Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Estimating, Measuring, or Comparing Color, Texture, and Appearance of Liquid or Solid Bodies, Materials, or Fabrics Viewed by Transmitted or by Reflected Light.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of App ication, 14th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 14th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 20th Jan., 1888
Improvements in Apparatus for Use in Estimating, Measuring, or
Comparing Color, Texture, and Appearance of Liquid or Solid
Bodies, Materials, or Fabrics Viewed by Transmitted or by
Reflected Light.
I, JOSEPH WILLIAMS LOVIBOND, of 26 Saint Ann Street, Salisbury, in the County
of Wilts, Brewer do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My Invention relates to further improvements in the instrument forming the
subject of a previous application for Letters Patent dated the Ninth day of October
1886 and numbered 12,867; and they have for their object not only to improve the
instrument for the purpose of estimating or measuring the intensity of color of bodies
(whether solid or liquid) viewed by transmitted light, but to adapt it to the estimation
or measurement and comparison of color, surface, texture, and appearance of opaque
or other bodies, materials, or fabrics viewed by reflected light.
As applied to the estimation of bodies, especially liquids, viewed by transmitted
light, the improvements have for their object to enable either a fixed standard color or
fewer units of color to be more conveniently used. For this purpose, I provide a
vessel to contain the liquid under examination, of such form that a stratum of variable
thickness may be made to intersect the beam of light, and for this purpose I employ a
vessel which, instead of having its front and rear sides parallel, is of tapering or
wedge-like form and is adapted to be moved across the beam of light so as to bring
different portions of the vessel into the beam. For this purpose the vessel is mounted
in a carrier operated by a rack and pinion or equivalent mechanical motion, whereby
the vessel is traversed across the open end of the tube. A diaphragm or other means
would be provided in the tube, for limiting the field of view to the portion of the
vessel which is for the time being situated at the centre line of the tube, so as to
reduce to a minimum any uncertainty or error in the estimation of the color due to
the varying thickness of the stratum.
In order to adapt the instrument to the measurement or comparison of the color or
superficial appearance of objects viewed by reflected light a stage is mounted in line

page_text: with the tubes on which the standard color or material and the object under
examination are mounted, the stage being suitably illuminated by reflection or by
direct light, and protected from interfering rays of light. The stage would be fitted
with blocks for stretching fabrics upon, and with trays to hold powders and
other substances.
For measuring the intensity of color of an opaque object, or for ascertaining the
difference of tint between similar objects, a series of colored glasses, representing
standard units of color, are used, as specified in my former application, in con-
junction or not with a light or dark back ground as circumstances may require, so
that the aggregate of standard units of color, necessary to make both fields of view
appear equal, will represent the depth of color under observation or the difference
of tint, as the case may be.
For comparing surfaces, textures, and colors, with each other, the samples are
placed side by side and viewed under equal conditions.
D
1
M
1 1007
J. W. LOVIBOND.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: 1, JOSEPH WILLIAM LOVIBOND of 26 Saint Ann Street, Salisbury, in the County of
Wilts, Brewer, 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 further improvements applied to the instrument forming
the subject of a previous application for Letters Patent dated the Ninth day of October
1886 and numbered 12,867; and they have for their object not only to improve the
instrument for the purpose of estimating or measuring the intensity of color of bodies
(whether solid or liquid) viewed by transmitted light, but also to adapt it to the
estimation or measurement and comparison of color, surface, texture, and appearance
of opaque or other bodies, materials, or fabrics, viewed by reflected light. As applied
to the estimation of bodies, especially liquids, viewed by transmitted light, the
improvements have for their object, to enable either a fixed standard color or fewer
units of color to be more conveniently used. For this purpose, I provide a vessel or
standard, of such form that a stratum of variable thickness may be made to intersect
the beam of light and for this purpose, I employ a vessel or standard which instead of
having its front and rear sides parallel, is of tapering or wedge like form and is
adapted to be moved across the beam of light so as to bring different portions of the
vessel or standard, into the beam. In order to adapt the instrument to the measure-
ment or comparison of the color or superficial appearance of objects viewed by
reflected light, a stage is mounted in line with the tubes, on which the standard color
or material and the object under examination are mounted, the stage being suitably
illuminated by reflection or by direct light and protected from interfering rays of
light.
Ι
Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this
specification wherein figures 1 to 5 illustrate the invention for the estimation of bodies
viewed by transmitted light; figure 1 being a vertical longitudinal section on
line 1-1 figure 3; figure 2 a transverse section on line 2-2 figure 1; and figure 3
a horizontal section on line 3-3 figure 1. Figure 4 is a vertical section on line 4-4
figure 5 and figure 5 a horizontal section on line 5-5 figure 4, of a solid standard
hereafter more fully described. Figures 6, 7, and 8 represent the instrument as
adapted to the measurement or comparison of color or superficial appearance of
objects, matters, or fabrics viewed by reflected light; figure 6 being a side elevation,
the stage being in section; figure 7 a transverse section on line 7-7 figure 6; and
figure 8 a plan.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

page_text: I will first describe the improvements illustrated in figures 1 to 5, designed for the
estimation of the intensity of color of liquid viewed by transmitted light. bc are the
pair of juxtaposed divergent tubes separated by a wedge shaped partition a, and fitted
at one end with a monocular eye-piece (d figs. 6 & 8) so placed as to command a
view in the direction of the arrow figure 1, through both tubes at once, as described
in the specification of my former patent aforesaid. In the top of the tube b there
may be a series of slots e to receive standard units of tints if required, as before
specified, whilst the opening before described as being provided in the top of the
tube c would be closed by its shutter h, that is to say, if the present improvements are
applied as in the example illustrated, to an existing instrument constructed in
accordance with my previous patent, or the tubes b c may in some cases both have
similar series of slots or they may have no slots in them, as the case may be.
For the purpose of my present invention, I provide a vessel G having its front and
rear walls gg2 which are of clear glass inclined towards each other so as to form a
vessel of rectangular cross-section and of wedge-like form, the distance between these
walls g varying say from half an inch at one end to 14 inches at the other end, the
vessel being about a foot high and closed at bottom. The lateral walls of the vessel which
may also be of glass, or other suitable material, are preferably sheathed with wood to
protect them from injury, the strips of wood being of equal width throughout for
convenience of fitting the vessel in its carrying frame hereafter described.
Upon these wood sides may be marked a scale denoting the distance apart at
different points, of the front and rear walls g¹ g². This vessel may contain either the
liquid to be tested for intensity of color or a liquid whose color intensity is known in
which case it would be used as a standard for comparison with a stratum of definite
thickness of the liquid or solid, to be tested. Instead however of the color standard
being liquid, I may use a solid standard G¹ being a block of colored glass of similar
form, shewn in figures 4 and 5, for comparison particularly with solid matters.
Whichever be used, it is mounted in a carrier H fitted to slide in a guiding frame I
attached to, or formed on, the instrument; the carrier being operated by a rack h
and pinion h² or equivalent mechanical motion whereby the carrier H and vessel or
standard contained in it, is traversed in the direction of its length across the open end
of one of the tubes bore of the instrument. A diaphragm or other means may
be interposed between the frame I and the end of the tube c for limiting the vertical
extent of the field of view, to the portion of the wedge shaped vessel or standard
which is for the time being situated at about the level of the centre line of the tube
so as to reduce to a minimum any uncertainty or error in the estimation of the color
due to the varying thickness of the stratum traversed by the light rays.
A fixed standard or a sample of the transparent solid or of the liquid to be tested,
(the latter being contained in a rectangular vessel or bottle) is placed in the corre-
sponding frame I' opposite the other tube, the dimension of the solid or liquid in the
direction traversed by the beam of light being in this case, a definite one.
Referring now to figures 6, 7, and 8; K is a stage mounted opposite the open ends
of the tubes bc, the stage being shielded to cut off interfering rays of light, by the
bottom and lateral extensions K' K, the sides being inclined and whitened on the
inner surfaces, to reflect light entering above on to the stage K. The stage is divided
into two compartments respectively in line with tubes in which would be fitted
blocks upon which fabrics to be examined would be stretched or trays to hold
powders and other substances. The stage may be so applied as to be readily
removable, for example, by the dovetail sliding connection, shewn in cross-section
in figure 7, and for convenience would be provided with a hinged prop or leg..
For measuring the intensity of color of an opaque object or for ascertaining the
difference of tint between similar objects, a series of colored glasses representing
standard units of color are used, the glasses being inserted in slits e in front of one
another, along the beam of light, in such number as will by their combined or
aggregate effect produce the intensity of color corresponding to the sample under
examination, as specified in my former patent, in conjunction or not with a light or
dark background, as circumstances may require, so that the aggregate of standard

page_text: Or,
units of color necessary to make both fields of view appear equal, will represent the
depth of color under observation, or the difference of tint, as the case may be.
instead of, or in conjunction with, a series of colored glasses I may use the wedge
like standard, shewn in figures 4 and 5.
For comparing surfaces, textures, and colors with each other, the samples are
placed side by side in the compartments of the stage K and viewed under equal
conditions.
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 ;-
1st. The combination with an instrument such as that herein referred to for
estimating the intensity of color or appearance of solid or liquid bodies viewed by
transmitted light, of a tapering wedge shaped vessel or color standard adapted to be
traversed across the field of view of one of the sight tubes of the instrument, so as to
bring different portions of the vessel or standard into the beam of light, substantially
as, and for the purpose, specified.
2nd. The herein described instrument as adapted for the measurement, or com-
parison, of the color or superficial appearance of objects viewed or surfaces viewed by
reflected light.
J. W. LOVIBOND.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.