downwardly extending rib formed
in the bottom of the tray at the raised portion thereof, such rib merging into the
main portion of the bottom.
9. A developing tray, having a bottom, the ends of which are curved upwardly
to form a rocker, permitting the tray to be rocked back and forth to properly
spose the solution.
Dated this 14th day of December 1800
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
Chartered Patent Agents, 53, Chancery Lane, London.